Medicine · 2025
Effects of Gua Sha therapy on thoracolumbar fascia thickness and clinical outcomes of patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.
СтатьяРандомизированное исследованиеНазвание и аннотация: Перевод в очереди
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Wang Beibei, Hu Yang, Lai Dehui, Eungpinichpong Wichai
Аннотация
BACKGROUND: Chronic nonspecific low back pain (CNSLBP) is associated with thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) dysfunction. However, the structural effects of Gua Sha, a Traditional Chinese Medicine technique, remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the acute and short-term effects of Gua Sha therapy on TLF thickness, pain intensity, and related physiological parameters in patients with CNSLBP.
METHODS: Thirty-two participants with CNSLBP were randomized to receive Gua Sha or hot pack therapy, a commonly used conservative treatment for low back pain, once a week for 4 weeks. The effects of the 2 treatments were compared. TLF thickness, pain, and related parameters were measured at baseline and immediately after the first and fourth interventions. A 2 (group) × 3 (time) repeated measures ANOVA was used for data analysis.
RESULTS: With increasing intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in pain intensity and dysfunction (P < .001), significant reductions in tissue hardness and pressure pain threshold (P < .05), and significant increases in skin temperature and lumbar flexibility (P < .001). However, only the Gua Sha group significantly reduced TLF thickness immediately after the first intervention (MD = 0.388, 95% CI: 0.101-0.675; P = .01) and immediately after the fourth session (MD = 0.607, 95% CI: 0.199-1.015, P = .005). The heart rate variability-related indicators did not reach statistical significance (P > .05), but their trends were favorable.
CONCLUSION: Gua Sha can effectively relieve pain, improve function, and regulate tissue mechanical properties in CNSLBP patients and its effects may be achieved through multiple pathways. Although the single and 4-session interventions were not significantly better than heat in improving fascial thickness, it performs better in pain and flexibility clinical outcomes, supporting its potential value as a complementary therapy. Future studies with larger samples and longer periods are needed to clarify its mechanism of action and optimize treatment options.
METHODS: Thirty-two participants with CNSLBP were randomized to receive Gua Sha or hot pack therapy, a commonly used conservative treatment for low back pain, once a week for 4 weeks. The effects of the 2 treatments were compared. TLF thickness, pain, and related parameters were measured at baseline and immediately after the first and fourth interventions. A 2 (group) × 3 (time) repeated measures ANOVA was used for data analysis.
RESULTS: With increasing intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in pain intensity and dysfunction (P < .001), significant reductions in tissue hardness and pressure pain threshold (P < .05), and significant increases in skin temperature and lumbar flexibility (P < .001). However, only the Gua Sha group significantly reduced TLF thickness immediately after the first intervention (MD = 0.388, 95% CI: 0.101-0.675; P = .01) and immediately after the fourth session (MD = 0.607, 95% CI: 0.199-1.015, P = .005). The heart rate variability-related indicators did not reach statistical significance (P > .05), but their trends were favorable.
CONCLUSION: Gua Sha can effectively relieve pain, improve function, and regulate tissue mechanical properties in CNSLBP patients and its effects may be achieved through multiple pathways. Although the single and 4-session interventions were not significantly better than heat in improving fascial thickness, it performs better in pain and flexibility clinical outcomes, supporting its potential value as a complementary therapy. Future studies with larger samples and longer periods are needed to clarify its mechanism of action and optimize treatment options.