Can Massage Therapy Help with Arthritis Pain?
Arthritis, a common joint disorder, affects approximately 53.2 million adults in the US – and that statistic only accounts for the diagnosed cases.
Living with this joint condition means living with constant discomfort, stiffness, and even poor sleep quality. Though pain medications and physical therapy are common forms of treatment, many of those impacted are seeking out massage therapy as a holistic, supplemental way to address their symptoms. With arthritis being the leading cause of activity limitation and disability, its prevalence contributes to the overprescribing of addictive opioid medications – a crisis which has encouraged many those with chronic pain conditions to turn to natural means of healing.
Massage, once perceived as more of an indulgence than a medical treatment, can actually play a crucial role in relieving arthritis pain. How does our four-step protocol at Moyer Total Wellness achieve this goal?
How the Moyer Total Wellness 4-Step Protocol Can Relieve Arthritis Pain
Releases Knotted Muscles
The first step of our approach is to remove knots from muscular tissue. Arthritis alone doesn’t cause muscular knots, but it contributes to their manifestation in multiple ways. Muscles surrounding the areas affected by arthritis overcompensate when people alter their body mechanics in an attempt to avoid pain.
Therapeutic touch relaxes tense muscles around arthritic joints. When muscular knots are released, the second step of our approach can be carried out: lengthening shortened muscle fibers. This next step, which makes the muscles more pliable, encourages the body to better its body mechanics with less discomfort.
Promotes Joint and Muscle Strength
As stated above, knot removal and muscle fiber lengthening can lead to improved body mechanics and reduced pain with movement. This brings us to the third step of our protocol: strengthening weak muscles. Arthritis is linked to lack of physical activity, which weakens the associated joints and muscles.
Stronger joints and muscles are more effective shock absorbers and distribute pressure evenly across the body. When the strength is maintained, arthritis pain is combated by improved stability and functioning.
Encourages Joint Flexibility
Over time, arthritis can significantly decrease joint range of motion. The fourth step of our treatment protocol is to mobilize stiff joints.
Muscle knots tend to pull unevenly on joints, which disrupts alignment and limits how far a joint can take itself through range of motion. Massage helps loosen tight muscles as well as fascia, which is the connective tissue surrounding muscles, and this supports more comfortable and fluid movement.
Calms the Nervous System
We’ve touched base on how the four-step protocol contributes to reducing arthritis-related pain, but there are other benefits massage offers that also help with pain management.
Therapeutic massage stimulates the release of “happy hormones” such as endorphins – the body’s natural pain killers – and serotonin, which lowers the perception of pain through stress relief. Additionally, it also lowers levels of cortisol, which is the body’s main stress hormone and exacerbates inflammation.
Something to Keep in Mind
Before you book a massage with us, consult your doctor about which modality will be most helpful for you. If you’re experiencing a flare-up or have joint damage, you’ll want to be sure that receiving any type of bodywork is safe.
Now You Know!
Massage therapy, while not a cure for arthritis, can absolutely be a valuable way to manage pain. Remove the knots, lengthen the locked-short muscles, strengthen the weak ones, and mobilize the joints!
Katrina Jenkins
Author, Licensed Massage Therapist
Katrina Jenkins graduated from Towson University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science and worked as a nurse’s aide briefly before pursuing her true passion. She graduated from the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado in April 2016 with honors and completed the Touch of Healers Scholarship Program the following summer. She has been a part of the Moyer Total Wellness Team since the summer of 2017.
Resources
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Fallon, E.A. (2023). Prevalence of Diagnosed Arthritis — United States, 2019–2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, [online] 72(41). doi:https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7241a1.
Morgan, K.K. (2023). What Is Lymph Drainage Massage? [online] WebMD. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-lymph-drainage-massage.
Sahraei, F., Rahemi, Z., Sadat, Z., Zamani, B., Ajorpaz, N.M., Afshar, M. and Mianehsaz, E. (2022). The effect of Swedish massage on pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A randomized controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 46(10.1016/j.ctcp.2021.101524), p.101524. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2021.101524.
Yeun, Y.-R. (2017). Effectiveness of massage therapy on the range of motion of the shoulder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, [online] 29(2), pp.365–369. doi:https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.29.365.
Photo Credit
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