Comparison of the effects of connective tissue massage and classical massage on pain, functional status and quality of life in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain

In this study, it was aimed to compare the effects of connective tissue massage and classical massage on pain, functional status and quality of life in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. The study was completed with 20 participants who applied to İzmir Bayındır State Hospital Orthopedics outpatient clinic with low back pain and were diagnosed with chronic non-specific low back pain. Participants were informed about the study, written consent was obtained, and they were randomized using the closed-envelope method and placed in one of the classical massage or connective tissue massage groups. Within the scope of the research, the individual characteristics of the participants with the information form, the severity of pain with the Visual Analog Scale, the level of blocked function with the Functional Low Back Pain Scale, lumbar mobility with the Modified Schober Test and Sit and Reach Test, physical disabilities with the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, Short Form-36 Quality of life was determined by questionnaire. Massage applications were applied for 4 weeks, 3 days a week and approximately 15-20 minutes a day. Data analysis showed, there were significant increases in pain, functional status and quality of life after treatment compared to pre-treatment in both massage groups (p<0.025). Post-treatment lumbar mobility in the connective tissue massage group showed a significantly greater increase and improvement compared to the classical massage group (p=0.019). The findings of the study showed that when both connective tissue massage and classical massage were applied alone as primary treatment in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain, the patient's pain and disability levels decreased, while their mobility, flexibility and quality of life increased. With these results, we recommend physiotherapists working in the field to use connective tissue massage and classical massage techniques alone or in combination with other treatment approaches in the treatment of patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. Keywords: "Low back pain", "connective tissue massage", "classical massage", "lumbar mobility", "quality of life"