Comparison between massage and routine physical therapy in women with sub acute and chronic nonspecific low back pain

This study aimed to examine the comparison of massage therapy and Routine Physical Therapy on nonspecific low back pain (LBP) 30 volunteer female subjects with a sub acute or chronic nonspecific LBP were placed at random into one of two groups, massage therapy and Routine Physical Therapy. After massage application, hamstring and paravertebral muscles stretching and also stabilizing exercises were prescribed. Pain intensity according to Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), functional disability level in accordance to Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and modified Schober test, for measurement of flexion range of motion, before and after ten sessions of treatment were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment. Pain intensity, ODI and flexion range of motion had displayed a significant difference before and after intervention for each groups (p< 0.05). Statistical analysis revealed that the massage group had significantly improved the pain intensity and ODI compared to Routine Physical Therapy group (p 0.05).

The study found both massage therapy and Routine Physical Therapy to be beneficial for sub acute and chronic nonspecific LBP especially if accompanied with exercise. Massage is more effective than other modalities for sub acute and chronic nonspecific LBP, and it can be used on its own or with electrotherapy for LBP treatment.