Sunday, November 27, 2011

Massage Beats Meds for Low Back Pain

A study by Seattle researchers of 401 patients with chronic low back pain showed that those receiving a series of either Swedish massage (which aims to promote full-body relaxation) or structural massage (which manipulates specific pain-related back muscles and ligaments) were better able to work and be active for up to a year than those getting “usual medical care,” which included painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, etc.

Both types of massage proved highly beneficial.  This means those who don’t like deep pressure can ease their back pain even with a gentler relaxation massage.

At 10 weeks, more than one-third of those who received either type of massage said their back pain was much better or gone, compared to only one in 25 patients who received usual care, the study said. Those in the massage groups were also twice as likely in that period to have spent fewer days in bed, used less anti-inflammatory medication and engaged in more activity than the standard care group.

Book your pain-relief massage today with Take 5 Bodywork by clicking here.



Read the full article by USA Today, 7/6/2011.

The study, funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is published in the July 5 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.


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