A Comparative Randomized Controlled Trial Study: The Effects of Court-Type Thai Traditional Massage versus Diclofenac on Knee Pain in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disorder, resulting in significant mobility and health care expenses. It affects more than 60% of Western World adults over the age of 65 years. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of the court-type traditional Thai massage and Diclofenac on patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Materials and Methods: The RCT phase II was performed. Participants were 60 adult patients with OA of the knee, randomized to one of 12 weeks regimes of the court-type traditional Thai massage (45 min weekly) or to Diclofenac 25 mg 1x3 pc. Outcome measures contained visual analog pain scale, timed up-and-go test, active knee range of motion, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index after twelve weeks. Results: The results showed that the knee OA pain in both groups was significantly reduced. Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the groups comparison. The study asserts that the court-type traditional Thai massage is an efficient and practical treatment method for relief of knee OA pain. Keywords: Court-type traditional Thai massage, Osteoarthritis, Knee pain, Randomized controlled trial