• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Studies Show Massage Offers Real Medical Benefits

Posted on: Thursday, 28 December 2006, 21:00 CST

By Patrick B. Massey, M.D.

When we think of massage, most of us envision a well-appointed spa located in the mountains or by the beach. In reality, massage therapy is an integral part of every culturally based medical system in the world, except ours.

In the U.S., massage therapy is considered to be a reward rather then a medical therapy. As a result, massage therapy is not commonly prescribed for the treatment of physical conditions such as arthritis, back pain and neck pain. Although Medicare and other insurers might reimburse for massage therapy for very specific medical conditions, more often it is simply denied as "not proven to be effective."

Before the 1930s, massage therapy was taught in medical schools to physicians. At that time, medical therapy was rather limited. When it came to an injured part of the body, at that time doctors could either observe it, massage it or cut it off. With the advent of technology and medications, massage fell to the wayside as a medical therapy.

Fortunately, massage is being reintroduced into Western medicine. Over the past decade, there have been a number of medical studies demonstrating the benefits of massage to relieve pain, reduce stress and enhance well-being. In a medical study released last week in the medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine, massage was shown to reduce the pain and loss of function associated with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The study was done by Dr. Adam Perlman and his associates at the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

In the study, 34 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee had massage weekly. A control group of another 34 participants with osteoarthritis of the knee simply had usual medical care. After eight weeks, the massage group was switched to usual medical care and the usual medical care group had massage. The results were significant in that massage was both safe and effective at reducing pain and improving function in patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee.

The study is important because usual medical care often involves the use of medications that are associated with significant side effects including internal bleeding, liver toxicity and interactions with other medications. The study demonstrated that massage was actually more effective than usual medical care, at least in the short term. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease, and it is not known whether long-term massage therapy is as effective as long-term medications.

Further research in this area will determine if massage is cost- effective when compared to medications. My clinical experience is that massage therapy is not only effective at reducing pain and improving function but, in the long-term, is significantly less expensive than medications and their potential complications.

In Illinois, massage therapists are required to have hundreds of hours of training and pass a standardized national test before being licensed. Physical therapists are also trained in massage therapy and some are very skilled. I highly recommend massage and strongly encourage insurance companies to cover this simple and effective therapy as a way of reducing pain, suffering and overall medical costs.

- Patrick B. Massey, M.D., Ph.D., is medical director for alternative and complementary medicine for Alexian Brothers Hospital Network.

Source: Daily Herald; Arlington Heights, Ill.

More News in this Category