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A randomized comparative study of traditional Thai massage and Thai boxing exercise on clinical-based outcomes in patients with scapulocostal syndrome.

Complementary therapies in clinical practice
August 1, 2022
Pattanasin Areeudomwong et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effects of traditional Thai massage (TTM) and Thai boxing exercise (TBE) on pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, and cervical range of motion in patients with scapulocostal syndrome (SCS).

Results Summary

Both TTM and TBE significantly improved pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, and cervical range of motion post-treatment and at 1-month follow-up, with TTM showing superior effects in pain reduction, pain threshold, and certain cervical movements compared to TBE.

Population

78 patients with scapulocostal syndrome (SCS).

Effective Dosage

Four-week intervention (specific frequency not detailed).

Duration

4 weeks.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (22)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
decrease
pain intensity
patients with SCS
-
Significant improvements
#1
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
patients with SCS
-
Significant improvements
#2
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
cervical range of motion (CROM) in all directions
patients with SCS
-
Significant improvements
#3
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
cervical range of motion (CROM) in all directions except cervical extension
patients with SCS
-
improvements
#4
Thai boxing exercise (TBE)
decrease
pain intensity
patients with SCS
-
significant improvements
#5
Thai boxing exercise (TBE)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
patients with SCS
-
significant improvements
#6
Thai boxing exercise (TBE)
increase
cervical range of motion (CROM) in all directions except cervical flexion
patients with SCS
-
significant improvements
#7
Thai boxing exercise (TBE)
increase
cervical range of motion (CROM) in all directions except cervical flexion and PPT
patients with SCS
-
improvements
#8
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
decrease
pain intensity
patients with SCS
-
significantly better scores
#9
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
patients with SCS
-
significantly better scores
#10
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
cervical flexion
patients with SCS
-
significantly better scores
#11
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
left lateral flexion
patients with SCS
-
significantly better scores
#12
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
decrease
pain intensity
patients with SCS
-
superior effects
#13
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
pressure pain threshold (PPT)
patients with SCS
-
superior effects
#14
traditional Thai massage (TTM)
increase
left lateral flexion
patients with SCS
-
superior effects
#15
Four weeks of TTM and TBE
decrease
pain intensity
patients with SCS
-
reduced
#16
Four weeks of TTM and TBE
increase
pain threshold
patients with SCS
-
improved
#17
Four weeks of TTM and TBE
increase
cervical movements
patients with SCS
-
improved
#18
TTM
decrease
pain intensity
patients with SCS
-
better reductions
#19
TTM
increase
pain threshold
patients with SCS
-
better reductions
#20
TTM
increase
cervical flexion
patients with SCS
-
better reductions
#21
TTM
increase
left lateral flexion
patients with SCS
-
better reductions
#22
Abstract

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is no consensus on effective treatment for scapulocostal syndrome (SCS). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of traditional Thai massage (TTM) and Thai boxing exercise (TBE) on pain intensity, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and cervical range of motion (CROM) in patients with SCS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-eight patients with SCS were randomly equally allocated to receive either four-week TTM or TBE. Pain intensity, PPT, and CROM were measured at baseline, posttreatment, and 1-month follow-up. RESULTS: Significant improvements in pain intensity, PPT, and CROM in all directions were evident at posttreatment compared with baseline in the TTM group (p < 0.01); these improvements, except cervical extension, were observed at 1-month follow-up (p < 0.01). Compared to baseline, the TBE showed significant improvements in all outcomes except cervical flexion at posttreatment (p < 0.01); these improvements, except cervical flexion and PPT, were evident at 1-month follow-up (p < 0.001). When comparing the groups, the TTM showed significantly better scores than the TBE in terms of pain intensity, PPT, and cervical flexion and left lateral flexion at posttreatment (p < 0.05). The superior effects of TTM on these outcomes, except cervical flexion, were demonstrated at 1-month follow-up (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Four weeks of TTM and TBE reduced pain intensity and improved pain threshold and cervical movements at posttreatment and 1-month follow-up. TTM provided better reductions in pain intensity, pain threshold, cervical flexion, and left lateral flexion than TBE in patients with SCS.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
BoxingHumansMassageNeck PainPain MeasurementPain ThresholdRange of Motion, ArticularThailand
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy85/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations1
Citations/Year0.3
Relative Citation Ratio0.20
NIH Percentile9.9%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score2.28
Normalized Score0.70
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