“A recent study indicates massage not only relieves pain over the short term, but also appears to have benefits that may last for months.” -Mayo Clinic newsletter November 2011
Yay Mayo! The November 2011 online newsletter for the Mayo Clinic has an article about the benefits of massage for chronic low back pain. A patient brought me a copy of the newsletter (which you can sign up for at www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com , just note this is a subscribed service) which reads:
Massage and your aching back
If you live with chronic low back pain, you may be among many who’ve sought relief with the help of massage. But just how effective massage may be for this type of pain has been uncertain. That’s beginning to change. A recent study indicates massage not only relieves pain over the short term, but also appears to have benefits that may last for months.
The study, published in the July 5, 2011, issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, included more than 400 people. Pain relief results of two types of massage–relaxation and structural massage–were compared over a 10 week period. Relaxation massage is believed to be the most common type used in the United States and is often called Swedish massage. Structural massage involves specific techniques to find and release problems in contracted muscle and related connective tissue. Researchers found that both types of massage were more effective for pain relief and improved function than was having usual care for chronic back pain and no massage. In addition, the benefits from both types of massage lasted at least six months.
Mayo Clinic doctors say the study adds to the body of knowledge that massage therapy for chronic low back pain may have lasting benefits for a number of weeks or months beyond the duration of a series of treatment sessions.
Wow! It warms my heart to hear the medical community recognize the benefits of massage. I will try not to make a snarky comment about the fact that the Chinese have known this for thousands of years. oops! OK, lets try this. The type of massage I use is what the study referred to as Structural, but what most LMTs call Therapeutic massage. I do this in a relaxed setting, so there is relaxation involved, but I do not do Swedish massage. In the Chiropractic office, we need therapeutic massage to deal with the musculoskeletal problems we face every day. I do 1 hour massages (which are usually full body and somewhat relaxing) and 1/2 hour massages that are more intense spot treatment on trouble areas. If you are in accute pain or have suffered for a long time with chronic pain I am confident that massage can help you. And I am grateful to the Mayo Clinic for including this in their newsletter because it has exposed thousands of people to the fact that massage therapy is beneficial.
the massages are the best thing since slice bread!