Clinical relevance of massage therapy and abdominal hypopressive gymnastics on chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Purpose

To determine the clinical relevance of the effects that Massage-Therapy (MT) and Abdominal-Hypopressive-Gymnastics (AHG) and the combination of both procedures have on the disability, pain intensity, quality of life, and lumbar mobility of patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP).

Methods

A randomized controlled-trial with parallel-groups, concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis was carried out. The sample included 60 adults with CNSLBP. The participants received MT (n = 20), AHG (n = 20), or MT + AHG (n = 20). Each group received 8 interventions.

Results

The ODI change scores were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the MT + AHG group than in the other two groups. Significant differences were found in the results of NRS, Schober’s test, and SF-12 PCS (p < 0.05) in each group. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) between the values of SF-12 MCS in AHG and MT + AHG groups.

Conclusions

Massage Therapy and Abdominal Hypopressive Gymnastics reduce pain levels, increase the mobility of the lumbar spine, and improve disability and quality of life (PCS) in patients with CNSLBP in the short term. Likewise, AHG and MT + AHG improve quality of life (MCS). The combination of both therapies provides more benefits in terms of lumbar disability in patients with CNSLBP in the short term. This improvement is clinically relevant.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02721914).

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Massage Therapy (MT) and Abdominal Hypopressive Gymnastics (AHG), reduce pain, improve mobility and quality of life, and reduce disability in the short term.

• These results are clinically relevant.

• The combination of manual and active therapy (MT + AHG) seems to be more effective and produces clinically relevant changes.

Keywords:

• Chronic low back pain
• disability
• exercise
• massage therapy
• quality of life

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all participants in this study and acknowledge the Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podology of Seville for making this project possible.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Prior to this work, an approval (C.I. 2384) was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the Virgen Macarena University Hospital Centre from Seville (Spain). This human work was conducted in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Written and verbal information was provided to all the subjects via informed consent. The subjects were included in the study after signing a consent form.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.