#0019 Tasuki for neck pain: An individually-randomized, open-label, waiting-list-controlled trial
Keeping it Simple: Can a Tasuki, the Traditional Japanese Sash, Treat Neck Pain?
Neck pain is a very common and highly disabling problem. In Japan, 11.8% of women and 5.7% men report neck or shoulder pain, making it the most common ailment among Japanese women and second most common in Japanese men. Unfortunately, despite the prevalence of neck pain, recent reviews on studies about existing treatments only found low-quality evidence for their effectiveness. Moreover, some treatments can cause severe side effects. But what if there was a really simple yet effective treatment option?
In my study, I assessed the effectiveness of wearing a tasuki daily to treat neck pain. A tasuki is a sash normally used to hold up the sleeves of a kimono, a traditional piece of Japanese clothing. I had heard from people with neck pain that the tasuki improved their symptoms because it functions as a posture corrector, retracting the shoulders and keeping the head straight up. However, because there was little clinical evidence to support or refute its use, I decided to conduct a controlled clinical trial to test this new potential treatment.
I recruited a total of 50 participants across 2018 and 2019, all of whom suffered from neck pain. They were randomly split into two groups; one was told to wear a tasuki daily for a week while the other received tasukis but was instructed not to use it. At the beginning and end of their respective one-week periods, each participant completed a questionnaire, which was used to quantify any improvement or worsening of their neck pain.
The findings showed that wearing tasuki daily can have a moderate yet positive effect on the symptoms of neck pain. Putting on the tasuki is straightforward, and wearing it daily did not cause any serious side effects; only a few participants reported minor discomfort or disliking the appearance of the sash. Thus, the tasuki may have the potential to become a simple, safe, and inexpensive treatment option for neck pain.
Link to the original journal article:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1348-9585.12097
Title of the paper:
Tasuki for neck pain: An individually-randomized, open-label, waiting-list-controlled trial
Authors:
Yuki Furukawa
