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Related Experiment Videos

Massage for low back pain.

A D Furlan1, L Brosseau, V Welch

  • 1Research, Institute for Work & Health, 250 Bloor St, East. Suite 702, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4W 1E6. furlan@iwh.on.ca

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 18, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Massage therapy shows limited effectiveness for non-specific low back pain. Current evidence is insufficient to recommend it as a standalone treatment, necessitating further high-quality trials.

Area of Science:

  • Musculoskeletal disorders
  • Rehabilitation medicine
  • Complementary and alternative medicine

Background:

  • Low back pain is a prevalent and costly musculoskeletal issue.
  • Massage therapy is proposed to alleviate pain and improve function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of massage therapy for non-specific low back pain.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of randomized, quasi-randomized, and controlled clinical trials.
  • Searched multiple databases (Medline, Embase, etc.) from 1966 to 1999.
  • Qualitative analysis due to clinical heterogeneity.

Main Results:

  • Four trials met inclusion criteria; two high-quality, two low-quality.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Massage was often a control intervention, not primary.
  • Limited evidence suggests massage may be less effective than manipulation or TENS for pain relief and function.

    • Conclusions:

    • Insufficient evidence supports massage as a standalone treatment for non-specific low back pain.
    • High-quality trials are needed to confirm massage's role.
    • Further research should investigate massage as a primary intervention.