Acupuncture Times Your guide to acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and TCM — explore acupoints, herbs and formulas, plus the latest acupuncture research news.
Related Articles
Chronic non-specific low back pain is a widespread and disabling condition that places a heavy burden on individuals and healthcare systems. Non-pharmacological treatments are increasingly sought, yet evidence for many remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether Tuina — a form of traditional Chinese massage therapy — offers benefits over non-Tuina treatments for adults living with chronic non-specific low back pain.
Researchers searched eight major databases from their inception through to April 2025, ultimately including twenty-one randomised controlled trials involving 1,612 participants. Using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations approach to assess evidence quality, the analysis found that Tuina produced significantly greater reductions in pain and meaningfully better improvements in physical function compared with control interventions. Overall clinical effectiveness also favoured Tuina, with participants roughly three to four times more likely to respond to treatment. No significant difference was observed for muscle fitness outcomes, and serious adverse events were rare and comparable across groups.
However, the certainty of evidence for the primary outcomes was rated as low or very low, reflecting concerns about study design and heterogeneity across trials. The authors call for standardised treatment protocols and more rigorously designed trials before firm clinical recommendations can be made.
Conclusion: Tuina appears to reduce pain and improve function in adults with chronic non-specific low back pain, but the low quality of current evidence means these findings should be interpreted cautiously.
Source: Huang B, Xie H, Duan M and colleagues. Complementary therapies in medicine (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42002161) · doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103381