Table 1.
Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of massage therapy for neck and shoulder pain.
| First authors, year, country | Pain location, pain duration | Sample size, mean age (year), | Duration weeks | Follow-up weeks | Main outcome assessments | Experimental group intervention* | Control group intervention* | Main conclusion (mean improvements on pain) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irnich 2001, Germany [8] | Neck pain 42% > 5 years |
177 52 |
3 | 12 | Pain VAS (0–100) Cervical mobility |
Massage therapy (MT) (30 min/5 sessions) |
(1) Acupuncture (AC) (2) Sham laser AC (30 min/5 sessions) |
MT (12.70) < AC (25.30); MT (12.70) < Sham laser AC (19.20) |
|
| ||||||||
| Dyson-Hudson 2001, US [9] | Shoulder pain 5.8 years |
18 45 |
5 | 5 | Pain WUSPI ROM |
MT (45 min/10 sessions) |
AC (20–30 min/10 sessions) |
MT (28.80) > AC (26.70) |
|
| ||||||||
| Cen 2003, US [10] | Neck pain NR |
31 49 |
6 | 6 | Pain NPQ (0–100) ROM |
Chinese traditional massage (CTM) (30 min/18 sessions) |
(1) Exercise (EX) (20 min/day) (2) Standard care (SC) |
CTM (19.22) > EX (7.78) CTM (19.22) > SC (−4.13) |
|
| ||||||||
| van den Dolder 2003, Australia [11] |
Shoulder pain 28 weeks |
29 64 |
2 | — | Pain VAS (0–100) ROM |
Soft tissue massage (STM) (15–20 min/6 sessions) | Waiting list (WL) | STM (26.60) > WL (0.10) |
|
| ||||||||
| Mok 2004, Hong Kong [12] | Shoulder pain NR |
102 73 |
1 | 3 days | Pain VAS (0–100) STAI |
Slow-stroke back massage (SBM) (10 min/7 sessions) |
SC | SBM (14.60) > SC (7.61) |
|
| ||||||||
| Fryer 2005, Australia [13] | Neck pain NR |
37 23 |
1 day | — | PPT | Manual pressure release (MPR) (1 session) |
Sham myofascial release (SMR) (1session) |
MPR (2.05) > SMR (−0.08) |
|
| ||||||||
| Meseguer 2006, Spain [14] | Neck pain NR |
54 40 |
1 day | — | Pain VAS (0–10) | Classical strain/counterstrain technique (CST) Modified strain/counterstrain technique (MST) (1 session) |
SC | CST = MST (2.60) CST (2.60) > SC (0.03) |
|
| ||||||||
| Blikstad 2008, UK [15] | Neck pain 4–12 weeks |
45 24 |
1 day | — | Pain VAS (0–10) ROM |
Myofascial band therapy (MBT) (1session) |
(1) Activator trigger point therapy (ATPT) (2) Sham ultrasound (SU) (1 session) |
MBT < ATPT MBT = SU |
|
| ||||||||
| Zuo 2008, China [16] | Neck pain 10.4 years |
60 42 |
2 | — | Pain VAS (0–10) NDI |
CTM (30 min/6 sessions) |
Traction (TR) (20 min/14 sessions) |
CTM (5.47) > TR (4.87) |
|
| ||||||||
| Sherman 2009, US [17] | Neck pain 7.6 years |
64 47 |
10 | 16 | NDI CNFDS |
MT (10 sessions) |
SC | MT > SC (NDI) |
|
| ||||||||
| Buttagat 2011, Thailand [18] | Shoulder pain 39 months |
20 25 |
3 | 2 | Pain VAS (0–10) STAI |
Traditional Thai massage (TTM) (30 min/9 sessions) | Physical therapy (PT) (30 min/9 sessions) |
TTM (4.50) > PT (1.60) |
|
| ||||||||
| Zhang 2011, China [19] | Neck pain 1–3 years |
120 23 |
10 days | 24 | Pain VAS (0–10) ASCS (0–29) |
CTM (20 min/10 sessions) |
TR (15 min/10 sessions) |
CTM (5.56) > TR (3.85) |
VAS: visual analog scale; WUSPI: wheelchair user's shoulder pain index; ROM: range of motion; NR: no reported; NPQ: Northwick park neck pain questionnaire; STAI: state-trait anxiety inventory; PPT: pressure pain threshold; NDI: neck disability index; CNFDS: Copenhagen neck functional disability scale; ASCS: Assessment scale for cervical spondylosis.
*Intervention/dose: number of intervention time/number of sessions.