Massage for arthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition affecting joint tissues and structures. It becomes more common as people age and wear and tear accumulate on the surfaces of the articular cartilage. In recent years, osteoarthritis has become a serious health issue that limits an individual’s ability to move freely and perform activities of daily living. In fact, osteoarthritis is the most frequently reported chronic condition among those older than 65.1 One study has estimated that 50 million Americans will have developed osteoarthritis by the year 2020,2 and that the total cost of osteoarthritis may be as high as $60 billion annually. Massage is one of the most popular complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies used by arthritis sufferers, with one survey reporting that 57 percent of respondents had used massage during the previous year.4 Yet, few studies have examined its efficacy. The majority of these have investigated massage as one component of a more complex intervention rather than as a stand-alone therapy. For example, one Australian study found no difference between massage as part of a physiotherapy program and a placebo treatment that used a sham ultrasound and gentle application of a nontherapeutic gel.5 After 12 weeks of treatment followed by 12 weeks of self-management, no significant differences in pain and disability were seen between the two randomly assigned groups. Other review articles have concluded that although massage “shows promise”6,7 there’s not enough evidence to recommend its use for osteoarthritis because of the methodological limitations of the studies.