Background: Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming popular among Filipino patients. Ginger is one promising herbal plant in the management of musculoskeletal complaints. Studies showed significant reduction of the pain after oral intake of either ginger extract or tablet with reported occurrence of mild gastrointestinal side effects. Hence this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of using 10% ginger ointment as a treatment for acute musculoskeletal pain. Objective: This study determined the effectiveness and safety profile of topical application of ginger ointment as compared to a placebo ointment in the reduction of pain severity in patients with musculoskeletal complaints. Subjects and Setting: The study participants consisted of adults aged 19-59 years old who have acute musculoskeletal pain. The study was done in Canossa Health and Social Center in Tondo, Manila. Design: Ginger ointment was compared to a placebo ointment in 60 patients with acute musculoskeletal complaints in a single blinded randomized controlled trial. Study participants were randomized into two groups of thirty (N=30), the experimental group (ginger) and the placebo group. Data Collection: The clinical assessment included a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain at baseline, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after intervention. Paracetamol and diclofenac tablets were prescribed as rescue medication. Reduction of pain was computed using mean, standard deviation and groups were compared using students’ t-test. The frequency of the adverse reaction to the ointment was summarized using cross tabulations. Results: There was decrease in the severity of the pain reported by study participants for both ginger and placebo ointment. At 60 minutes post-intervention, a greater decrease on pain scores among participants receiving the ginger ointment (X=1.37; SD+1.22) was noted compared to the participants receiving placebo ointment (X=2.07; SD+1.90). However, the differences between intervention groups were not statistically significant, p>0.05. There were no reported adverse reactions for both intervention groups. Conclusion Ginger ointment 10% was not effective in decreasing pain scores when compared to placebo ointment. No adverse event was reported within 60 mins of intervention among adult patients with musculoskeletal complaints.
Humans ; Ginger ; Acetaminophen ; Ointments