Massage therapy plus topical analgesic is more effective than massage alone for hand arthritis pain.
Author: Field T1, Diego M2, Solien-Wolfe L3.
Affiliation:
1Touch Research Institute, University of Miami Medical School, PO Box 016820, Miami, FL 33101, USA; Fielding Graduate University, USA. Electronic address: tfield@med.miami.edu. 2Touch Research Institute, University of Miami Medical School, PO Box 016820, Miami, FL 33101, USA; Fielding Graduate University, USA. 3Touch Research Institute, University of Miami Medical School, PO Box 016820, Miami, FL 33101, USA.
Conference/Journal: J Bodyw Mov Ther.
Date published: 2014 Jul
Other:
Volume ID: 18 , Issue ID: 3 , Pages: 322-5 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2013.12.002 , Word Count: 199
METHODS:
20 adults were randomly assigned to a massage therapy or a massage therapy plus a topical analgesic application group. Both groups received a weekly massage from a therapist and were taught self-massage (same procedure) to be done by each participant once daily over a four-week period.
RESULTS:
The massage plus topical analgesic group as compared to the massage group had greater improvement in hand function as measured by a digital hand exerciser following the first session and across the four-week period. That group also had a greater increase in perceived grip strength and a greater decrease in hand pain, depressed mood and sleep disturbances over the four-week period. Massage therapy has been effective for several pain syndromes including migraine headaches (Lawle and Cameron, 2006)), lower back pain (Hsieh et al., 2004), fibromyalgia (Kalichman, 2010), neck and shoulder pain (Kong et al., 2013), carpal tunnel syndrome (Elliott and Burkett, 2013), and pain related to upper limb arthritis (Field et al., 2013). The purpose of the current study was to determine whether applying a topical analgesic following massage might be more effective than massage alone in treating pain associated with hand arthritis.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS:
Hand arthritis pain; Massage therapy; Topical analgesic
PMID: 25042302
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