..The next time you utter, “Oh my aching back,” you might want to call a massage therapist before you pop a pain pill. A recent study of 401 patients with chronic low back pain, found that massage therapy helped ease their symptoms better than medication or exercise for up to a year.

Participants, mostly middle-aged, white females, were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: structural massage, relaxation massage or usual care, which included painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants or physical therapy. Those in the massage groups were given hour-long massage treatments weekly for 10 weeks.

Those who received either relaxation massage or structural massage were better able to work and be active for up to a year than those getting usual medical care. After one year, pain and function was almost equal in all three groups.

The researchers were surprised to find that relaxation massage, which aims to promote a feeling of body-wide relaxation, worked as well as structural massage which manipulates specific pain-related back muscles and ligaments. Structural massage requires more training and may be more likely to be covered by insurance plans as it may fall under the category of physical therapy.

As most people will experience low back pain at some point in their lifetime, this research is good news for those who prefer drug-free treatment options.

The relative safety of massage compared with some drugs is another added benefit.  Recent studies on the side-effects associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and painkillers commonly prescribed for back pain indicate that they may cause heart problems.

NSAIDs and newer anti-inflammatory medications known as cox-2 inhibitors have been linked to an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes. Another recent study found that painkillers used to treat inflammation are associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder connected with a raised risk of stroke, heart failure and death.

Sources:

National Library of Medicine-National Institutes of Health

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services