Massage And Pain Relief - Cary, NC

Research Confirms Massage Therapy Reduces Pain and Enhances Health

“Clinical research has shown that massage is effective in caring for a broad range of ailments, and can be more effective for chronic back pain than other complementary therapies. It can help alleviate the perception of pain and anxiety in cancer patients, lessen pain in those who have undergone heart bypass surgery, and stimulate the brain to produce endorphins.” - Laura J. Freeman, President of the American Massage Therapy Association

Massage is part of an integrative care approach to many medical conditions which include:

Massage therapy is mainstream – more than one in 5 adults received a massage in past 12 months, and half were for pain relief. Research indicates relaxed muscles naturally result in a reduction of pain, stress and anxiety. In addition, massage therapy has been shown to stimulate the production of endorphins — the body’s natural painkillers. Of those who discussed massage therapy with their healthcare provider, 62% of providers strongly recommended or encouraged patients to get a massage.

How It Works:

• Reduces heart rate and blood pressure
• Increases blood circulation
• Boost the body’s immune system functioning and increase the body’s natural “killer cells” activity.
• Relaxes muscles
• Improves range of motion
• Increases serotonin and endorphins, enhancing medical treatment

Therapeutic Massage and Traditional Medicine

“Massage therapy is a complementary therapy, not alternative anymore. It’s of tremendous benefit.” –Brad Stuart, M.D., Hospice Medical Director for the Visit Nurse Association and Hospice of North Carolina

Healthcare providers are increasingly discussing massage therapy benefits with their patients. Among those who discussed massage therapy with their healthcare provider, 62% said massage was strongly recommended or encouraged for them. Physicians were the most likely to recommend massage therapy (61%), followed by physical therapists (45%) and chiropractors (42%).

Massage Therapy and Insurance

Many health insurance plans now cover massage when prescribed. There are also affinity discount programs, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Alt Blue program. Flexible Spending Plans allow pre-tax dollars to be allocated to therapeutic massage in some companies. Workers compensation and auto insurance Personal Injury Protection cover therapeutic massage. To see the options I cover, please see my Rates and Hours page.

Recent research

Studies show:

Therapeutic massage promotes relaxation and alleviates the perception of pain and anxiety in cancer patients.

Massage stimulates the brain to produce endorphins (nature’s pain killers.).

Therapeutic massage reduces post-traumatic headaches better than cold pack treatments.

For sources, refer to the AMTA article: “A Pain Management Partner You May Not Have Considered.”

National Institute of Health’s Office of Alternative Medicine Studies reported:

Cortisol levels and blood pressure dropped more quickly in post-abdominal surgery patients undergoing massage therapy compared to a control group.

Cancer patients who had massage therapy while undergoing bone marrow transplant were much less anxious and fatiqued

Medical and nursing students who had massage therapy demonstrated an increased immune response (immunoglobin and apoptosis) in the week of professional board exams, compared to those who did not have the treatment.