Massaging a sore area is an instinct, a reflex for humans. If we bump an arm or leg, without thinking most of us instantly rub the area.
How does it help?
Scientists say this rubbing helps because we have a type of “gate” for pain… only so many signals can pass into the brain at a time. They call this the “gate control theory”. It’s the principle behind massage and heat/cold therapy. Introducing another sensation, like temperature or pressure, can mean that fewer pain signals reach the brain. Pressure, heat and cold signals travel faster than pain ones so these sensations can dominate, at least for a while, to lessen the number of pain signals that reach the brain.
Another theory of how massage might work for pain, involves the Vagus nerve that communicates between the brain, the spine and organs. It partly controls the calming “parasympathetic” part of the nervous system that counters the “fight or flight” system. They speculate that turning on the calming part of the nervous system through massage, also helps to relieve pain and stress.
And here's the science...
A 2017 study found that 10 massage sessions spread over 12 weeks resulted in clinically significant reductions in pain scores in people with chronic low back pain. This suggests that the pain blocking effect of a full massage session can last for several days.
Another study, done in 2010, found that a single 45-minute massage significantly reduced a hormone that raises blood pressure and boosted the immune system. Other research funded by the US National Institutes of Health showed massage not only reduced back and leg pain, but also decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Another author suggested that, in addition to the effects of pressure on the skin, just the contact with another human being can be comforting to people, especially those who live alone. Other alternative therapies, like therapeutic touch (where the therapist doesn’t actually touch the patient but passes the hands close over the body) and Reiki (where the hands are laid on parts of the body but do not massage) also show benefits. One could speculate that these work by the closeness and attention triggering the “placebo effect”.
The placebo effect, often triggered by taking a sugar pill with no active ingredients, is not well understood but it’s so significant that scientific studies are not considered valid unless the drug being tested is compared with a placebo, with neither the doctor or patient knowing who received the active pill. Our bodies can make pain-relieving substances similar to narcotics and people can be taught to lower heart rate and blood pressure by their thoughts (called “bio-feedback”) so it’s believed that the placebo effect must trigger the body to produce some action similar to what drugs do.
In medicine, using the placebo effect as a treatment or, essentially, triggering the body to heal itself is sometimes thought of as unethical… that the therapist is tricking the patient or cheating them. But it makes so much sense to use the body’s own defenses as much as possible, when it’s safe to do so. I’m looking forward to the day when milder ailments can be treated by simply turning on our own immune system the same way a placebo does!
But check with your doctor...
So, while you should always check with your doctor when you have a new injury or an unexplained pain, talk to him or her about whether you might benefit from an alternative therapy like massage when it’s appropriate. Its actions, that include pressure, touch and that wonderful placebo effect that turns on your own healing abilities, could add together to reduce your need for medication. Some doctors even give prescriptions for massage therapy!
And keep in mind that there are self-massage techniques that could help too, either as an addition or a substitute for massage therapy. The photo above shows some of the tools you can use for massage... especially useful for those hard-to-reach areas. Physiotherapists and massage therapists often teach self-massage techniques to their patients so they can maintain benefit between appointments.
I have successfully used a text entitled The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies with clients and myself to treat muscle spasm pain from neck spasms to sore feet (surprisingly caused by a muscle spasm in the calf!) with self-massage techniques described in the book. Check out Abe Books for a used copy, if you're interested.
References:
The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook (Clair Davies)
