Article source – American Massage Therapy Association
New Research Analysis Indicates Massage Therapy Shows Promise for Pain & Anxiety in Cancer Patients
Massage therapy shows promise for reducing pain intensity/severity, fatigue, and anxiety in cancer populations.
This is the conclusion of a collaborative meta-analysis of research on massage therapy for pain conducted by Samueli Institute and commissioned by the Massage Therapy Foundation, with support from the American Massage Therapy Association. This review and analysis is published in the journal Pain Medicine.
Massage Therapy Can Benefit Cancer Patients
The study concludes that patients should consider massage therapy as a therapeutic option to help manage their cancer pain. Pain is the most common and debilitating symptom among cancer patients. While the exact prevalence of pain varies depending on the type and stage of cancer, research shows that pain generally affects over 50 percent of those undergoing cancer therapy and up to 90 percent with advanced cancer experience pain.
Cancer pain can range from mild to severe and from acute to chronic. And, patients often experience significant anxiety and depression, as well as insomnia, fatigue, weakness and other complications that can exacerbate each other, impair normal daily activities and negatively impact quality of life.