10/26/2015
Alleviating Arthritis Pain with Massage Therapy
By Cathy Wong, ND, Alternative Medicine Expert
For help in relieving joint pain and stiffness, many arthritis patients undergo massage therapy. Research suggests that massage may benefit people with osteoarthritis as well as those with rheumatoid arthritis.
Why Is Massage Sometimes Used for Arthritis Relief?
There are many theories on how or why massage may be beneficial for people with arthritis. For instance, it's thought that massage may help change the way your body deals with pain.
Indeed, some studies show that massage can help reduce your levels of substance P (a naturally occurring chemical responsible for transmitting pain signals) and, in turn, aid in pain reduction.
In addition, massage appears to curb the body's production of cortisol (a hormone released in response to stress). Since stress is known to aggravate arthritis pain, keeping stress in check is essential for arthritis management.
What's more, massage may help improve sleep. A widespread problem among arthritis patients, sleep disruption is linked to increases in pain sensitivity.
The Science Behind Massage and Arthritis
A number of small studies indicate that massage may help ease the pain of osteoarthritis. These studies include a clinical trial published in Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006, for which 68 adults with osteoarthritis of the knee were assigned to eight weeks of treatment with Swedish massage or to a control group. By the study's end, members of the massage group had experienced greater improvements in pain, stiffness, and physical function.
There's also some evidence that using massage therapy in combination with other therapeutic approaches may benefit people with osteoarthritis.
For example, a small study published in the Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation in 2014 found that combining massage with exercise-based therapy may improve symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee.
For the study, 18 women with knee osteoarthritis were split into two groups: the first group received massage therapy and followed an exercise program, while the second group followed the exercise program but did not receive massage. After six weeks of treatment, members of the first group showed a greater improvement in osteoarthritis symptoms.
So far, few studies have tested massage's effects in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Still, a small study published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice in 2013 found that moderate-pressure massage may help lessen rheumatoid arthritis pain.
In an experiment involving 42 people with rheumatoid arthritis in their upper limbs, the study's authors found that those who received moderate-pressure massage on the affected arms and shoulders once a week for four weeks experienced a greater decrease in pain and greater improvements in grip strength and range of motion (compared to those treated with light-pressure massage for the same period.