Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/494122
SOMATIC RESE ARCH Chinese massage alone group, showing average reductions in pain (out of 10) from 7.5 to 1.5 in the massage plus exercise group, and from 7.6 to 2.9 in the massage alone group. Follow-up occurred in this study for one year posttreatment. A pain-free period for at least 30 days after treatment was confi rmed by all of the participants who were screened. Furthermore, 19 subjects (43.2 percent) in the massage-only group experienced a recurrence of back pain, whereas only fi ve subjects (11.6 percent) in the massage plus exercise group experienced such a recurrence. This study had fewer limitations than the previous trial in that both males and females were recruited and there was a higher sample size (n=92). However, this study was performed in China, again leading to possible questions about generalizability of results to American clients. CONCLUSION 1. Short-term outcomes indicate that subacute or chronic nonspecifi c back pain and disability are signifi cantly improved with Swedish or Chinese massage therapy. 2. When compared to routine physical therapy, Swedish massage was signifi cantly more benefi cial in reducing pain and disability for nonspecifi c low-back pain in women. F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 47 3. Core stabilizing exercises, in addition to massage, provide further benefi t, with the massage-only group being 6.5 times more likely to experience a long-term back-pain recurrence than the massage plus core-stabilizing exercise group. 4. Comparative effectiveness trials are a good way to compare one benefi cial treatment to another in order to determine which form of care is signifi cantly better. However, all clients are different. You and your client's health-care team will need to determine the best form of care for your client's specifi c condition. Notes 1. J. A. Ricci et al., "Back Pain Exacerbations and Lost Productive Time Costs in United States Workers," Spine 31, no. 26 (December 15, 2006): 3,052–60. 2. Fahimeh Kamali et al., "Comparison Between Massage and Routine Physical Therapy in Women with Subacute and Chronic Nonspecifi c Low Back Pain," Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation 27, no. 4 (2014): 475–80. 3. Yingjie Zhang et al., "Chinese Massage Combined With Core Stability Exercises for Nonspecifi c Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial," Complementary Therapies in Medicine 23, no. 1 (February 2015): 1–6. Jerrilyn Cambron, DC, PhD, MPH, LMT, is an educator at the National University of Health Sciences and president of the Massage Therapy Foundation. Contact her at jcambron@nuhs.edu. When compared to routine physical therapy, Swedish massage was significantly more beneficial in reducing pain and disability for nonspecific low-back pain in women.