TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Massage Therapy Also Aids Pain Relief

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 22, 2008

In the past, relaxation was cited as the leading motivator for getting a massage, but increasingly Americans are looking to massage therapy for medical reasons and pain relief.

One in four adults in this country say they have experienced a daylong bout of pain in the past month, and one in 10 say the pain lasted a year or more, says a 2006 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Joint pain, aching or stiffness, low-back pain, migraine and/or severe headache were the most common complaints, and the knee joint caused the most pain.

Luckily, massage therapy has been shown to give considerable relief from many types of pain and is well-known for relieving stress and promoting relaxation. The American Massage Therapy Association recommends massage therapy as a way for athletes to find relief from discomfort associated with the physical stress of their training regimens and sports events.

Other benefits include improved focus on the specific muscle groups used in each sports activity, reducing injury risk, improving range of motion and muscle flexibility, and shortening recovery time between workouts.

Research continues to support the use of massage therapy for lower back and shoulder pain and has measured changes in levels of endorphins and serotonin after sports massage, which may reduce pain and contribute to reduced levels of delayed onset muscle soreness. Massage therapy has also been shown to reduce the need for painkillers by 36 percent when compared with other therapies, including acupuncture.

Although not appropriate for everyone, massage is an accepted part of most physical rehabilitation programs and has been shown to benefit conditions such as arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and bursitis.

Dayton (Ohio) Daily News

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT