Study Summary

One hundred twenty patients with traffic accident–induced acute neck pain were randomized to receive integrative Korean medicine treatment (IKMT) plus manual therapy or IKMT alone. The primary outcome of interest was change in numeric rating scale (NRS) for neck pain at day 5. Secondary outcomes included visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, cumulative pain reduction (area under the curve), and longer-term outcomes up to 12 weeks. Outcomes were assessed daily during hospitalization and at follow-up. Overall, the results of the study revealed that the intervention group experienced greater short-term reductions in pain scores (NRS and VAS) compared to the control group by day 5, although no significant differences were observed at 12 weeks. These findings suggest that manual therapy provides faster short-term pain relief but does not induce sustained long-term benefit.