In a recent study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, it was concluded that massage therapy helped to provide pain relief and improve daily function to adults who suffered from moderate to severe low back pain for three months or longer. The participants in this study were separated into three groups; one group received a full body Swedish-style relaxation massage on a weekly basis for ten weeks; a second group received a medical-massage type of treatment targeting specific muscles of the low back and hips on a weekly basis for ten weeks and the third group (the control group) continued their usual manner of care including taking pain medication and working with chiropractors and physical therapists.

Most of the study participants in each of the massage groups, reported small increases in daily function and pain relief. What is significant about this study is that 36% and 39% of the massage groups reported their pain as nearly or completely gone, compared to 4% of the usual care group.

Daniel Cherkin, PhD and Senior Scientific Investigator for the Center for Health Studies in Seattle stated “It’s not really harmful, and it does help a significant chunk of people who have not benefited from other treatments,”

If you are one of the millions suffering from this notoriously difficult to treat condition, massage therapy sessions may prove to be a reliable, non-invasive and conservative method of treatment for you too.