J Clin Rheumatol. 2002 Apr;8(2):72-76.

Fibromyalgia Pain and Substance P Decrease and Sleep Improves After Massage Therapy.

Field T, Diego M, Cullen C, Hernandez-Reif M, Sunshine W, Douglas S. Touch Research Institutes (TF, MD, CC, MH-R, WS), University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida; Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (SD), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Massage therapy has been observed to be helpful in some patients with fibromyalgia. This study was designed to examine the effects of massage therapy versus relaxation therapy on sleep, substance P, and pain in fibromyalgia patients. Twenty-four adult fibromyalgia patients were assigned randomly to a massage therapy or relaxation therapy group. They received 30-minute treatments twice weekly for 5 weeks. Both groups showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions. However, across the course of the study, only the massage therapy group reported an increase in the number of sleep hours and a decrease in their sleep movements. In addition, substance P levels decreased, and the patients' physicians assigned lower disease and pain ratings and rated fewer tender points in the massage therapy group.

PMID: 17041326 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Full Article Available Online

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Show/hide comment form

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment