Massage and Osteoarthritis
The story of massage therapy and osteoarthritis in pictures. Text descriptions are provided below.
These images were originally shared via AMT’s Instagram account.
Text description
- 1 in 11 Australians have osteoarthritis.
- Over half these people report moderate to severe pain.
- 1 in 6 Australians with osteoarthritis reported high or very high psychological distress.
- Massage therapy may have short-term pain-relieving benefits for people with arthritis-related pain.
- Massage may also help to temporarily improve the mobility of joints and muscles affected by arthritis.
- There is evidence across a range of studies for the effectiveness of massage therapy in relieving pain and stiffness and improving physical function, including activities of daily living.
- A systematic review involving 7 trials and 352 participants found low to moderate quality evidence that massage therapy is superior to non-active therapies in reducing pain and improving functional outcomes for arthritis.
- There is also evidence from randomised controlled trials that massage therapy massage improves pain, stiffness, and physical function of knee osteoarthritis.
References
Nelson NL, Churilla JR. Massage Therapy for Pain and Function in Patients With Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2017 Sep;96(9):665-672
Perlman A, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Massage for Osteoarthritis of the Knee: a Randomized Clinical Trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2019 Mar;34(3):379-386
Perlman A, et al. Massage therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. 2006 Dec 11-25;166(22):2533-8
