Study finds tuina therapy comparable to physiotherapy for short-term back pain relief
Research from Singapore General Hospital indicates that tuina therapy provides short-term relief for chronic lower back pain similar to that of conventional physiotherapy.
A study conducted by Singapore General Hospital (SGH) has concluded that tuina, a traditional Chinese medicinal massage, offers comparable pain relief to physiotherapy for patients with chronic lower back pain in the short term. The findings, based on two months of treatment, showed that patients receiving either tuina or a combination of both therapies reported pain scores similar to those in the physiotherapy-only group.
However, the research identified significant differences in long-term outcomes. After five months, patients who had participated in physiotherapy—or a hybrid of both treatments—demonstrated a higher capacity for daily activities, such as walking and lifting. Researchers attributed this divergence to the self-directed exercises inherent in physiotherapy, which encourage patients to manage their condition independently rather than relying solely on manual clinical intervention.
This study marks the first time a traditional Chinese treatment has been directly compared to physiotherapy in a Singaporean context. The project is part of a multi-centre trial involving the Mayo Clinic in the U.S. and Jinan University in China. Data is currently being consolidated to assess the efficacy of these treatments across diverse patient populations and cultural backgrounds.