As massages relieve muscle tension and knots, a benefit of this is reduced pain. “Therapeutic massage can be used to treat a range of conditions, the most common of which is low back pain, followed by neck and shoulder pain. I also use therapeutic massage to treat headaches, jaw pain, and Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction,” Arthur Madore, a massage therapist at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told Brigham Health Hub.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, massages could help stimulate nerve fibers and block pain messages to and from the brain. Different pressures can be tailored to the amount you can tolerate. A 2004 study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests that people with chronic pain experience the same therapeutic benefit in a massage than standard medical care. For acute pain, a 2010 study found massages reduced pain levels from an average of 5.18 to 2.33.
With people working on their laptops more than ever before, wrist pain is more common, and the risk for carpal tunnel increases. A 2016 review found that massages lowered hand pain levels, increased mood, helped with falling asleep easier, and improved grip strength in people with carpal tunnel syndrome.
