Fibromyalgia Pain Decreases After Massage Therapy
Posted in Therapeutic Massage on 01/31/2012 07:40 pm by AMMA
The April 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Rheumatology (Volume 8 – Issue 2 – pp 72-76) reports that massage therapy has been observed to be helpful in some patients with fibromyalgia.
This study was designed by Dr. Tiffany Field and others to examine the effects of massage therapy versus relaxation therapy on sleep, substance P, and pain in fibromyalgia patients. Twenty-four adult fibromyalgia patients were assigned randomly to a massage therapy or relaxation therapy group. They received 30-minute treatments twice weekly for 5 weeks. Both groups showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions. However, across the course of the study, only the massage therapy group reported an increase in the number of sleep hours and a decrease in their sleep movements. In addition, substance P levels decreased, and the patients’ physicians assigned lower disease and pain ratings and rated fewer tender points in the massage therapy group.
François Minani has a passion for working with people dealing with fibromyalgia pain. He can be reached at 423-863-0390.
Tags: fibromyalgia, Francois Minani, massage, pain, sleep