Chronic and acute pain can prove frustrating, annoying, or even debilitating to those who experience symptoms on a regular basis. There are a number of healthy ways to help manage pain, but studies are showing that massage may be one of the best treatments. Brenda L. Griffith in her article “Massage Therapy has a Role in Pain Management,” published in Practical Pain Management Magazine, highlights four main evidence-based ways that massage can benefit patients suffering from acute or chronic pain.
First, massage has proved successful in providing patients with long lasting relief from chronic low back pain.
Second, recent and past data suggest that massage can be beneficial for cancer patients. Decreased pain intensity and anxiety have been documented among other results.
Next, chronic tension-type headaches, which are tension-type headaches that occur at least 15 days of a month for at least three months, can be greatly reduced by massage. Muscle specific massage therapy has proved particularly beneficial and massage has proved more effective than cold pack treatment.
Finally, other results have shown that massage reduced pain and muscle spasms in patients with multiple incisions. Patients also displayed a drop in the need for medications on the days they received massage.
Further evidence from “Evidence-Informed Management of Chronic Low Back Pain with Massage” printed in The Spine Journal has further shown that massage in one of the best therapies for CLBP. The authors conclude by stating that “There is strong evidence that massage is effective for nonspecific CLBP. There is moderate evidence that massage provides short– and longer-term follow-up relief of symptoms.”
The article goes on to discuss the cost effectiveness of massage. While massage may appear pricy in some aspects it is important to consider the costs that a lifetime of chronic pain can incur such as pain medications, doctor or specialist visits, back-care services, and potentially even surgery. In addition, the benefits of therapeutic massage to those with CLBP have demonstrated to last at least a year.
Massage is a powerful therapy because a trained, professional massage therapist can help patients identify the source of their pain. Rather than treating just the symptoms, massage therapists can help trace the pain back to its root and thus address the deeper issue. When the primary cause is addressed, true healing can occur as well as the potential for long lasting relief.
When considering options for remedying acute or chronic pain, massage could very well be one the most effective and least costly treatments. It is important to seek the care of a licensed massage therapist and in some cases a doctor or other accredited specialist’s diagnosis may be necessary. But if you or someone in your life experiences chronic or acute pain, massage is a very effective and valuable route to consider.
Sources:
Massage Therapy Has a Role in Pain Management — American Massage Therapy Association. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttps://www.amtamassage.org/infocenter/healthcare_articles-and-associati...
Imamura, M., Furlan, A., Dryden, T., & Irvin, E. (n.d.). Evidence-informed management of chronic low back pain with massage. The Spine Journal, 121-133.