The Effect of Tuina Rou Fa Technique Therapy at Acupuncture Points BL 23, BL 25, and BL 40 on the Reduction of Low Back Pain Intensity in Adult Patients

Abstract

Low back pain is among the most commonly reported musculoskeletal complaints worldwide, affecting an estimated 619 million people globally in 2020, with the number projected to increase to 843 million by 2050. In Indonesia, the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (Survei Kesehatan Indonesia / SKI) reported a national prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders of 7.30%. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Tuina Rou Fa technique therapy at acupoints BL 23, BL 25, and BL 40 on reducing low back pain intensity in adult patients.This study employed a pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design with a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 30 respondents at Klinik Velda, Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, who met the established inclusion criteria. The Tuina Rou Fa intervention was administered for 8 sessions (twice weekly for 4 weeks). Pain intensity was measured using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test for normality assessment and the paired-samples t-test for hypothesis testing.The mean NRS score decreased from 4.83 (SD = 1.949) before the intervention to 1.03 (SD = 1.273) after the intervention, with a mean reduction of 3.800 points (SD = 1.064), representing an approximately 78.7% decrease from the baseline pain score. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores (t = -19.571; df = 29; p < 0.001). Tuina Rou Fa technique therapy at acupoints BL 23, BL 25, and BL 40 demonstrated a statistically significant association with reduced low back pain intensity among adult patients. Further studies using randomized controlled designs and larger samples are recommended to confirm these findings.