March, 2002 [Volume 1, Issue 1]
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In this issue of To Your Health:
What Is Massage Therapy?
Massage
therapy is recognized as one of the oldest methods of healing, with references
in medical texts nearly 4,000 years old. In fact, Hippocrates, known as
the "father of medicine," referenced massage when he wrote, in the 4th
century B.C.: "The physician must be acquainted with many things, and
assuredly with rubbing."
Actually, massage therapy is not so much rubbing as stroking, kneading, tapping, compression, vibration, rocking, friction, pressure, and various other techniques. It consists of a group of manual techniques that include applying fixed or movable pressure, holding, and/or causing movement of (or to) the body, using primarily the hands. The massage therapist can also use other areas of the body, such as the forearms, elbows or feet. These techniques affect the musculoskeletal, circulatory-lymphatic, nervous, and other systems of the body.
The goal of massage therapy is fairly straightforward: to positively affect the health and well being of the client. Numerous physical and mental health benefits have been attributed to massage, including reducing stress and aiding in relaxation; reducing the heart rate; lowering blood pressure; increasing blood circulation and lymph flow; relaxing the muscles; reducing chronic pain; and improving joint range of motion.
Research Shows Massage Helps Back Pain
Despite the common-sense notion that massage therapy can help ease back pain, few scientific studies have confirmed beneficial results - until recently. Since 1999, four major randomized, controlled trials and one systematic literature review have evaluated the efficacy of massage for treating back pain. The most recent (and perhaps most convincing) of the five appeared in the April 23, 2001 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The study compared therapeutic massage with traditional Chinese medical acupuncture and self-care education for chronic low back pain (LBP). Two hundred and sixty-two patients, 20-70 years old and with persistent LBP, were randomly selected from a local HMO to receive one of the three interventions for 10 weeks.
Patients in all three groups retained access to their HMO medical provider during the study period. Phone interviews served to assess outcomes at 4, 10 and 52 weeks after randomization; results showed "significant treatment effects favoring massage" at 10 weeks. Specifically, the massage group reported less severe symptoms than the self-care group and less dysfunction than the self-care group and the acupuncture group. At one-year follow-up, massage remained superior to acupuncture in terms of symptoms and function. Use of medications also remained lower in the massage group than in both other groups.
In their conclusion, the authors note: "Therapeutic massage was effective for persistent low back pain, apparently providing long-lasting benefits. Traditional Chinese medical acupuncture was relatively ineffective. Massage might be an effective alternative to conventional medical care for persistent back pain."
Reference: Cherkin DC, Eisenberg D, Sherman KJ, et al. Randomized trial comparing traditional Chinese medical acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and self-care education for chronic low back pain. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001:161, pp1081-88.
This Month's Massage Q & A
Question: How often should you get a massage?
Answer: That depends on many factors: why you're getting massage, what type of massage you're getting, and what type of person you are. If you're talking about relaxation massage, the frequency will depend on whether you are a high-stress person with a high-stress life, a low-stress person with a low-stress life, or somewhere in between. Some people have a session twice a week, some every month or so. The idea is to lower your level of muscle tension to minimize the physical symptoms of stress. The only way to find your ideal frequency is to experiment with it and see what works for you.
Question: Isn't getting a massage the same as getting a chiropractic adjustment?
Answer: Chiropractors primarily focus on joints, particularly the joints of the vertebrae. Massage therapists focus on muscles. Pain is often caused by persistently contracted muscle tissue. Through a variety of techniques, the massage therapist attempts to persuade muscle tissue to relax, thus alleviating or eliminating the pain.
Note: Information provided in the Massage Q & A section is drawn from comments posted on the "Ask a Massage Therapist" forum, located at https://www.massagetoday.com/ask/.
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