Back pain is very common; almost half the adult population of the UK (49%) report low back pain. Typically, the pain is in one area of the lower back, but sometimes it spreads to one or both buttocks or thighs. Most cases of lower back pain are known as 'non-specific' because they are not caused by serious damage or disease, but by sprains, muscle strains, minor injuries or a pinched or irritated nerve. The Bowen Technique is a soft tissue remedial therapy, which involves the therapist using fingers or thumbs to move over muscle, ligament tendon and fascia in various parts of the body. The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a trial into the effectiveness of the Bowen Technique as a treatment for the management of chronic, non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP), using a Randomised Control Trial approach. Thirty-seven participants, 21 female, with a mean age of 44.5 years took part in the study. Nineteen were allocated to the experimental, Bowen, group, and 18 to a control 'Sham Bowen' group. Participants were blinded to their group allocation. Each participant received three weekly treatments, and were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising six different measures before treatment, one week after their final treatment, and four weeks later. Measuring pain and functioning levels, psychosocial/somatic changes and general health, 24 'categories' were created from the measures. The Bowen group recorded a positive change by the second follow up in 20 of these categories. By contrast the Sham group showed an improvement in twelve at the same time point. This will only be the second ethically approved study in the Bowen Technique to date, and shows that with modifications to the study, it is feasible to conduct a larger-scale trial into the effectiveness of the Bowen Technique as a treatment for CNSLBP.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:570558 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Morris, Michael Fredric |
| Publisher | University of Warwick |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/53796/ |
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