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Benefits of massage for Fibromyalgia Patients
After receiving massage twice weekly for five weeks, fibromyalgia patients experienced improved mood and sleep, and their levels of substance P, a neurotransmitter in the pain fiber system, decreased along with tender spots throughout their bodies, according to recent research. The study was conducted at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami.
Fibromyalgia is defined as widespread chronic musculoskeletal pain of unknown cause and multiple tender points. Levels of substance P are significantly higher in people with fibromyalgia. Twenty four adults with this condition were randomly assigned to either a massage therapy or relaxation group. Subjects in the massage group received 30 minute massages twice a week for five weeks. The sessions combined several types of bodywork, such as Swedish Relaxation Massage and shiatsu.
Participants in the relaxation therapy group met half an hour twice weekly for five weeks and were given instructions on progressive muscle relaxation while lying quietly on the massage table.
The State Trait Anxiety inventory was used before and after the sessions on the first and last days of the study to measure how subjects felt at that time. Both the massage and the relaxation group showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the sessions.
More long-term effects were also evaluated. The results revealed that, over the course of the study, the massage group, as compared with the relaxation group, experienced decreased depression; improved sleep; decreased pain, fatigue and stiffness; improved physician assessments; decreased tender points; and a reduced level of substance P. According to the studies authors (Tiffany Field,Ph.D. and Maria Hernandez-Reif,Ph.D), these findings "highlight the clinical significance of using massage therapy as a complementary treatment for fibromyalgia.
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