Dentists might take note of the pain-relieving therapy used most by their colleagues in Thailand: massage. And massage therapists might use the information from a recent study to market massage to dentists in their areas.
Researchers set out to study the prevalence, impacts and treatments of musculoskeletal pain among dental personnel. They randomly sampled 390 participants working at a dental school, according to a report published on www.pubmed.gov. Via questionnaire, the participants reported their musculoskeletal pain as:
• shoulder pain: 72.2 percent
• neck pain: 70.3 percent
• low-back pain: 50.6 percent
The impacts of musculoskeletal pain included:
• usage of pain-relieving medication: 34.8 percent
• seeking medical evaluation: 32.3 percent
• reduction in working hours: 27.2 percent
• difficulty sleeping: 22.8 percent
• work absence: 10.8 percent
The treatments of musculoskeletal pain utilized to alleviate those impacts were:
• Thai traditional massage: 51.9 percent
• medication: 28.5 percent
• physical therapy: 15.8 percent
• acupuncture: 7.6 percent
• alternative medicine: 4.4 percent
The study was conducted by researchers in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, in Bangkok, and was published in the Journal of The Medical Association of Thailand.
Related articles:
• Soft-tissue Massage for Shoulder Pain
• Research Exclusive: Rolfing Improves Neck Pain, Range of Motion
• Massage Therapy Reduces Lower-Back Pain and Sleep Disturbance
• Traditional Thai Massage Beneficial for Patients with Low-Back Pain