A Cochrane review included 25 studies with a total of 3096 subjects. The majority was funded by not-for-profit organizations.
One trial included participants with acute LBP, and the remaining trials included people with sub-acute or chronic LBP (CLBP). In three trials massage was done with a mechanical device, and the remaining trials used only the hands. For acute LBP, massage was found to be better than inactive controls for pain (SMD -1.24, 95% CI -1.85 to -0.64; participants = 51; studies = 1) in the short-term, but not for function (SMD -0.50, 95% CI -1.06 to 0.06; participants = 51; studies = 1). For sub-acute and chronic LBP, massage was better than inactive controls for pain (SMD -0.75, 95% CI -0.90 to -0.60; participants = 761; studies = 7) and function (SMD -0.72, 95% CI -1.05 to -0.39; 725 participants; 6 studies; ) in the short-term, but not in the long-term; however, when compared to active controls, massage was better for pain, both in the short (SMD -0.37, 95% CI -0.62 to -0.13; participants = 964; studies = 12) and long-term follow-up (SMD -0.40, 95% CI -0.80 to -0.01; participants = 757; studies = 5), but no differences were found for function (both in the short and long-term). There were no reports of serious adverse events in any of these trials. Increased pain intensity was the most common adverse event reported in 1.5% to 25% of the participants.
Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by inconsistency (heterogeneity in interventions and outcomes) and by imprecise results (limited study size for each comparison).