The effectiveness of traditional Thai massage versus massage with herbal compress among elderly patients with low back pain: A randomised controlled trial

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of including an herbal compress in a traditional Thai massage regimen for the care of low back pain in the elderly. Design and methods: This study was a randomised controlled trial. The sample consisted of 140 patients suffering from non-specific chronic low back pain, who were randomly assigned to either the TTM (n = 70) or TMH (n = 70) group. The primary outcome was pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale), and the secondary outcomes were disability, back performance and quality of life. The outcome measurements were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks and 15 weeks. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the primary and secondary outcomes between the two study groups (p-value > 0.05). Although improvement was observed for both groups in pain intensity, disability, quality of life, and back performance. Conclusions: There was no additional benefit of including an herbal compress in a regimen of Thai massage for the care of low back pain in the elderly.