Swedish massage shown to effectively relieve pain for people with fibromyalgia

( Natural News ) There’s something to be said about indulging yourself with a massage to recharge after a long day of working hard. However, a recent study released by researchers from Brazil suggests that the “feel good” effects a person gets after a massage is actually rooted in science. In their study, released in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice , the authors indicate that a massage — in particular, a Swedish massage — can improve quality of life, reduce stress, and alleviate pain in patients suffering from fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a condition wherein a person experiences musculoskeletal pain all over his body , usually accompanied by fatigue, sleep, mood, and memory issues. The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unclear; however, some cases occur after a person experiences physical trauma, surgery, infection, or severe psychological stress. Experts believe that it aggravates pain by affecting how the brain processes pain, and most sufferers are also likely to have tension headaches, temporomandibular joint disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and even depression with fibromyalgia. Currently, 10 million adults in the U.S. have fibromyalgia , with most of them being women between 50 to 80 years. There have been studies on how massage therapies can help patients with fibromyalgia. In a review in PLoS One , a team from Liaocheng People’s Hospital in China found evidence supporting the immediate benefits of massage therapy on patients with the condition. The therapy, in particular, improved pain, anxiety, and depression in patients with fibromyalgia, according to a systematic review of scientific literature on the subject. In this study, the team looked at the efficacy of a Swedish massage therapy — a European technique that uses gentle strokes to reduce muscle pain and stress — in improving three significant biomarkers in patients with fibromyalgia, namely: […]

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