ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the effectiveness of Thai traditional massage for muscle pain relief. Methods: Adults with muscle pain in the neck and/or shoulder and/or back without organic causes that needed specific treatment who attended the Ayuraved Clinic during April to May 2004 received royal Thai traditional massage performed by experienced personnel. An effectiveness of royal Thai traditional massage was determined by pain relief assessed by visual analog scale Results: There were 115 participants; 88 (76.5%) were females. The mean age of the participants was 47.9 years; 45.2% of them had shoulder pain, 40.9% back pain and 26.1% neck pain. The median duration of the symptom was 4 months. The mean pain scores of the participants before and after the royal Thai traditional massage were 7.0 and 3.2, respectively (p<0.001). The participants who had a pain score < 3 before and after the royal Thai traditional massage were 3.5% and 79.1%, respectively (p<0.001). Adverse effects of the massage were not observed. Conclusion: Royal Thai traditional massage is probably effective in relieving muscle pain of the neck, shoulder and back.