Safety and effectiveness of Thai massage with citronella balm on neck and shoulder pain syndrome

Abstract

This research on Thai massage with citronella balm on neck and shoulder pain syndrome aimed to study 1) safety, 2) effectiveness in relieving pain and increasing range of motion, and 3) the satisfaction of volunteers. There was a single-group, three-times repeated measures quasi-experimental design. Thirty-one volunteers had neck and shoulder pain levels of 3-5 using a purposive selection method. The treatment was the Thai massage with citronella balm. The research instruments were the case record form including volunteer’s information, a pain level in a numerical rating scale of 0-10, a range of motion, a goniometer, adverse symptoms, and a satisfaction assessment. Data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results showed that the volunteers were 20 females and 11 males. The average age and standard deviation were 45.5±12.8 years. The Thai massage with citronella balm treatment was found to be 1) safe as volunteers did not experience any adverse reactions, and 2) Effectiveness: In reducing the level of neck and shoulder pain. The pain level before the massage was an average of 3.96±0.89, and after the first massage was an average of 2.79±1.15 and the pain level after the second massage was an average of 1.02±1.10, p-value<.001. The range of motion of the neck, including looking up, looking down, left neck tilt, and right neck tilt, by measuring the degrees before and after the experiment, had a statistically significant effect on increasing the degrees of movement of the neck in all directions, p-value < 0.05, and 3) Volunteers had the highest level of total satisfaction in Thai massage with citronella balm in every aspect at 4.92±0.26 (out of 5). Thai massage with citronella balm was a highly effective and safe method for relieving neck and shoulder pain.