Effects of Traditional Thai Massage on Body Pain and the Feeling of Relaxation

Abstract

Even though Thai people have used traditional Thai massage for several hundred years, clinical trials on
the efficacy of traditional Thai massage are limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of
traditional Thai massage on body pain and the feeling of relaxation in patients. The design of this study was
observational research conducted at the Kumkhoon Center, Ubonratna Hospital, Khon Kaen Province. There
were 198 subjects in the study but only 188 completed the questionnaire. The results showed that traditional
Thai massage reduced the pain score by 3.8/10 and increased the feeling relaxation score by 3.0/10 (P value <
0.001) as assessed by the visual analog scale (0-10 cm). The multivariate analysis of variance showed that the
sex of the subject was related to the reduced pain score; the pain score of female subjects was reduced more
than that of male subjects. It was concluded that traditional Thai massage could significantly reduce the pain
score and increased the feeling of relaxation score and that the sex of the patients was related to the reduction
of pain score.