So how does massage relieve pain? The most obvious way is that it can increase blood flow to damaged muscles and joints whilst simultaneously warming the area too. Studies have also shown that massage can trigger the release of natural analgesics in the brain as well as causing the release of a hormone which causes muscle relaxation. In addition to both of these, massage can improve mood and sleep, thereby improve patients’ quality of life.
There are, of course, some people who will report no benefit to their pain from massage therapy. Why is this? Some research suggests that this may be related to the ‘dosage’ of massage – i.e. how often the treatment is received and for how long each time. It has been shown that longer and more frequent massages are more effective for relieving neck pain for example. So if you do find that you are not seeing a reasonable positive effect from your therapy, it is worth considering playing around with either how often you are having a massage and/or how long the treatment is each time. A qualified massage therapist should be able to advise you on the best course of treatment depending on your ailment.
When you consider other methods of pain relief such as oral medications, opioid patches, injections and nerve blocks, it seems almost silly not to try massage as an option. Not only is it cheaper, but comes with far fewer side effects and the techniques can be specifically tailored to each patient. There are millions of patients who suffer with chronic pain, the most common being lower back pain, and now medical professionals are acknowledging the place massage therapy has in the treatment of such conditions. Not only at they acknowledging it, but they are providing these services in many hospitals across the country because of research which has proven the efficacy of massage therapy and it’s role in pain management. For some patients, massage will be used alongside the more conventional treatments like oral analgesia, but for some it will be used independently.