Summary Thai Traditional Massage (TTM) is popular and widely spread in Thailand. This project
is aimed at studying the physiological efficiency of three popular TTM methods based on acupressure
Meridian basal lines: the Sen Sib(SS) ten lines, Ratchsamnak (RS), Royal style; and Chaloeysak
(CS), Folk style. Thirty healthy female administrative employees participated as patients. All
were treated for 30 min with the 3 types of massage with a two-week interval between each treatment.
Muscle strain was objectified by measuring strength and endurance with surface electromyography
of muscle put under stress during office work: the M. Trapezius (static postural load) and
the wrist muscles (M. flexors & extensors Carpi-Radialis) (dynamic contractions) as well as
measuring the subjective Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after the sessions. An ANOVAstatistical
analysis showed that strength in shoulders was not significantly different, but some
forearm fatigue was decreased significantly among the three massage techniques.
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