ABSTRACT
The effect of thermal massage therapy for 3 months duration of treatment on pain intensity, self-experienced disability and lumber fatigability was evaluated in 104 patients who suffered from chronic low back pain. The patients constituted 54 men and 50 women. They were divided according to the cause of back pain into discogenic group and mechanical group. The mean age was 52.9 +/- 10.8 and the disease duration ranged from 3 months to 30 years [7.8 +/- 7.1]. Before starting therapeutic intervention and after 3 months of treatment, the back pain intensity and functional disability were measured subjectively using the visual analog scale [VAS] and Oswestry low back pain disability score [ODS]. However, the lumber endurance was measured objectively by spectral electromyography, mean power frequency slope [MPF slope]. Analysis of the current study results with multivariate analysis of variance [MANOVA] showed that the back pain intensity, functional disability and lumber muscle fatigability in both discogenic and mechanical groups were similar at the baseline [before therapeutic intervention] [p>0.05]. After treatment with the thermal massage bed and strengthening exercises for 3 months, the analysis showed a significant decrease in back pain intensity and disability and improvement of lumber muscle endurance in both groups [p<0.05]. Also, this improvement was more in the mechanical group than in the discogenic group [p< 0.05]. Our results demonstrate that the thermal massage rehabilitation program was more successful in reducing back pain and self-experienced disability and in improving lumber muscle endurance