Massage therapy for osteoarthritis

The Facts:
* Almost 70 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee either underwent massage therapy for 8 weeks or had no treatment.
* The patients who had massage therapy had reduced pain and more flexibility than those who had no treatment.
* Further studies are recommended to assess appropriate length of treatment and whether this type of therapy is cost-effective.

Shaun’s comment: These are interesting findings and potentially very useful given the potential side effects of many of the medications that are used to treat arthritis. In addition, we are likely to see more and more people suffering from arthritis as the population ages. The authors are quite right to state that further studies are needed, but this well-performed study is a great starting point.

Study reference:
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/166/22/2533