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. 2023 Oct 19;13(10):e073671.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073671.

Efficacy of Tuina in chronic low back pain with anxiety: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Zhiyang Yin  1 , Zhang Shuaipan  1 , Pei He  1 , Qi Zhang  1 , Min Fang  2   3 , Ping Lu  4
Affiliations

Efficacy of Tuina in chronic low back pain with anxiety: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Zhiyang Yin et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is one of the largest and most frequent public health problems worldwide. Tuina is a physical therapy commonly used in China to treat musculoskeletal diseases. Compared with traction, there is little high-quality scientific evidence that can demonstrate the effectiveness of Tuina in the treatment of patients with cLBP. Therefore, the purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of massage on cLBP patients compared with traction.

Methods and analyses: This is a single-centre, assessor-blinded and analyst-blinded prospective randomised controlled trial with two parallel arms. Ninety-four patients with cLBP will be recruited. Three treatments were given every week for a total of 4 weeks. In the Traction group, participants were given traction therapy in the Tuina group, participants will receive a four-step physiotherapy including kneading, rolling, plucking and oblique pulling. The outcomes will be measured at baseline, at the end of treatment, as well as 1 and 2 months after treatment. The primary outcome will be the Hamilton Anxiety Scale after 12 sessions of treatment. The secondary outcomes will be the Visual Analogue Scale, the medical outcomes study Short Form 36, Serum Quantitative Index and genetic testing after 12 sessions of treatment.

Ethics and dissemination: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine affiliated with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Trial registration number: ChiCTR2200065448.

Keywords: back pain; chronic pain; complementary medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Recruitment process. HAMA, Hamilton Anxiety Scale; SF-36, Short Form 36; VAS, Visual Analogue Scale.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram of the study.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Operation of the Tuina group includes a demonstration of a training. (Note: The person depicted is not a patient and was taken with the participants knowledge.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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