Thai traditional massage
All volunteers were randomly assigned to either the
treatment or the control group using a computer generated
sequence. Subjects in the treatment group underwent
a 2-hour session of Thai traditional massage twice
a week for 4 weeks, while no intervention was given to
subjects in the control group. After a 2-week washout
period, subjects were switched to the other arm of intervention
for 4 weeks.
Thai traditional massage was performed by a single
masseuse throughout the study. Subjects were requested
to change into comfortable, loose-fitting clothes and to
lie flat on a firm mattress on the floor. The procedure
consisted of the masseuse applying firm, rhythmic pressure
over the volunteer’s body through the heels of her
hands. The 2-hour procedure started with massaging the
feet, and then the legs, arms, hands, back and neck, ending
with a head massage (Table 1).