Osteoarthritis is estimated to affect 1 in 10 Canadians. People with osteoarthritis will often complain of joint pain, stiffness and swelling in the joint.

There is no cure for osteoarthritis and the causes are not known. Some risk factors that have been identified include: heredity, excess weight, previous joint injury and complications from another type of arthritis.

Arthritis is typically treated using a multi-disciplinary approach that can include: pain medication, creams and gels, anti-inflammatory drugs, exercise, heat and cold, physical therapy and surgery.

Massage therapy has not always been an approach recommended for the treatment and management of arthritis. In fact, the Canadian Arthritis Society states on their website:

“Massage is widely used for pain relief, but its results are open to question. At best, massage may relieve muscle ache or tension by increasing blood flow, but benefit is relatively short-lived.”(Arthritis Society of Canada. Last Access: 2008-01-22)

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (Dec 2006) provides a starting point to question the legitimacy of this statement. In a randomized controlled trial that included a test group and a control group, researchers examined the benefits derived from regular massage therapy for persons with osteoarthritis in the knee.

The authors found that the group that received massage therapy reported:

• significant improvement in pain
• significant improvement in stiffness
• significant improvement in physical function
• significant improvement in range of motion
• significant improvement in time to walk 50ft

The study also found that the benefits were still evident 8 weeks after the massage therapy sessions ended.

The authors of this study admit that the study is not perfect and that there are limitations to it and this is true of all studies. Nonetheless, it provides a starting point to re-examine the benefits of massage therapy for osteoarthritis in the knee and other joints.


Full Text of Paper
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/166/22/2533

Source:
Massage Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Adam I. Perlman, MD, MPH; Alyse Sabina, MD; Anna-Leila Williams, PA-C, MPH; Valentine Yanchou Njike, MD; David L. Katz, MD, MPH
Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:2533-2538.