What are the benefits of massage therapy?

Massage is one of the oldest therapies in the world, dating back some 5,000 years. There is evidence that every culture throughout the world has used massage in some form or another, and every language, ancient or modern, has a word for massage.

While the last decade has witnessed an awakening in massage therapy research, there is still much to be done. One barrier to further gains in public and medical community acceptance is the relatively modest base of research on the efficacy of massage therapy. Intuitively, many users find massage helpful, but some nonusers continue to wait for proof of scientific effectiveness.

Benefits of Massage

• A 1986 Touch Research Institute study at the University of Miami showed pre-term babies who received massage therapy had 47 percent greater weight gain and six-day-shorter hospital stays than infants not receiving massage.
• Oncology patients show less pain, fatigue, nausea, anxiety and depression following massage therapy, according to a study by Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 2004, and a report in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2002.
• Massage therapy reduced chronic back pain in relation to other complementary techniques, according to a 2000 report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
• The American Journal of Public Health reported in 2002 that massage therapy reduced the frequency of headaches.
• Research has shown massage reduces the symptoms of repetitve strain injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2004.

Massage can relieve tension in your muscles, and most people use it for relaxation, relief of stress and anxiety, or to reduce muscle soreness. Massage can also cause your body to release natural painkillers called endorphins, and it boosts your immune system.

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