A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing the Effect of Yoga and Thai Massage among Garment Industry Population with Non-Specific Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background: Low back pain has an enormous societal and economic impact on the working-age population, and a large number of women are affected due to sedentary work environment. Treatment is often delayed as the symptoms are initially unclear and with progressive age, healthy ageing is compromised. Hence the study investigates the effects of the Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) and Thai Massage (TM) on Non-Specific Low Back Pain (NSLBP).
 Method: We randomly allocated a total of 52 women employees from an Indian Garment Industry located in South Bangalore, into the IAYT group (n = 26, age 35.46 ± 7.78), and TM group (n = 26, age 34.23 ± 6.67). For the IAYT group, a yoga therapy module for 45 minutes for 5 days a week for 12 weeks was administered and for the TM group, a set of self-stretching exercises combined with Thai self-massage using a back massage stick for the same duration was administered. The assessment was done at baseline and after 12 weeks for both groups on the clinical parameters, back disability, depression, anxiety, stress, pain intensity, and biofield energies using Electro Photonic Imaging (EPI).
 Results: Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). For within-group analysis, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used and for between-group analysis, Mann-Whitney U test was used. The IAYT group showed reduced back disability, and pain intensity at (75.24% and 66.92%) respectively, comparatively better than TM at (65.32% and 62.73%) respectively. The IAYT group showed a better improvement in depression, anxiety, and stress at (75.44%, 64.48%, and 63.35%) respectively as compared to the TM group at (55.75%, 57.03%, and 52.31%) respectively with P<0.001. Further, the IAYT group has shown considerable improvement in weight, waist-hip ratio, BMI, respiratory rate and pulse rate at (1.88%, 3.68%, 2.23%, 12.32%, and 4.06%) respectively as compared to TM group at (1.7%, 2.19%, 1.92%, 3.61% and, 1.67%) respectively with P<0.05. In the scores of EPI, the IAYT group demonstrated significant improvement in stress and lumbar spine energy area levels at (13.96%, and 44.02%) respectively as compared to the TM group at (5.42%, and 7.16%) respectively with P<0.05.
 Conclusions: IAYT seems to work more effectively for nonspecific low back pain than TM for female garment employees.