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Studies show that massage therapy helps arthritis sufferers with improved flexibility, less pain and improved range of motion.
by JoAnn Milivojevic
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arthritis is the leading cause of disability, reduced quality of life and high health care costs. Of the 46 million Americans who suffer from arthritis, nearly half say that arthritis limits their normal activities. The good news is that recent studies suggest that massage can help reduce pain and increase mobility in those who suffer from arthritis.
The December 11, 2006, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, reports on a study done by researchers at the Yale Prevention Research Center and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). It was a 16-week clinical trial with 68 participants who have osteoarthritis of the knee, the joint most commonly affected by osteoarthritis. Those in the massage group received a standard one-hour Swedish massage twice a week for four weeks, followed by Swedish massage once a week for the next four weeks. After the eight weeks of massage therapy, participants had improved flexibility, less pain and improved range of motion. It’s the first clinical trial of its kind in this country. And, it validates what many massage therapists have experienced anecdotally.
“Ultimately, massage may be shown to lessen a patient’s reliance on medications and decrease health care costs,” says researcher Adam Perlman, MD, executive director of the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions. “Our hope is to show that this treatment is not only safe and effective, but cost effective. That could serve to change practice standards so that massage is a more common option for the many patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.”
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is an umbrella term that unifies diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system. According to the Arthritis Foundation, these conditions can be localized—in one joint or an area of the entire body—or generalized, affecting many joints and organs. Those that are localized can affect soft tissues around the joint and include ailments such as tendinitis and bursitis. Localized conditions that affect one or more joints include osteoarthritis. Generalized conditions include fibromyalgia, gout and lupus.
According to Patience White, MD, MA, chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting some 21 million Americans.
“People at risk are those who have had prior injuries,” explains White. “Genetic susceptibility is also a factor. If you’re overweight, you’re more likely to get osteoarthritis in lower extremities.”
Lower back, neck, hands and wrists are other areas of the body affected by arthritis. White agrees that massage is helpful because it increases motion and stimulates the flow of blood in areas that are tight. But perhaps more importantly it can relax people and help break cycle of pain, which is the most common complaint of those suffering from arthritis.
Massage Brings Relief, Relaxation & Sleep
A study conducted by the Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami School of Medicine and funded by Biotone looked at 22 adults with wrist/hand arthritis. Those in the massage group received massage on the affected area once a week for four weeks and also did self-massage daily. A cooling massage therapy lubricant was used in the arthritis study. It served as a natural analgesic and stimulant to soothe inflamed and swollen tissue.
The massage therapy group showed lower anxiety and depressed mood scores after the first and last sessions, and by the end of the study reported less pain and greater grip strength.
Tiffany Field, PhD, is director of the Touch Research Institute at the School of Medicine, Miami. The institute has done many pain studies and Field finds that a common thread in those with pain issues is lack of deep sleep.
Field says that when you are deprived of deep sleep, certain kinds of pain chemicals are released. “What massage does is help organize your sleep,” says Field. “You’re getting more deep sleep. It’s the deep sleep that’s really important because that is where the restorative process is happening.”
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American Massage Therapy Association®
