According to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, massage therapy may be effective in treating chronic, low-back pain with benefits lasting about six months.
According to the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Americans spent at least $50 billion each year on low-back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability. In the United States, low-back pain is the second most common neurological ailment trailing behind headache. Neurological ailments are those that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves throughout the body.
Back pain may range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain. It may be immediate and acute or long-term and chronic. The National Institute of Neurologic Disorder and Stroke defines chronic back pain as pain that lasts for more than three months. While acute back pain tends to improve on its own without treatment, chronic back pain may require medication, physical therapy, or surgery.
In the recent study, 401 patients with chronic, low-back pain were randomized to receive usual care, structural massage or relaxation massage. Disability and bothersome symptoms were scored and assessed after 10, 26 and 52 weeks of the intervention.
After 10 weeks, each group that received massage therapy had statistically significant reductions in both disability and bothersome-symptom scores compared to the group that received usual care. Relaxation massage was associated with small but lasting reduction in disability after 52 weeks.
Although participants were not blinded to which group they were assigned, this study shows that different types of massage may improve function and reduce symptoms of chronic, low-back pain. As few studies have evaluated the effectiveness for massage for back pain, further research is necessary.
In an evidence-based clinical review, Natural Standard found that massage had unclear or conflicting scientific evidence for treating back pain, chronic pain, headache and other musculoskeletal conditions. However, Natural Standard has found various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies with good scientific evidence for their effectiveness in treating low back pain. These CAM therapies include cayenne, chiropractic care, devil's claw, hydrotherapy and willow bark.
For more information about back pain, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.
