When pain and stiffness in the joints are a daily rhythm of your life, massage can be an effective, soothing, and light intervention that can be added to your self-care arsenal. This guide details How Regular Massage Can Help Relieve Arthritis Symptoms, what the research states, why the relief is so simple, and the tips to make the massage work effectively, safely, and sustainably
Why Massage Helps: The Short-term Benefits
Massage can also help alleviate pain and stiffness in the short run, enhance muscle circulation in the area of the injured joint, and help a patient feel relaxed; all of which can improve movement by the end of a massage. It has been clinically observed that massage is able to produce short-term pain, stiffness, and functional improvements in individuals with knee and other joint osteoarthritis, but not necessarily long-lasting.
What Actually Happens in the Body
Light-moderate massage promotes blood circulation in the body, reducing muscle tension that strains the joints and activating brain pathways that will reduce the experience of pain. A combination of these effects can alleviate day-to-day stiffness, which normally restricts the activity of individuals with arthritis. Massage will also contribute to stress reduction, as it is important since stress and sleep disturbances enhance pain.
Check out our collection of Kitchen Aids here!
How to Use Massage Effectively
-
Frequency:
Brief and frequent sessions are usually useful compared to a single treatment. It is helpful to many to continue the therapy with weekly or biweekly sessions, and then change depending on the response of their symptoms. -
Types:
The common options of arthritis-friendly treatment are gentle massage of the neck, spine, or hands/feet, focused soft-tissue work, and therapist-guided self-massage of the hands or feet. -
Use with other care:
Massage is most effective when used together with exercise, pacing, and other medical procedures prescribed by your clinician. Movement is eased by the use of massage and then stretched/strengthened as per prescription.
Check out our collection of Bathing Aids here!
Safety and Practical Tips
-
Instruct your massage therapist about the joints that are painful and about the type of arthritis you have; this alters the safest techniques.
-
Do not massage sore, stiff joints that are swollen.
-
Always consult your healthcare team whenever using it when on blood thinners or have other medical issues.
-
Easy instruments, warm clothes, massage, or cold packs can be helpful with ease.
The Bottom Line
How Regular Massage Can Help Relieve Arthritis Symptoms? It may be an effective, yet low-risk, component of managing the symptoms of arthritis:
-
it can relieve pain
-
decrease stiffness
-
enable you to move more comfortably
To learn more, practice light self-massage and similar self-care, refer to Arthritis Aid and discuss with your medical staff about how to incorporate massage into your regimen!