Testing feasibility of traditional Malay massage compared to relaxation for patients with non-specific low back pain: A pilot randomized-controlled trial

• Published in: European Journal of Integrative Medicine
• Main Author: Sejari N.; Chua S.K.; Neoh C.F.; Ramasamy K.; Lim S.M.; Bakrin F.S.; Kamaruddin K.; Goh K.W.; Goh B.H.; Majid A.S.A.; Husain K.; Ming L.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier GmbH 2020
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85094622998&doi=10.1016%2fj.eujim.2020.101217&partnerID=40&md5=47f59e28eec6f3e93d31ec0c73eab4f6

Introduction: This study was to test the feasibility of an approach that is intended to be used in a larger scale study to investigate the immediate effect of traditional Malay massage on substance P, inflammatory mediators, pain intensity and level of disability among patients with low back pain. Method: A pilot, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted with thirty patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The participants were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. Blood samples were collected before and after 5 min of intervention, and were analyzed for the level of substance P (i.e. primary outcome) and other inflammatory mediators as secondary outcomes. Self-reported measurements for pain intensity and functional outcome using Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were determined. Result: A significant reduction in substance P level (1.45 ± 0.21 pg/mL versus 1.40 ± 0.15 pg/mL; p = 0.047) after application of traditional Malay massage was noted, but no significant change was reported for inter-group comparisons. The changes in other inflammatory markers were not significant for inter-group comparisons before and after application of traditional Malay massage and the relaxation position. However, the changes in both Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score (p <0.001) and RMDQ score (p = 0.021) were statistically significant for inter-group comparisons at both time points. Conclusions: The traditional Malay massage was reported to have an immediate effect on substance P but not on the inflammatory markers. This finding is well correlated with the changes in pain intensity (VAS score) and daily functional abilities (RMDQ score). © 2020 Elsevier GmbH