Does Research Show Massage to be Effective for Health Conditions??

Massage in the US is very popular. Approximately thirty percent of Americans receive a massage annually. About 30% of those receiving massages report obtaining one for a health condition such as general wellness, pain management, migraine, or for injury rehab. Over eighty percent of patients agree with the comment that massages may be helpful for health and wellness improvement.

What health conditions has massage therapy been shown usefulness? Here is a list of what research has shown effectiveness from massage (not comprehensive):

Tiredness from cancer

Reducing cancer patient pain

Low Back Pain

Arthritis of the knee

Decrease post-operative pain

Increasing the human body immune system effectiveness

Decreasing carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms

Lowering blood pressure

Reducing headache frequency

Relieving alcohol withdrawal symptoms

Numerous studies have displayed massage to be very helpful for chronic low back pain. In numerous studies, good outcomes have been shown for up to a year. Massage has shown superiority to relaxation, education, and acupuncture with the same outcome to exercises and bracing. Compared to TENS and spinal manipulation, massage showed inferiority. For neck pain, a number of studies have not shown definitive conclusions, so it not clear if massage is actually helpful for neck pain and function.

For carpal tunnel syndrome, people routinely receive improvement in pain, anxiety, depression, and grip strength when compared with controls. So some preliminary data exists for using massage in those with carpal tunnel. Potentially surgery could be avoided by including massage therapy.

With regards to massage treatment for fibromyalgia, the results are mixed. Some studies have shown that massage is beneficial for its pain, whereas others have shown only short term relief or none at all. More studies are needed in this field. Fibromyalgia has significant differences in how it affects patients. Some may not tolerate receiving massage at all, whereas others love it.

The research into how well massage works for headaches is typically either low quality or significantly limited with the available conclusions. Some research findings show massage to be superior to acupuncture for migraines. Patients in one study had less monthly migraines and the severity of each headache was less. One study in the literature showed craniosacral massage to be beneficial for tension type headaches.

Shoulder pain has been looked at in a number of studies, most of which varied tremendously with the types of patients treated. Most patients in these studies showed improvements for range of motion, pain, and functional disability despite having numerous different conditions in the studies. So massage helps considerably with shoulder pain.

Massage should not typically pondered as first line treatment for health conditions that are chronic and non-malignant. It should be implemented as a complement to other conventional first line treatments such as physical therapy and medications.

Want to find out more about pain management Phoenix, then visit Preferred Pain Center’s site on how to choose the best Phoenix chiropractors for your needs.