Singapore General Hospital (SGH), together with The HEAD Foundation, released findings from its multi-centre study on chronic lower back pain at a press conference at SGH on 12 May 2026. The media coverage, which included interviews with The Straits Times and 8world News highlighted the Foundation’s continued support for interdisciplinary healthcare research and its interest in fostering dialogue between Eastern and Western approaches to medicine.
Findings from the SGH study showed that tuina therapy was as effective as physiotherapy in providing short-term relief for chronic lower back pain, while a combination of both treatments improved patients’ ability to carry out daily activities. The study also demonstrated the value of the Foundation’s collaborations with regional and international healthcare institutions, including SGH, the Mayo Clinic, and Jinan University School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Together, these collaborations reflect a broad effort to encourage knowledge exchange and explore more holistic and culturally informed approaches to chronic pain management.
Representing The HEAD Foundation during the interviews were Professor Tay Boon Keng, Emeritus Consultant at Singapore General Hospital, and Mr CD Liang, Director of Development at The HEAD Foundation, who shared perspectives on the study’s findings.
They were joined by Ms Ho Chin Ee, Senior TCM Physician at Thomson Chinese Medicine, alongside Dr Celia Tan and Dr Reuben Soh, who are Clinical Associate Professors at Duke-NUS Medical School. Together, they contributed insights from their respective areas of expertise in traditional Chinese medicine, physiotherapy and orthopedics.
The discussions underscored the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting more meaningful partnerships and research initiatives that contribute to more inclusive health-care solutions.
Click through the gallery below for behind-the-scenes moments from the media event.
Find out more about the multi-centre study on tuina therapy.
