Benefits of Massage
Scientific evidence based research on the benefits of massage is still limited. Though as massage becomes more integrated and accepted within the health care field more science based research is being conducted.
Many clients ask how often should they get massage. There is currently no definitive answer to this question. There are many opinions and theories on this subject. At ERTM we believe that to experience maximum benefits of massage is the same as eating healthy and exercising. If you only do it once in a while, it feels good at the time, but does not have lasting effects. The more often and regular you have massage, the more the lasting effects.
We recommend clients that do not have any major issues, receive massage at least once a month. Clients that have more problems due to chronic tension, physically demanding work or lifestyle (including sports activities), certain medical conditions, injuries or experience a lot of stress, should receive massage more often.
Many clients ask how often should they get massage. There is currently no definitive answer to this question. There are many opinions and theories on this subject. At ERTM we believe that to experience maximum benefits of massage is the same as eating healthy and exercising. If you only do it once in a while, it feels good at the time, but does not have lasting effects. The more often and regular you have massage, the more the lasting effects.
We recommend clients that do not have any major issues, receive massage at least once a month. Clients that have more problems due to chronic tension, physically demanding work or lifestyle (including sports activities), certain medical conditions, injuries or experience a lot of stress, should receive massage more often.
Sample of conditions for which massage may be beneficial:
- Low Back Pain
- Cancer
- Anxiety
- Migraines
- Carpel Tunnel
- Hypertension
- Fibromyalgia
Low Back Pain
Chronic low back pain sufferers find enduring results from massage therapy, according to a study conducted by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Center for Health Studies. The researchers plan to determine the specific components of massage therapy that contribute to its effectiveness.
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine supported the idea that massage therapy produces better results for low back pain than other therapies, including acupuncture and spinal modification. More than 100 million Americans suffer from lower-back pain, and nearly $25 billion a year is spent in search of relief. A 2003 study showed that massage therapy produced better results and reduced the need for painkillers by 36 percent when compared to other therapies, including acupuncture and spinal modification. Today, massage therapy is one of the most common ways people ease back pain. Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, June 3, 2003
Cancer
Breast Cancer
Massage promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety in patients with varying kinds of cancer, and has proven especially effective in breast cancer survivors. Research shows therapeutic massage is an effective complement to traditional medical care for women undergoing lumpectomy, mastectomy or breast reconstruction. Pre-surgery, massage relaxes muscle tissue and increases the flow of lymph. Post-surgery, women who apply specialized lymph drainage techniques from a well-trained massage therapist to their treatment may expect less pain and swelling.
In a study performed by the University of Miami School of Medicine, researchers found that those who were massaged three times a week reported lower levels of depression, anxiety and anger, while increasing "natural killer" cells and lymphocytes that help to battle cancerous tumors. Source: Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, Journal of Psychomatic Research, Volume 57, Issue1, Pages 45-52, July 2004.
Other Kinds of Cancer
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center asked cancer patients about the severity of their symptoms before and after receiving massage therapy, and patients reported reduced levels of anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression and nausea.
Massage therapy is increasingly being applied to symptoms experienced by cancer patients, such as nausea, pain and fatigue. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center asked patients to report the severity of their symptoms before and after receiving massage therapy. Patients reported reduced levels of anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression and nausea, even up to two days later.
Source: Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, September 2004.
Anxiety
A review of more than a dozen studies concluded that massage therapy helps relieve depression and anxiety by affecting the body’s biochemistry. Researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine reviewed studies that measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before and immediately after massage and found that the therapy lowered levels by up to 53 percent. Massage also increased serotonin and dopamine, which are both neurotransmitters that help reduce depression
An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from depression. A review of more than a dozen massage studies concluded that massage therapy helps relieve depression and anxiety by affecting the body’s biochemistry. In the studies reviewed, researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before and immediately after massage and found that the therapy lowered levels by up to 53 percent. Massage also increased serotonin and dopamine, and neurotransmitters that help reduce depression.
Source: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine.
Migraines
In a 2006 study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, massage therapy recipients exhibited fewer migraines and better sleep quality than the control group. A 1998 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms in adults with migraines.
Of the 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches, more than 60 percent suffer from migraines. For many, it’s a distressing disorder that is triggered by stress and poor sleep. In a recent study, massage therapy recipients exhibited fewer migraines and better sleep quality during the weeks they received massage, and the three weeks following, than did participants that did not receive massage therapy. Another study found that in adults with migraine headaches massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms. It also increased serotonin levels, believed to play an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep and appetite.
Sources: Annals of Behavioral Medicine, August 2006; International Journal of Neuroscience, 1998.
Carpel Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a progressively painful condition that causes numbness and tingling in the thumb and middle fingers. Traditional treatments for carpal tunnel range from a wrist brace to surgery. However, a 2004 study found that carpal tunnel patients receiving massage reported significantly less pain, reduced symptoms and improved grip strength than those patients who did not receive massage.
Source: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 8, 9-14.
Fibromyalgia
Affects approximately 3-6 million people in the U.S., mostly women, according to lead author Tiffany Field, PhD, a researcher with the Touch Research Institutes in Miami. It causes widespread muscle and soft tissue pain, tenderness, and fatigue. A person with fibromyalgia will experience pain when "trigger points" are pressed.Previous studies have shown that exercise, stretching, relaxation therapy, and massage therapy can provide relief for people with fibromyalgia. Massage therapy has also been shown to reduce pain, stiffness, fatigue, and sleeping difficulties. But researchers have not known exactly what massage does to provide relief. Now, researchers say they understand why. Massage alters the sleep pattern, which reduces levels of the chemical messenger for pain.
he big difference showed up in their sleep, she adds. Only the massage therapy group reported an increase in hours of sleep and a decrease in their sleep movements, as well as lower levels of the chemical messenger for pain -- called "substance P." Source: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine.
Hypertension
Hypertension, if left unchecked, can lead to organ damage. Preliminary research shows that hypertensive patients who received three 10-minute back massages a week had a reduction in blood pressure, compared to patients who simply relaxed without a massage.
Source: Biological Research For Nursing, Vol. 7, No. 2, 98-105 (2005).
More information about massage and research can be found at the following sites:
AMTA - American Massage Therapy Association
http://www.amtamassage.org/
NCBTMB - National Certification Board for Massage and Bodywork
http://www.ncbtmb.org/
Massage Therapy Foundation
http://www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/about.html
MayoClinic.com - Massage: A relaxing method to relieve stess and pain
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/massage/SA00082
Chronic low back pain sufferers find enduring results from massage therapy, according to a study conducted by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Center for Health Studies. The researchers plan to determine the specific components of massage therapy that contribute to its effectiveness.
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine supported the idea that massage therapy produces better results for low back pain than other therapies, including acupuncture and spinal modification. More than 100 million Americans suffer from lower-back pain, and nearly $25 billion a year is spent in search of relief. A 2003 study showed that massage therapy produced better results and reduced the need for painkillers by 36 percent when compared to other therapies, including acupuncture and spinal modification. Today, massage therapy is one of the most common ways people ease back pain. Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, June 3, 2003
Cancer
Breast Cancer
Massage promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety in patients with varying kinds of cancer, and has proven especially effective in breast cancer survivors. Research shows therapeutic massage is an effective complement to traditional medical care for women undergoing lumpectomy, mastectomy or breast reconstruction. Pre-surgery, massage relaxes muscle tissue and increases the flow of lymph. Post-surgery, women who apply specialized lymph drainage techniques from a well-trained massage therapist to their treatment may expect less pain and swelling.
In a study performed by the University of Miami School of Medicine, researchers found that those who were massaged three times a week reported lower levels of depression, anxiety and anger, while increasing "natural killer" cells and lymphocytes that help to battle cancerous tumors. Source: Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, Journal of Psychomatic Research, Volume 57, Issue1, Pages 45-52, July 2004.
Other Kinds of Cancer
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center asked cancer patients about the severity of their symptoms before and after receiving massage therapy, and patients reported reduced levels of anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression and nausea.
Massage therapy is increasingly being applied to symptoms experienced by cancer patients, such as nausea, pain and fatigue. Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center asked patients to report the severity of their symptoms before and after receiving massage therapy. Patients reported reduced levels of anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression and nausea, even up to two days later.
Source: Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, September 2004.
Anxiety
A review of more than a dozen studies concluded that massage therapy helps relieve depression and anxiety by affecting the body’s biochemistry. Researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine reviewed studies that measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before and immediately after massage and found that the therapy lowered levels by up to 53 percent. Massage also increased serotonin and dopamine, which are both neurotransmitters that help reduce depression
An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from depression. A review of more than a dozen massage studies concluded that massage therapy helps relieve depression and anxiety by affecting the body’s biochemistry. In the studies reviewed, researchers measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before and immediately after massage and found that the therapy lowered levels by up to 53 percent. Massage also increased serotonin and dopamine, and neurotransmitters that help reduce depression.
Source: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine.
Migraines
In a 2006 study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, massage therapy recipients exhibited fewer migraines and better sleep quality than the control group. A 1998 study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience found that massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms in adults with migraines.
Of the 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches, more than 60 percent suffer from migraines. For many, it’s a distressing disorder that is triggered by stress and poor sleep. In a recent study, massage therapy recipients exhibited fewer migraines and better sleep quality during the weeks they received massage, and the three weeks following, than did participants that did not receive massage therapy. Another study found that in adults with migraine headaches massage therapy decreased the occurrence of headaches, sleep disturbances and distress symptoms. It also increased serotonin levels, believed to play an important role in the regulation of mood, sleep and appetite.
Sources: Annals of Behavioral Medicine, August 2006; International Journal of Neuroscience, 1998.
Carpel Tunnel
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a progressively painful condition that causes numbness and tingling in the thumb and middle fingers. Traditional treatments for carpal tunnel range from a wrist brace to surgery. However, a 2004 study found that carpal tunnel patients receiving massage reported significantly less pain, reduced symptoms and improved grip strength than those patients who did not receive massage.
Source: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 8, 9-14.
Fibromyalgia
Affects approximately 3-6 million people in the U.S., mostly women, according to lead author Tiffany Field, PhD, a researcher with the Touch Research Institutes in Miami. It causes widespread muscle and soft tissue pain, tenderness, and fatigue. A person with fibromyalgia will experience pain when "trigger points" are pressed.Previous studies have shown that exercise, stretching, relaxation therapy, and massage therapy can provide relief for people with fibromyalgia. Massage therapy has also been shown to reduce pain, stiffness, fatigue, and sleeping difficulties. But researchers have not known exactly what massage does to provide relief. Now, researchers say they understand why. Massage alters the sleep pattern, which reduces levels of the chemical messenger for pain.
he big difference showed up in their sleep, she adds. Only the massage therapy group reported an increase in hours of sleep and a decrease in their sleep movements, as well as lower levels of the chemical messenger for pain -- called "substance P." Source: Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine.
Hypertension
Hypertension, if left unchecked, can lead to organ damage. Preliminary research shows that hypertensive patients who received three 10-minute back massages a week had a reduction in blood pressure, compared to patients who simply relaxed without a massage.
Source: Biological Research For Nursing, Vol. 7, No. 2, 98-105 (2005).
More information about massage and research can be found at the following sites:
AMTA - American Massage Therapy Association
http://www.amtamassage.org/
NCBTMB - National Certification Board for Massage and Bodywork
http://www.ncbtmb.org/
Massage Therapy Foundation
http://www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/about.html
MayoClinic.com - Massage: A relaxing method to relieve stess and pain
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/massage/SA00082