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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Mar;99(12):e19514.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000019514.

Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of massage chair therapy versus basic physiotherapy in lower back pain patients: A randomized controlled trial

Seung-Kook Kim  1   2   3 , Aran Min  4 , Chuljin Jeon  4 , Taeyun Kim  4 , Soohyun Cho  4 , Su-Chan Lee  2 , Choon-Key Lee  2   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of massage chair therapy versus basic physiotherapy in lower back pain patients: A randomized controlled trial

Seung-Kook Kim et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain is a chronic recurrent symptom, which can lower the patient's quality of life. With technological development of automated home massage systems, now offers a promising alternative to physiotherapy. However, thus far, the effectiveness of such methods has not been evaluated. We aimed to compare the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a massage chair with those of conventional physiotherapy for the treatment.

Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial with a two-group parallel design. Following randomization and allocation, 56 participants were enrolled to receive either physiotherapy (n = 25) or mechanical massage using the massage chair (n = 31). Pain severity was measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) and satisfaction assessed with the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Quality of life modification was analyzed using the Functional Rating Index (FRI). Cost-effectiveness was analyzed by comparing the sum of physiotherapy fees and monthly rental fees for chair massage.

Results: Physiotherapy and massage chair were both effective for pain control as assessed with the VAS (P < .001), satisfaction as assessed by MPQ (P < .001) and life quality improvement as assessed by FRI (P < .001) in both groups. Both VAS and FRI scores were significantly higher for physiotherapy than for massage chair (P = .03 and P = .03, respectively). There was no significant difference in MPQ between the two groups. Massage chair therapy was more cost-effective than physiotherapy, at only 60.17% of the physiotherapy cost (P < .001).

Conclusions: The home massage chair system was cost-effective, but pain control and disability improved more with physiotherapy. However, our results showed that the massage chair is a promising treatment for pain control and quality of life modification, but efficacy is still superior in physiotherapy and the chair is not a replacement for physiotherapy.

Trial registration: Clinical Research Information Service, KCT0003157. Retrospectively registered August 2, 2018.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Visual analog scale (VAS) change during the 3-week treatment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) score after 3 weeks of intervention.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Functional Rating Index (FRI) improvement after 3 weeks of intervention.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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