If you are among an estimated one in five adults living with
arthritis, there’s something you should know: massage therapy really
works for relief of arthritis pain. Studies involving
arthritis of the hands and knees each concluded that massage therapy was
beneficial.
The Touch Research Institute conducted a trial over four weeks
for adults who had arthritis pain of the wrist and/or hand. Participants
were assigned randomly to a control group for standard treatment or a
massage therapy group. The latter participants got professional massage
on the affected wrist/hand once a week, and were instructed to perform
daily self-massage. The conclusion: the arthritis massage therapy group
showed a lower level of anxiety, less pain and greater grip strength
than the control group.
An article in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports
clinical findings from a similar study on osteoarthritis of the knee.
Patients undergoing regular massage therapy reported less stiffness and
pain and noted increased physical function in their knees.
A study conducted by the Touch Research Institute at the
University of Miami School of Medicine showed that ongoing massage
could lower anxiety, reduce pain, and improve grip strength for
those with arthritis. Additionally, a common thread between
arthritis sufferers is lack of deep sleep. Tiffany Field, PhD and
director of the Touch Research Institute noted that, "When you are
deprived of deep sleep, certain kinds of pain chemicals are
released." With regular massage, our professional therapists can
actually help you get more deep sleep. "It's this deep sleep that's
truly important because that is where the restorative process is
happening," says Field. This is doubly important, as not only can
ongoing massage help you sleep better, but it can also decrease
your pain during the day.
