Public awareness and knowledge regarding the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine massage as a treatment option for musculoskeletal pain relief

• Main Author: Chua, Shin Yoong
• Other Authors: Zhao Yan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences; DRNTU::Science::Medicine
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/75933
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is gradually gaining popularity worldwide. As TCM treatment methods such as acupuncture are progressively being accepted, other lesser known treatment methods such as TCM massage are being disregarded. TCM massage has pain-relieving effects and is mostly used to treat musculoskeletal pains. To facilitate and guide future direction in the field of TCM massage, it is important to understand the level of awareness of the public on the use of TCM massage. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the public’s level of awareness and knowledge about the use of TCM massage as a form of relief for musculoskeletal pain. Methodology: A self-administered survey was completed with 200 participants. Additionally, 15 clinical cases of neck pain were collected. Results: Survey results showed that participants lack the appropriate knowledge on TCM massage, as 43.0% of the participants cited insufficient knowledge as a deterrent. Clinical reports showed improvement in all the symptoms after treatment. Conclusion: More needs to be done to increase the level of awareness of the public on TCM massage. Our findings also provided insights into the actual clinical effectiveness of TCM massage, and suggestions and reasons for the lower awareness level, as compared to other TCM treatment options.