Shiatsu for chronic lower back pain: Randomized controlled study.

Area of Science:

• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Clinical Research
• Pain Management

Background:

• Shiatsu is a Japanese complementary alternative medicine practiced globally.
• No prior experimental studies on Shiatsu efficacy have been conducted.
• Chronic lower back pain affects a significant portion of the population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of Shiatsu therapy for chronic lower back pain.
• To evaluate Shiatsu's impact on pain, disability, and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, randomized, blinded-endpoint study conducted from 2015-2017.
• Included patients with chronic lower back pain (duration >12 weeks, RMDQ score ≥4).
• Compared Shiatsu plus standard care versus standard care alone, assessing outcomes at 4 and 8 weeks.

Main Results:

• At 8 weeks, the Shiatsu group showed greater improvement in Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and EQ-5D scores.
• Significant improvements were observed in the present pain scale of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) in the Shiatsu group.
• While not statistically significant at 4 weeks, EQ-5D showed a trend towards improvement with Shiatsu.

Conclusions:

• Shiatsu therapy, when combined with standard care, can improve symptoms and quality of life for individuals with chronic lower back pain.
• The study suggests Shiatsu is a viable complementary therapy for managing lower back pain.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is warranted to confirm these findings.