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

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. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.