The efficacy of traditional Thai massage for the treatment of chronic pain: A systematic review.
Author information
- 1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kean University, Thailand.
- 2Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
- 3Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
- 4Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kean University, Thailand. Electronic address: aparad@kku.ac.th.
Abstract
RATIONAL AND BACKGROUND:
Traditional Thai massage (TTM) is an alternative medicine treatment used for pain relief. The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the research about the effects of TTM on pain intensity and other important outcomes in individuals with chronic pain.
METHODS:
We performed a systematic review of the controlled trials of the effects of TTM, using the keywords “Traditional Thai massage” or “Thai massage” with the keyword “Chronic pain.”
RESULTS:
Six research articles met the inclusion criteria. All of the studies found a pre- to post-treatment pain reductions, varying from 25% to 80% and was also associated with improvements in disability, perceived muscle tension, flexibility and anxiety.
SUMMARY:
The TTM benefits of pain reduction appear to maintain for up to 15 weeks. Additional research is needed to identify the moderators, mediators and to determine the long-term benefits of TTM relative to control conditions.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Chronic pain; Thai massage; Traditional Thai massage
- PMID:
- 25682523
- [PubMed – in process]
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