We all know how good a massage can be, don’t we? Whether it’s provided casually by a friend or formally by a practitioner, the benefits of a massage are clear. Decades of scientific trials back that notion up – don’t they?
Well, I don’t want to be the one to shatter your illusions, but maybe not. Let’s not panic here.
There have been many studies done over many decades which suggest massage is an effective treatment for pain. And a good proportion of these have been peer reviewed and involved the recommended randomised control trials.
So why the doubt, then? Well, a new research paper on the matter has been published. And this paper looks specifically at many previous studies of the benefits of massage. Their conclusion? After systematically reviewing more than 100 past studies, the authors of the new study concluded this: “Across these reviews, no conclusions were rated as high certainty of evidence.”
Have we had the wool pulled over our eyes for decades with those previous studies? Are the authors of all those studies guilty of, shall we say, massaging the numbers?
Massage therapy – what the new review actually reveals
The authors of the review set out to answer the following question: ‘What is the certainty or quality of evidence in recent systematic reviews for use of massage therapy for painful adult health conditions?’
In simple terms, they are asking just how robust the studies were, and how strong were they in their conclusions.
One important thing to note here is the inclusion of the phrase ‘painful adult conditions’. In other words, the focus of the papers being reviewed was not your standard ‘over the counter’ massage. Rather, these studies were attempting to assess the benefits of massage for clinically diagnosed painful adult health conditions.
The new paper identified 129 relevant systematic reviews. Of those, 41 assessed the certainty or quality of evidence of their conclusions. For various reasons (explained in the study) a further 24 reviews were excluded from the review process, leaving 17.
Analysing those 17, and mapping 13 health conditions, seven conclusions rated as ‘moderate-certainty evidence’, where massage therapy was linked with improvements in pain. But most reviews concluded the certainty of evidence was ‘low or very low’. The 13 conditions were varied, and included cancer-related pain, various categories of back pain, chronic neck pain and labour pain.
All of the studies reviewed incorporated a comparison of massage therapy with ‘sham’ or placebo massage. The authors’ relatively straightforward conclusion was: “The effectiveness of massage therapy … was still small relative to the need.”
Let’s not throw out the baby with the bath water
Context and clarification are important here, regarding two key issues. Firstly, the new review is by no means debunking massage therapy as a pain treatment.
What it is saying is that the evidence supporting its therapeutic effectiveness is limited. In other words, there is some evidence to suggest massage therapy is effective in treating pain, but no guarantee.
Secondly, for those of us that derive great benefit from a general massage – one that doesn’t target specific pain – there is absolutely no need to stop having such massages. And there is certainly no need to doubt your own perceptions of the good a massage does for you.
Should a GP recommend massage therapy for a painful condition you might have, there’s no reason to ignore it. That massage is certainly unlikely to have any adverse effects, and it could well do you the world of good.
Have you had massage therapy for a specific condition? Did you find it beneficial? Let us know via the comments section below.
Also read: Music therapy bringing dementia patients ‘back to life’
Health disclaimer: This article contains general information about health issues and is not advice. For health advice, consult your medical practitioner.
