Low Back Pain
Conditions
Brief summary
Chronic low back pain is a major public health burden with only limited evidence of effectiveness for complementary and traditional therapies. Gua Sha is a traditional East Asian therapy traditionally used in the treatment of spinal pain. This study aimed to test the efficacy of Gua Sha therapy in patients with chronic low back pain A total of 50 patients with chronic low back pain were randomized to either two Gua Sha treatments (n=25) or a waitlist control group (n=25). Primary outcome measure was current pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analog scale; secondary outcome measures included back-related function (Oswestry Disability Index), movement-related pain (modified Pain on Movement Questionnaire), as well as pressure pain threshold, mechanical detection threshold, and vibration detection threshold.
Detailed description
Chronic low back pain is a major public health burden with only limited evidence of effectiveness for complementary and traditional therapies. Gua Sha is a traditional East Asian therapy traditionally used in the treatment of spinal pain. This study aimed to test the efficacy of Gua Sha therapy in patients with chronic low back pain A total of 50 patients with chronic low back pain were randomized to either two Gua Sha treatments (n=25) or a waitlist control group (n=25). Primary outcome measure was current pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analog scale; secondary outcome measures included back-related function (Oswestry Disability Index), movement-related pain (modified Pain on Movement Questionnaire), as well as pressure pain threshold, mechanical detection threshold, and vibration detection threshold.
Interventions
OTHERGua Sha
Sponsors
Universität Duisburg-Essen
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* non-specific low back pain at least once weekly for at least the previous 3 months * average back pain intensity hat least 40mm on a 100mm visual analog scale (VAS)
Exclusion criteria
* specific low back pain due to trauma, disc protrusion, whiplash, congenital deformity of the spine, spinal stenosis, neoplasm, inflammatory rheumatic disease, or oncologic disease * dystonia * pregnancy * invasive treatment of the spine or spinal surgery within the previous 4 weeks * oral steroids or anticoagulants * hemophilia or a skin condition in the area to be treated * started a new treatment for low back pain within the previous month or planning to start a new treatment within the next month
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Pain intensity | 12 weeks | 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0mm meaning 'no pain at all' to 100mm meaning 'the worst pain imaginable' |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Functional disability | 12 weeks | Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) |
| Pressure-pain threshold (PPT) | 12 weeks | PPT was measured using a digital algometer (Somedic AB, Horby, Sweden). |
| Pain on movement | 12 weeks | Pain on Movement Questionnaire (POM) |
| Vibration detection threshold (VDT) | 12 weeks | VDT was determined using a Rydel-Seiffer tuning fork (64 Hz, 8/8 scale) |
| Adverse events | 12 weeks | — |
| Mechanical detection threshold (MDT) | 12 weeks | MDT was measured with a set of von Frey filaments (Somedic Sales AB, Horby, Sweden). |
Outcome results
None listed