The scientific evidence base for Sports & Deep Tissue Massage

I would like to write a series of blog articles on the scientific evidence for massage.  I think it is important to start by stating the obvious that while massage can be studied, not many scientists are interested in studying it and not many massage therapists have scientific training.  This means that massage is woefully under researched.  In addition it is amazingly difficult to find 100 people with the same problem, who need exactly the same massage treatment, so large scale studies are very rare, which means a weakness of most studies is their size.

Finally, while, most scientists are interested in how massage works, we don’t have to know how something works to know if it works.  I know most of my clients are interested in scientific evidence but equally important is anecdotal evidence, their own opinion and experience of the treatment.

What it crystal clear from scientific data and widely agreed upon by massage therapist researchers is that massage

  1. Reduces anxiety
  2. Reduces depression
  3. Reduces stress
  4. Reduces high BP

Given that in the Labour Force Survey in 2013 – 2014 it stated the total number of cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety account for 39% of all work-related illnesses, this makes massage highly beneficial for anyone working in a high pressure corporate environment.

Related Blog Posts

http://vitalitytherapy.co.uk/blog/anxiety-reduction-massage

http://vitalitytherapy.co.uk/blog/hypertension-part-4-massage

References

Moyer CA. Affective massage therapy.  Int J Ther Massage Bodywork 2008; 1(2): 3-5

Shulman KR, Jones GE. The effectiveness of massage therapy intervention on reducing anxiety in the work place. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. 1996;32:160–173.

Cady SH, Jones GE. Massage therapy as a work place intervention for reduction of stress. Perceptual & Motor Skills. 1997;84:157–158.

Hernandez-Reif M, Field T. High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced by massage therapy.Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies. 1999;4:31–38.

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    2. Chou R, Huffman L. Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low back pain: a review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline. Ann Intern Med 2007; 147(7): 492-504.
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    5. Imamura M, Furlan A, Dryden T, Irvin E. Evidence-informed management of chronic low back pain with massage. Spine J 2008; 8(1): 121-33.
    6. Tsao J. Effectiveness of Massage Therapy for Chronic, Non-malignant Pain: A Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2007; 4(2): 165-79.
    7. van Tulder M, Furlan A, Gagnier J. Complementary and alternative therapies for lower back pain. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2005; 19(4): 639-54