The Effect of Four Weeks of Cupping Therapy vs. Myofascial Release on Pain, Functional Disability, Balance, and Quality of Life in Females with Non-specific Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background: The efficacy of manual therapy focused on addressing stiffness in the lower extremities for individuals with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) remains inadequately substantiated. Objectives: The objective of the study was to compare the effects of cupping therapy (CT) and myofascial release (MFR) interventions on NSLBP symptoms. Methods: A total of 30 females with NSLBP participated in this study and were randomly assigned to CT and MFR groups. Subjects in each group received intervention for four weeks, three sessions a week on even days. The pre- and post-intervention measurements used in the research were: The Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and WHO Quality of Life (WQL) measurement. Differences were evaluated by 2 × 2 mixed-design analysis of variance. Results: The findings indicate that the interactions between groups and time, as well as the primary effect for the group, failed to attain statistical significance (P > 0.05) for all the measured outcomes. Nevertheless, a notable main effect for Time was observed (VAS: P = 0.001, ODI: P = 0.001, BBS: P = 0.001, WQL: P = 0.001); such that the results of the Bonferroni post hoc test showed that all parameters improved after the intervention in both groups (P < 0.05). There were no discernible between-group variances noted in the pre- and post-intervention periods. Conclusions: Based on these findings, both CT and MFR can be recommended as effective treatment options for NSLBP in clinical practice. Future studies should investigate longer-term effects and include male participants and different age groups to enhance generalizability.