Effectiveness of traditional Thai self-massage combined with stretching exercises for the treatment of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain: A single-blinded randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of traditional Thai self-massage combined with home stretching exercises (TSMSE) on pain, back flexibility and disability in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (NSLBP).

Methods: Twenty-two patients from 18 to 60 years old were randomly allocated to receive 30-min sessions of TSMSE or 12 sessions of self-care education (SCE) over a period of 4 weeks. The pain intensity using a visual analog scale (VAS), back flexibility using a sit-and-reach test, and disability using the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability questionnaire, were measured before and after the treatment period.

Results: The results indicated that the TSMSE group showed significant improvements in all of the parameters after the 4-week treatment period (p < 0.05). However, the SCE group only showed significant improvement in the pain intensity (p < 0.05). Moreover, the TSMSE group demonstrated a greater improvement in back flexibility than the SCE group at the end of the treatment period (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: These results suggest that the TSMSE treatment was an effective intervention for decreasing pain and disability and increasing back flexibility among the NSLBP patients.

Keywords: Chronic non-specific low back pain; Single-blinded randomized controlled trial; Traditional Thai self-massage combined with home stretching exercises.