Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Injury Prevention and Control, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 13;19(20):13191. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013191.
To investigate the effect of force applied during massage on relieving nonspecific low back pain (LBP).
This single-blinded, randomized controlled trial enrolled 56 female patients with nonspecific LBP at a single medical center. For each participant, the therapist performed a 30 min massage session (20 min general massage and 10 min focal massage) using a special instrument with a force sensor inserted, for a total of six sessions in 3 weeks. During the 10 min focal massage, HF and LF groups received high force (HF, ≥2 kg) and low force (LF, ≤1 kg) massage, respectively. The primary outcome was pain intensity (i.e., visual analog scale (VAS), 0-10), and secondary outcomes comprised pain pressure threshold, trunk mobility, LBP-associated disability, and quality of life.
No significant between-group differences were observed in baseline characteristics. The HF group exhibited significantly lower VAS than did the LF group, with a mean difference of -1.33 points (95% CI: -2.17 to -0.5) at the end of the intervention, but no significant difference was noted at the end of the follow-up. A significant time effect ( < 0.05) was detected in all secondary outcomes except the pain pressure threshold and trunk mobility. A significant time × group interaction ( < 0.05) was found only for the VAS and pain pressure threshold.
Compared with LF massage, HF massage exerted superior effects on pain relief in female patients with nonspecific LBP at the end of intervention. Applying different levels of force showed no effects on LBP-associated disabilities and quality of life.
探讨按摩时施加的力对缓解非特异性下腰痛（LBP）的影响。
本单盲、随机对照试验在一家医疗中心招募了 56 名患有非特异性 LBP 的女性患者。对于每位参与者，治疗师使用插入力传感器的特殊仪器进行 30 分钟的按摩疗程（20 分钟常规按摩和 10 分钟焦点按摩），共 6 次，3 周内完成。在 10 分钟的焦点按摩期间，HF 组和 LF 组分别接受高力（HF，≥2kg）和低力（LF，≤1kg）按摩。主要结局指标为疼痛强度（即视觉模拟量表（VAS），0-10），次要结局指标包括疼痛压力阈值、躯干活动度、LBP 相关残疾和生活质量。
两组在基线特征上无显著差异。干预结束时，HF 组的 VAS 显著低于 LF 组，平均差值为-1.33 分（95%置信区间：-2.17 至-0.5），但在随访结束时无显著差异。除疼痛压力阈值和躯干活动度外，所有次要结局指标均显示出显著的时间效应（<0.05）。仅在 VAS 和疼痛压力阈值方面检测到显著的时间×组交互作用（<0.05）。
与 LF 按摩相比，HF 按摩在干预结束时对缓解女性非特异性 LBP 的疼痛具有更好的效果。施加不同水平的力对 LBP 相关残疾和生活质量没有影响。
