Tuina Massage could be a Cost-effective Treatment for Chronic Neck Pain

Tuina, a form of Chinese massage may help reduce the neck pain in chronic patients. The therapy has been found to be safe and cost-effective. The findings of this study are further discussed in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM). One of the top researchers in complementary and integrative medicine globally, Claudia Witt, Dr. med., MD, MBA, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany), University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland), and University of Maryland School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD) and colleagues from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (China) coauthored the article entitled "Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Tuina for Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Tuina with a No-Intervention Waiting List."

Patients with chronic neck pain were randomly assigned to receive either no treatment or six sessions of tuina over three weeks, a therapeutic approach that involves manual manipulation of the soft tissue and backbone using mainly stroking, kneading, and drumming techniques.

The researchers reported a clinically relevant decrease in mean neck pain intensity and improved function and physical quality of life among the group that received tuina. Based on the differences between the two groups, tuina treatment appeared to be relatively cost-effective.

Said Dr. Witt: "The results are promising and call for further research on tuina."

"The value found for tuina in this study has an additional implication," says JACM Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, johnweeks-integrator.com, Seattle, WA. He adds: "Inclusion in payment and delivery programs of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners who are trained in tuina may offer a one-two punch - acupuncture needles and Chinese massage - in efforts to shift to cost-effective non-pharmacologic approaches for chronic pain treatment."

References

1. Pach Daniel, Piper Mike, Lotz Fabian, Reinhold Thomas, Dombrowski Mirja, Chang Yinghui, Liu Bin, Blödt Susanne, Rotter Gabriele, Icke Katja, Witt Claudia M. Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Tuina for Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Tuina with a No-Intervention Waiting List, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2017).https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2017.0209

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Source-Eurekalert