Page 45 - วารสารกรมการแพทย์แผนไทยฯ ปีที่ 11 ฉบับที่ 2

Journal of Thai Traditional & Alternative Medicine Vol. 11 No. 2 May-August 2013 149

Table 4: The average of the impacts on quality of life scores in both groups (Full score was 24 points)

The impacts on quality of life score (mean ± S.D)

Pre- Post- P-value
Massage group (n=29) 8.07±3.47 3.03±3.03 0.001*
Control group (n=30) 8.27±3.52 5.37±2.17 0.0001*

*statistically significant (p<0.05)

In the massage group, the pre- pain score in daily activity, wearing abdominal support
the second visit was lower than in the first should be the significant factors for decrease

visit and in the third visit is lower than in the lordosis and back pain. To improve the lum-
second visit respectively. In additional, when bar lordosis, the women have to build up the
compared the decreasing level of the pain strong abdominal muscles.5 Thai massage can

score between the two groups, the women relax muscles and increase blood flow to the
in the massage group had significant de- back area but could not strengthen the ab-

creased pain score level than the women in dominal muscle. It was concluded that Thai
control group. According to a previous study massage and taking rest may not have any
about acupressure and massage in patients effect on the lordosis scale.

with lower back pain, the authors concluded As the impact on quality of life scores
that acupressure and massage could help before treatment in both groups were very
9
reduction of low back pain. From our study, high, these could confirm that low back pain
concluded that Thai massage could reduce could create a critical problem for the third
low back pain in the third trimester preg- trimester pregnancy. Thai massage and tak-
nancy more effectively than taking rest. ing rest can relieve low back pain and im-

This study could not find any correla- prove the quality of life score. It was thought
tion between lordosis scale and low back pain that because of increasing blood flow and

in the third trimester pregnancy. We found a relaxing the back muscle resulting from Thai
reduction in the lordosis scale after treatment massage, the women in massage group
in both groups. However, all of the reduc- showed a significant improvement in the

tions in lordosis scale were not more than a quality of life score.
half of centimeter which might not have any There was no serious complication found

effect on the severity of back pain. The indi- in Thai massage group in this study. From
10
vidual factors such as the womanûs posture, the study of Jintana Wattanakon et al, the