Gua Sha for Chronic Low Back Pain in Elderly
- Conditions
- Back Pain
- Interventions
- Other: Gua shaOther: Hot pack
- Registration Number
- NCT02314507
- Lead Sponsor
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Brief Summary
The purpose of the study is to investigate whether Gua sha is an effective modality for relieving chronic low back pain specifically in the aged population by comparing the baseline measures of pain intensity, self-perceived disability, back range of motion, back local muscle stiffness, depression, sleeping quality, quality of life, biomarkers measurement, and analgesic intake on days 1 and 7 after a single session of Gua sha treatment. In addition, the investigators are going to compare between Gua sha and hot pack treatments for the above parameters.
- Detailed Description
Subjects will be randomized to receive firstly either one of the treatment arms, and then crossed over to receive another arm after 30 days washing out period. It is expected that Gua sha is 1) effective in reducing the intensity of chronic low back pain in the elderly; 2) effective in helping one or more outcome measures in this study and 3) more effective on relieving the low back pain than hot pack in terms of the outcome measures in this study.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 12
- Age 60 or above
- Self-reported painful restriction of lumbar spine mobility for at least 3 months or self-reported low back pain on at least 5 days a week for at least 3 months
- Have pain intensity score 40 or above on a 100mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline
- Prior history of radiculopathy or spinal stenosis or spinal fusion or failed surgery syndrome
- Having radiating pain below the knee
- Received the following surgery at the region of treatment in the past 12 months laminectomy, laminotomy or discectomy
- Serious illness (e.g. malignancy)
- Having wounds or skin lesions at the region of treatment
- Having blood pressure at140/90 mmHg or above at baseline
- Having Body Mass Index (BMI) at 18.5 or lower at baseline (as calculated by the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in metres (kg/m2)
- Having active psychiatric disorders, significant mood disorder or dementia
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- CROSSOVER
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Gua sha Gua sha Paritcipants in this group will receive a single treatment of Gua sha conducted by a well-trained nurse or Chinese practitioner Hot Pack Therapy Hot pack Participants in this group will receive a single treatment of Hot Pack conducted by a well-trained nurse or Physiotherapist
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Pain intensity Day 0 before treatment, Day 1 and day 7 after treatment Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Self-perceived disability Day 0 before treatment, Day 1 and day 7 after treatment Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ)
Depression level Day 0 before treatment, Day 1 and day 7 after treatment Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
Sleeping quality Day 0 before treatment, Day 1 and day 7 after treatment Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index (PSQI)
Quality of life Day 0 before treatment, day 7 after treatment Short-Form (12) Questionnaire (SF-12)
Record for oral intake of NSAIDs and analgesic drugs Day 0 before treatment, day 7 after treatment Record
Back range of motion Day 0 before treatment, Day 1 and day 7 after treatment By using inclinometer
Biomarkers for inflammation and anti-inflammation Day 0 before treatment, day 7 after treatment Saliva specimen is collected from each subject for measuring the levels of Tumor
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
ðŸ‡ðŸ‡°Kowloon, Hong Kong