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Need Pain Relief? Massage Gets High Marks
Survey Shows Massage Ranks With Medications for Relief of Pain
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Oct. 26, 2005 — For the treatment of pain, Americans rate massage as highly as medications, a new survey shows.
Conducted by an independent research firm, the annual survey is the ninth commissioned by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).
It shows that one in five U.S. adults got a therapeutic massage in the last year. Three-fourths of them would recommend it to others — one reason for the body therapy’s growing popularity.
Among those who actually had a massage in the past year, 28% say massage therapy gives them “the greatest relief from pain.” Another 28% say medication gives them the greatest relief. Chiropractic comes in third at 11%, followed by 8% who got the most pain relief from physical therapy, 3% who said acupuncture was best for their pain, and 1% whose pain best responded to biofeedback.
Survey Finding
The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corp. International in Princeton, N.J., surveyed a national sample of 1,014 U.S. adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. It found that:
90% of Americans feel massage is good for a person’s health.
93% agree with the statement that massage can be effective for pain relief.
Use of massage in people age 65 and older has tripled from 4% in 1997 to 15% in 2005.
22% of Americans had a massage in the past year; 34% had a massage in the last five years.
73% of those who had a massage would recommend it to a person they know.
46% of respondents at some time had a massage to relieve pain.
Among respondents who discussed massage with their health care provider, 57% said this health professional strongly recommended massage or encouraged them to get a massage.
Whole-Body Approach to Pain
Massaging sore muscles obviously reduces pain. But massage is really meant as a whole-body approach, says AMTA vice president and licensed massage therapist M.K. Brennan, RN, LMBT.
“One of the things about massage that helps pain is that it goes down to the heart of where people feel their pain,” Brennan tells WebMD. “There is the overall sense of well-being one can get from the massage approach. And the stress responses in the body associated with pain, such as elevated cortisol, are reduced through massage.”
“For these reasons, massage can be used to treat many different kinds of pain”, says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.
“Basically we have found massage to be effective in chronic pain syndromes in arthritis and diabetes; in depressive disorders such as ones that involve addiction like eating disorders; in chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia and other autoimmune disorders — HIV-associated diseases, too,” Field told WebMD in a June 29 interview. “We have looked at the A-to-Z of medical conditions, and we have not found a single condition massage has not been effective for.”
Brennan says “All trained massage therapists learn the same basic techniques. As they go on to advanced training, massage therapists may specialize in one or more specific kinds of massage. There are more than 200 of these techniques, according to the Massage.com web site.”
Qualifications for Therapists
Brennan recommends that a person seeking therapeutic massage look for a well-trained professional. Most states, she says, require that massage therapists be licensed or registered. And the AMTA web site maintains a referral list of massage therapists who meet certain standards:
Graduate from a minimum 500 in-class-hour massage therapy training program, or
Pass the National Certification Examination in therapeutic massage and bodywork, or
Possess a current AMTA-accepted license to practice, and
Earn continuing education credit, and
Uphold the AMTA Code of Ethics.
“If you are looking for someone dealing with chronic or acute pain issues, you may want to look for someone who does sports massage, neuromuscular massage therapy, orthopaedic massage, or someone who does craniosacral work or uses strain/counterstrain techniques,” Brennan says. “But any list like this leaves out some qualified professionals. The best thing to do is to find a qualified massage therapist and talk with him or her about what you want massage for, be it relaxation or pain relief. Then ask what is their experience in addressing that issue.”
Swedish:
Feel relaxed yet invigorated at the same time. Out gifted therapists use specialized massage techniques to provide customized pressure for tired, achy muscles, reducing tension and promoting relaxation. As the therapist works over your entire body, oxygen flows more freely throughout, encouraging the release of toxins and improving the condition of your skin.
Deep Tissue:
Recommended for those who regularly receive massage and enjoy deeper bodywork, this massage focuses on individual areas of concern rather than the whole body. Specific techniques work deep into the muscle layers with careful attention to points of attachment. As the muscles release from their constricted state, pain and tension melts away.
Hot Stone:
Your therapist will place smooth river stones along the energy centers of the body where the radiant heat coaxes uptight muscles into deep relaxation. Then using an artful combination of stones and hands, the therapist works deeper into the muscles, using the power of heat to encourage ultimate relaxation. This massage provides a source of relief for those with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and muscular sprains or strains.
Craniosacral:
This gentle, light-touch therapy concentrates on the craniosacral system that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. The body’s internal environment is improved to dissipate the negative effects of stress, and to enhance general health and resistance to disease.
Sports:
For pre or post activity, this type of massage is designed to prepare the muscles for exercise, or help them recover more quickly for the next round of activity. Sports massage uses vigorous strokes, stretching and friction.
Massage treatments aims to:
Develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function – Massage therapy has become a staple of many professional athletes’ training regimens. But not just athletes. Lifestyle factors, such as long work hours or physically taxing tasks, lead many members of the workforce to seek the assistance of a massage therapist. A seemingly minor injury can have a profound impact on a person’s ability to stay physically active, participate fully in life, or even make a living if it becomes chronic. Massage therapy can be one of the ways of preventing that kind of outcome.
Relieve or prevent physical dysfunction and pain – Some massage therapy techniques are specifically recommended for sore muscle tissues.
An overly sore muscle cannot function properly. By alleviating or preventing pain, dysfunction can be combated.
Relax tight and tense muscles – Many people don’t realize how much a tight muscle impacts on vital things such as posture. A tense muscle can throw off your body’s balance. Before long, muscles that were not initially tight begin to tense as they compensate for other parts of the body. It becomes a chain reaction that can spread far from the initial problem spot. A talented massage therapist can identify the source of the problem and start working to alleviate the problem where it started.
Improve circulation, recovery time and immune system function – The movements of massage cause blood to flush in and out of muscles and joints. This flushing process – enhancing circulation in the affected areas – can, in some cases, aid recovery time from injuries.
Reduce overall stress – We’re all becoming more aware of the role stress plays in health. People who are stressed, all other things being equal, are less healthy than people who are relaxed. Stress, for example, increases the risk of heart disease. Massage therapy is an effective and enjoyable way to reduce stress.
Massage therapy is also effective in the control of pain, chronic or acute, in stress reduction, and in creating a sense of relaxation and well-being. A licensed, skilled practitioner can become an important and integral part of your health care team.
Acupressure Massage
Several different kinds of acupressure are currently practiced, although the same ancient trigger points are used in all of them. Varying rhythms, pressures, and techniques create different styles of acupressure, just as different forms of music use the same notes but combine them in distinctive ways. Shiatsu, for instance, the most well-known style of acupressure, can be quite vigorous, with firm pressure applied to each point for only three to five seconds. Another kind of acupressure gently holds each point for a minute or more. Pressing with an intermittent, fast beat is stimulating; a slower pressure creates a deeply relaxing effect on the body.
We’ll use the following techniques in the exercises throughout the book.
Firm pressure is the most fundamental technique. Use thumbs, fingers, palms, the side of the hand, or knuckles to apply steady, stationary pressure. To relax an area or relieve pain, apply pressure gradually and hold without any movement for several minutes at a time. One minute of steady pressure (when applied gradually) calms and relaxes the nervous system, promoting greater healing. To stimulate the area, apply pressure for only four or five seconds.
Slow motion kneading uses the thumbs and fingers along with the heels of the hands to squeeze large muscle groups firmly The motion is similar to that of kneading a large mass of dough. Simply lean the weight of your upper body into the muscle as you press to make it soft and pliable. This relieves general stiffness, shoulder and neck tension, constipation, and spasms in the calf muscles.
Brisk rubbing uses friction to stimulate the blood and lymph. Rub the skin lightly to relieve chilling, swelling, and numbness by increasing circulation, as well as to benefit the nerves and tone of the skin.
Quick tapping with fingertips stimulates muscles on unprotected, tender areas of the body such as the face. For larger areas of the body, such as the back or buttocks, use a loose fist. This can improve the functioning of nerves and sluggish muscles in the area.