Aromatherapy Massage in Chronic Low Back Pain

May 5, 2026 updated by: Atahan TURHAN, Kirsehir Ahi Evran Universitesi

The Effect of Aromatherapy Massage in Individuals With Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim was to investigate the effectiveness of adding aromatherapy massage with a mixture of lavender and orange oil to conventional physical therapy in individuals with chronic nonspecific low back pain on pain, central sensitization, functionality, sleep, quality of life, kinesiophobia, anxiety, and depression in this patient population.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Merkez
      • Kırşehir, Merkez, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Kırşehir Research and Training Hospital, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age 18-65 years
  • Chronic nonspecific low back pain ≥ 6 months
  • Volunteering to participate
  • Receiving treatment at physical therapy clinic

Exclusion Criteria

  • History of orthopedic surgery, fracture, trauma
  • Inflammatory, rheumatologic, neurological, psychiatric disorders
  • Asthma
  • Current psychiatric medication use
  • Peripheral neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia
  • Long-term corticosteroid use
  • Skin lesions/open wounds in treatment area
  • Allergy to lavender, orange, or almond oil
  • Positive allergic reaction to patch test

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Conventional Physiotherapy
Hotpack (10 min) TENS (20 min) Ultrasound (5 min) Stretching & stabilization exercises (15 min) Frequency: 5 sessions/week for 4 weeks
Other: Conventional Physiotherapy
Hotpack (10 min) TENS (20 min) Ultrasound (5 min) Stretching & stabilization exercises (15 min) Frequency: 5 sessions/week for 4 weeks
Experimental: Aromatherapy Massage + Conventional Physiotherapy

Same conventional physiotherapy protocol

Aromatherapy massage:

Lavender + orange essential oil (%1.5 in sweet almond oil) 15 min/session 3 sessions/week for 4 weeks Massage techniques: effleurage, petrissage, friction, vibration
Other: Aromatherapy Massage + Conventional Physiotherapy
Same conventional physiotherapy protocol Aromatherapy massage: Lavender + orange essential oil (%1.5 in sweet almond oil) 15 min/session 3 sessions/week for 4 weeks Massage techniques: effleurage, petrissage, friction, vibration

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
McGill Pain Questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks
The McGill Pain Questionnaire Short Form consists of 15 items evaluating sensory and affective dimensions of pain. Each item is scored on a 0-3 Likert scale, with total scores ranging from 0 to 45. Higher scores indicate greater pain severity.
Baseline, 4 weeks
Pressure Pain Threshold (Algometer)
Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks
Pressure pain threshold will be measured using an algometer to evaluate sensitivity in predefined anatomical points. The device quantifies the minimum pressure that induces pain.
Baseline, 4 weeks
Central Sensitization Inventory
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The Central Sensitization Inventory is a 25-item questionnaire assessing symptoms related to central sensitization. Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert scale (0-4), with total scores ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater central sensitization symptoms.
Baseline and 4 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Disability (Oswestry Disability Index)
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The Oswestry Disability Index consists of 10 items assessing functional disability related to low back pain. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, with total scores converted into percentage disability (0-100%).
Baseline and 4 weeks
Quality of Life (SF-36)
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The SF-36 Health Survey evaluates quality of life across 8 domains including physical functioning, role limitations, pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, emotional role, and mental health. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status.
Baseline and 4 weeks
Anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory)
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The Beck Anxiety Inventory is a 21-item scale measuring anxiety severity. Each item is scored from 0 to 3, with total scores ranging from 0 to 63.
Baseline and 4 weeks
Depression (Beck Depression Inventory)
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The Beck Depression Inventory consists of 21 items assessing depressive symptoms. Total scores classify depression severity as minimal, mild, moderate, or severe.
Baseline and 4 weeks
Kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia)
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia includes 17 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale. Total scores range from 17 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater fear of movement.
Baseline and 4 weeks
Sleep Quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index)
Time Frame: Baseline and 4 weeks
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index evaluates sleep quality across 7 components. Total scores range from 0 to 21, with scores above 5 indicating poor sleep quality.
Baseline and 4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Kirsehir Ahi Evran Universitesi

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 20, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 20, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 11, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 11, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • KAEU-T.ATAHAN-014

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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