Summary The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of traditional
Thai massage (TTM) on pain intensity, pressure pain threshold (PPT), muscle tension and
anxiety associated with scapulocostal syndrome (SCS). Twenty patients were randomly allocated
to receive a 30-min session of either TTM or physical therapy modalities (PT: ultrasound
therapy and hot pack) for 9 sessions over a period of 3 weeks. Pain intensity, PPT, muscle
tension and anxiety were measured before and immediately after the first treatment session,
1 day after the last treatment session and 2 weeks after the last treatment session. Results
indicated that the TTM group showed a significant improvement in all parameters after the first
treatment session and at 1 day and 2 weeks after the last treatment session (p < 0.05). For all
outcomes, similar changes were observed in the PT group except for PPT (p < 0.05). The
adjusted post-test mean values of each assessment time point for pain intensity and muscle