Massage Therapy Effective in Reducing MS Pain

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In a pilot study done by The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), massage therapy was shown to reduce the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Some of the common symptoms for individuals with MS include pain, fatigue and spasticity. It is reported that one-third of people with the disease seek massage therapy as an adjunct to their conventional treatments.

According to the study, individuals that received regular massages over six weeks saw a reduction in all these symptoms. Massages were done in combination with conventional MS treatment. The new research goes beyond previous studies on how massage therapy improved quality of life for these patients and focused on symptom management.

Commenting on the study, Nathan Nordstrom, president of American Massage Therapy Association, said, "This new study is another piece in the picture of how massage therapy can be used as a non-pharmacologic approach to pain relief.

 

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