Effectiveness of Massage Therapy With Stroking Effleurage Technique On Changes In Pain Levels In Acute Low Back Pain

Abstrak

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders worldwide and frequently affects individuals in their productive age, leading to functional limitations and decreased quality of life. Acute LBP, typically lasting less than six weeks, often requires effective and safe management strategies. While pharmacological treatments are widely used, non-pharmacological approaches such as massage therapy have gained increasing attention due to their minimal side effects. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether stroking effleurage massage therapy can significantly reduce pain levels in individuals with acute low back pain. This study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental approach using a one-group pretest–posttest design. A total of 30 patients from the Seger Waras Massage Clinic in Semarang were selected using purposive sampling. Inclusion criteria were patients aged 40–55 years experiencing acute low back pain for six weeks or less. Pain intensity was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) before and after a 30-minute effleurage massage intervention. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, and a paired samples t-test. The results showed a significant reduction in pain levels, with the mean score decreasing from 6.23 (moderate pain) at pretest to 3.63 (mild pain) at posttest, resulting in a mean difference of 2.60. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant effect of the intervention (p = 0.000; p < 0.05). In conclusion, stroking effleurage massage therapy is an effective, safe, and practical non-pharmacological intervention for reducing pain intensity in acute low back pain. This study provides empirical support for integrating manual therapy techniques into musculoskeletal rehabilitation practices.