Migralex Blog

Massage relieves cancer pain

A scientific study by Taiwanese and American researchers published in the journal Pain examined the effect of massage on metastatic bone pain. They compared 36 patients who received a standardized form of massage for 45 minutes with 36 patients who were given social attention also for 45 minutes. Treatment sessions were given on three consecutive days to patients admitted to the hospital. Patients who received massage had significantly less pain than those who were given only attention. The relaxing effect of massage lasted for at least 16 – 18 hours and their sleep also improved. Intuitively, we all suspect that massage must be good for a variety of medical conditions, but this is the best study that shows pain-relieving properties of massage in cancer patients.
Massage is probably also effective for headaches, although definitive proof is lacking. The other drawbacks of massage are its cost and availability. While occasional massage is a wonderful thing, regular aerobic exercise is something that can be done daily with excellent relief of headaches and other pains (but not metastatic bone pain), unless the person is unable to do it.

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