title: Ottawa Panel evidence-based clinical practice guidelines on therapeutic massage for low back pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To update evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (EBCPG) on massage therapy compared to control or other treatment for adults (>18 years) suffering from acute, sub-acute and chronic low back pain (LBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was performed for relevant articles between January 1, 1948 and December 31, 2010. Eligibility criteria were then applied focussing on participants, interventions, controls, and outcomes, as well as methodological quality. Recommendations based on this evidence were then assigned a grade (A, B, C, C+, D, D+, D-) based on their strength.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 100 recommendations were formulated from 11 eligible articles, including 37 positive recommendations (25 grade A and 12 grade C+) and 63 neutral recommendations (49 grade C, 12 grade D, and 2 grade D+).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These guidelines indicate that massage therapy is effective at providing pain relief and improving functional status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Ottawa Panel was able to demonstrate that massage interventions are effective to provide short term improvement of sub-acute and chronic LBP symptoms and decreasing disability at immediate post treatment and short term relief when massage therapy is combined with therapeutic exercise and education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Lucie.Brosseau@uottawa.ca
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brosseau
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poitras
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tugwell
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casimiro
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Novikov
authors.forename: Laurianne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Loew
authors.forename: Danijel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sredic
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.forename: Amélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gravelle
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kresic
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lakic
authors.forename: Gabrielle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ménard
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabourin
authors.forename: Marie-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bolduc
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ratté
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McEwan
authors.forename: Andrea D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Furlan
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dagenais
authors.forename: Trish
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dryden
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Muckenheim
authors.forename: Raynald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paré
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rouhani
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Léonard
authors.forename: Hillel M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Finestone
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Laferrière
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haines-Wangda
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Russell-Doreleyers
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Angelis
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cohoon
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008405:Massage; D026201:Musculoskeletal Manipulations; D009864:Ontario; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D013315:Stress, Psychological