What are the benefits of massage therapy? to treat?

Massage therapy can aid in managing a health issue or improve wellness. Massage therapy involves manipulating soft tissue of your body. Massage is practiced by many civilizations and both Eastern as well as Western throughout the human race and was among the first tools was used by people to alleviate pain.

What are the various types of massage?

“Massage therapy” or “massage therapy” encompasses a variety of methods. The most well-known method of massaging in Western nations is known as Swedish (or classical) massage. it is the foundation of the majority of massage-related training programs. Other types include massage for sports, clinical massage for specific goals like releasing muscle spasms, as well as massage techniques that originate from Eastern traditions, like Shiatsu or Tuina.

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Do massages help pain?

It has also been investigated for a variety of types of pain such as low back pain, shoulder and neck pain, osteoarthritis of the knee and headaches. This is what the research says:

Low-Back Pain

A variety of studies on massage therapy for back pain in the lower back have yielded just a few hints that massage can be beneficial.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in its 2016 review of non-pharmacological therapies for back pain, looked at 20 studies that evaluated massage with standard treatments or other methods and concluded some evidence to suggest that massage could be beneficial for chronic back pain, however the amount of evidence was not strong. The agency also reviewed six studies that examined different types of massage . However, they concluded there was not sufficient to determine whether certain types are more effective than other types.
A review from 2015 of 25 studies that included more than 3,096 participants revealed that both in chronic and acute low-back pain, there was a short-term improvement in pain after massage therapy. However, since the study’s quality were not high, the researchers who completed the review concluded that they were of “very low conviction” that massage therapy was an effective treatment for lower back pain.
Clinical guidelines for practice (guidance for health care professionals) published from the American College of Physicians in 2017 recommended massage therapy as a treatment option to treat acute or subacute low-back pain , but did not mention massage therapy in the list of options to treat chronic low-back pain.

Shoulder and neck pain

Massage therapy could be helpful in the treatment of shoulder or neck discomfort, but it is possible that the benefits will be limited to a brief period of time.

A review from 2013 consisting of twelve study (757 all participants) discovered that massage therapy could be more beneficial for shoulder and neck discomfort than non-active therapies, however it was not as efficient than other active treatments. For shoulder discomfort, massage therapy provided some short-term benefits, but only for a short time.
A review in 2016 of four studies carried out within the United States (519 participants) found that massage can help in the short-term treatment of neck pain, if massage sessions were prolonged and regular enough.

Osteoarthritis from the Knee

The limited amount of research conducted on massage therapy for arthritis of knees suggests it could have some short-term benefits in alleviating knee pain.

In six studies that examined massage therapy for osteoarthritis in the knee (408 total participants) Five of them found that it was effective in providing short-term relief from pain. Two of the studies that demonstrated relief from pain (149 participants) included the application the essential oils (aromatherapy massage).

Headaches

A small amount of studies on massage therapy for headaches have been carried out. These studies focused on different types of massages and different types of headache and the results were not uniform.

A 2016 study involving 64 participants compared two types of massaging (lymphatic drainage, and conventional massage) every week, for eight weeks, in migraine sufferers. In both cases, the frequency of migraines dropped within both categories, as compared those who were on waiting lists.
In a study conducted in 2015 of 56 patients suffering from tension headaches were selected to receive massages at myofascial triggers or unactive treatments (detuned ultrasound) every week for six weeks, or to be placed on waiting lists. Patients who were treated with either massage or an inactive treatment experienced a decrease in headache frequency however the results showed no differences in both groups.
A study conducted in 2011 assessed the effects on hand massage when added to the treatment of migraine with multimodal behaviors in 83 patients. Massage did not have any influence on migraine frequency.

Can massage help cancer patients?

If you take the appropriate security measures, massage therapy could be an integral part of supportive care for cancer patients who’d wish to try it, However, evidence suggesting that it may ease anxiety and pain isn’t convincing.

Massage therapy, whether and with or without aromatic therapy (the usage of essential oils) is used to alleviate anxiety, pain, and other symptoms for people who suffer from cancer. An evaluation in 2016 of more than 19 clinical trials (more than 1,200 patients) of massage therapy for cancer patients showed some evidence suggesting that massage could assist with anxiety and pain however the quality of evidence was very weak (because the majority of studies were insignificant and some might be biased) and the results weren’t consistent.
Clinical guidelines for practice (guidance for health care professionals) for the treatment of breast cancer patients recommend the use of massage therapy as one among the strategies that could be helpful to reduce stress and depression, anxiety fatigue, stress, and overall living quality. Guidelines for clinical practice in the treatment of people with lung cancer suggest that therapy can be incorporated into support for patients who experience pain or anxiety that is not controlled with regular care.
Massage therapists could have to alter their methods when working with cancer patients. for instance, they might require less pressure than normal on areas that are prone to irritation because of cancer or treatments.

Massage can be beneficial for Fibromyalgia-related symptoms?

Massage therapy could be beneficial in the treatment of fibromyalgia-related symptoms when it’s done for sufficient time.

A 2014 study that evaluated nine study (404 people in total) found that the practice of massaging, when continued for at minimum 5 weeks, reduced anxiety, pain and depression among people suffering from fibromyalgia. However, it did not influence sleep problems.
A 2015 review from 10 research studies (478 participants) examined the effects of various types of massage therapy . The study found that the majority of styles of massage have positive effects on the quality of life of patients with the condition known as fibromyalgia. Swedish massage could be an exception. Two studies on this kind in therapy (56 people) didn’t show any benefits.

Does massage aid in the growth of babies?

There is evidence that infants who have been massaged might experience increased weight gain. Massage benefits are not evident for full-term babies of normal age have been proven.

A 2017 review of research reviewed the findings of 34 studies of massage treatment to premature babies. 20 of these studies (1,250 newborns) examined the effects that massage therapy has on the weight loss with the majority of studies showing improvement. The mechanism through which massage therapy could boost weight gain isn’t yet known. Certain studies have suggested that there are other benefits of massage, but since the evidence available is minimal, no conclusions can be drawn about the benefits other than weight gain.
A 2013 study of 34 studies on healthy full-term infants did not find conclusive evidence of the positive effects of massage on the low-risk infants.

What are the potential risks associated with massage therapy?

The chance of adverse consequences from massage therapy appears to be very low. However there are a few reports of serious adverse effects, such as blood bleeding, nerve injury or fractures in bones. Certain of the reported cases have involved intense types of massage, like deep tissue massage or those who are at a higher risk of injuries, like older people.