A new study has claimed that some types of massage can help treat low-back pain.

But not all types of massage therapies have been methodically proven to help against low back pain, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) revealed in information published on informedhealthonline. org.

Back pain often affects the lower back and can be a big physical and psychological burden.

Professor Peter Sawicki, the Institute's Director said, "The cause of back pain is not always immediately clear. But low back pain usually gets better on its own within a few weeks."

Back pain is only rarely caused by a serious health trouble. Some of massage therapies such as classic massage, Thai massage and acupressure are helpful in treating low back pain.

If low back pain does not get better on its own, massage therapy could be a worthwhile option.

"Research suggests that classic massage, Thai massage and acupressure can relieve low back pain that has lasted longer than several weeks," the Institute's Director said.

"In classic (Swedish) massage the affected area of skin and muscles are massaged, in Thai massage the limbs are pulled and stretched, and acupressure involves applying pressure to certain points on the body. "But relying on massage alone does not appear to be the best approach when it comes to back pain," Sawicki added.

Study shows that people could gain more benefit if they blend massage therapies with workouts plus stretching. In some experiments, this grouping of approaches resulted in better pain relief and mobility compared to massage alone. (With Input from Agencies)