The mental health benefits of massage therapy
Professor Sandra Grace | Faculty of Health , Southern Cross University
Introduction
Massage therapy has a long history , dating back to ancient cultures . According to Salvo , 1 massage is intuitive and instinctive , with its roots in grooming behaviour of primates and early man . It is a natural response to rub our aches and pains . We react emotionally to pain ( e . g ., we can feel anxious , frightened , angry , frustrated , depressed ). In fact our emotions shape our experience of pain and drive our behaviour . 2 Massage therapy is also reportedly deeply relaxing and pleasurable . 3
Today , massage therapy is one of the most popular of all natural therapies . 4 It is used for relaxation , for pain relief , and to boost general wellness . 5 However , despite its popularity , there is not commensurate scientific evidence to support its many claims of health benefits .
Evidence for Massage Therapy
A number of studies have reported health benefits for massage therapy . For example , in 2016 , Field 6 found studies reporting beneficial effects for a variety of conditions , including skin conditions , pain syndromes ( e . g . arthritis and fibromyalgia ), hypertension , autoimmune conditions ( e . g . asthma , multiple sclerosis ), immune conditions ( e . g . HIV ), breast cancer and age-related conditions like Parkinson ’ s and dementia . However , most massage therapy research has relied on self-report measures , with few studies focusing on physiological and biochemical responses 6 and more work needs to be done in this area . Proposed mechanisms of effect include stimulation of pressure receptors , enhanced vagal activity and reduced cortisol levels . 6
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are regarded as the highest form of evidence . They attempt to bring together all relevant studies on a particular topic and research question . They assess the risk of bias and critically appraise the quality of the included studies . In addition to Field ’ s 6 systematic review described above , a number of other notable systematic reviews on the health benefits of massage therapy have been conducted . Some examples are listed below :
• In 2013 Kumar et al . 7 conducted a systematic review on the effectiveness of massage therapy for the treatment of non-specific low back pain . Low back pain is a common reason for people to seek medical care . 8 , 9 It has widespread physical , social and psychological impacts on those who experience it . Non-specific low back pain is back pain with no attributable pathological cause . It is estimated that 90 % of low back pain is non-specific . 10 One of the most frequently sought therapies for low back pain is massage . 8 For this systematic review , the authors reviewed nine systematic reviews and found that massage therapy may be an effective treatment option in the short term when compared to placebo and some active treatment options ( such as relaxation ). There were conflicting findings for the effectiveness of massage therapy for the treatment of non-specific low back pain compared to other manual therapies like mobilisation , standard medical care , and acupuncture . There were no reported side effects or adverse events from massage therapy . The authors concluded that massage therapy may be considered a viable treatment option for non-specific low back pain , provided that costs were taken into consideration . The authors also commented on the methodological flaws in the studies on which the systematic review was based .
• In another example , Bervoets et al . 11 reviewed 26 randomised controlled trials and concluded that massage therapy had short-term benefits for people with a range of common musculoskeletal conditions ( e . g ., fibromyalgia , low back pain , osteoarthritis , shoulder pain , carpal tunnel syndrome ) compared to having no treatment . However , when massage was compared to other active treatments ( e . g ., exercise , relaxation therapy ), no clear benefit was evident .
• A review to assess the current evidence of Chinese massage therapy ( Tui Na ) for cervical radiculopathy involved searching seven databases to locate randomised controlled trials using Tui Na , either alone or in combination with conventional treatment . Five
196 | vol29 | no4 | JATMS