Date of Award
1-1-2022
Degree Type
Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review
Degree Name
Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant
Department
Physician Assistant Studies
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine “Does Gua shatherapy reduce pain intensity in patients with chronic back pain?”
STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review of three randomized controlled trials/studies published in English between 2013-2019.
DATA SOURCES: All articles were published in peer-reviewed journals and obtained from PubMed. The studies were selected based on their applicability to the topic listed above.
OUTCOMES MEASURED: A common outcome measured across all three articles included pain intensity. Each study used the 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Participants were asked to rate their pain before and after therapeutic interventions. A higher score indicates a higher subjective feeling of pain.
RESULTS: Saha et al. demonstrated a stronger decrease in pain intensity after Gua sha therapy compared to a patient’s previous medical regimen. The authors showed a mean change from baseline of 24.5 mm in the Gua sha treatment group compared to the mean change from baseline of 12.3 mm in the control group (p<0.001). Similarly, Wang et al. showed that Gua sha therapy was more effective than acupuncture. This is demonstrated by a mean change from baseline of 59 mm after Gua sha therapy and a mean change from baseline of 49 mm after acupuncture (p=0.001). A conclusion comparing the effectiveness between Gua sha therapy and hot pack therapy could be made based on Yuen et al.’s study. However, the authors demonstrated that Gua sha therapy was effective at decreasing pain intensity as seen by F=30.11, p<0.0001, and post hoc p=0.0003.
CONCLUSIONS: All three studies demonstrated that Gua sha therapy significantly decreased pain intensity in patients with chronic back pain. Additionally, Saha et al. and Wang et al. demonstrated that Gua sha therapy was more effective at decreasing pain intensity compared to their respective control groups. The control groups from all three articles included acupuncture, hot pack therapy, and original medical regimens. Further research is needed to explore treatment duration and long term success of Gua sha therapy.
Recommended Citation
Cao, Anh Y., "Does Gua sha therapy reduce pain intensity in patients with chronic back pain?" (2022). PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship. 625.
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/pa_systematic_reviews/625