Alternative Medicine - Lower Back Pain
by Jessica M. Lang, ClothDiaperingMama.com
Professional Massage Therapist
Holistic Health Practitioner
B.S. Exercise Science
There is an epidemic in this country. This epidemic is affecting 80% of the general population. It is causing people to miss work and it is decreasing the quality of their life. Our economy is spending almost $75 billion every year on treatment. What is this epidemic? Low Back Pain is the culprit and Rebecca J. Frey PhD, says that alternative medicine is usually the only road to relief (1).
Studies and research show that Massage is more effective in the treatment of low back pain than acupuncture, exercise or self care (medication). The first research study ever done on the effectiveness of therapeutic massage concerning persistent low back pain, published in April 2001 was conducted by the Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies. Collaborators included the Beth-Israel Deaconess Center for Alternative Medicine Research at Harvard Medical School and professors from the Northwest Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The study compared massage to self-care and acupuncture. After ten weeks the results showed that massage was superior to acupuncture and self-care in the aspect of functionality in the subjects (2).
Another study in which adults with subacute low-back pain compared massage alone to massage with remedial exercise/body mechanics to exercise alone to sham laser therapy. Out of the four groups massage with remedial exercise reported less pain and anxiety about their pain after only six sessions. One month after the treatment 63% of the massage/exercise group reported no pain as well as 27% of the massage only group. The study's author, Michelle Preyde says of the study, "Soft-tissue manipulations were shown to have considerable benefit and the addition of remedial exercise and posture education was shown to improve the clinical results moderately (3)."
WebMD online discusses the comparison of Chiropractic Care with that of massage therapy for low-back pain. "The studies we reviewed found massage to be effective for relieving symptoms and increasing function among people with persistent back pain," says Daniel Cherkin, PhD, a senior investigator at the Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies. "Spinal manipulation shows small clinical benefits for back pain -- about the same as conventional medical treatments such as over-the-counter pain relievers and various types of physical therapy (4)." Massage therapy seems to be gaining recognition among medical professionals and is no longer being viewed as a "luxury" only treatment. According to the Alternative Medicine Referral Network, consumers surveyed over the last 3 years say that when they discuss therapeutic massage with physicians more than 70% respond favorably (5).
As a profession, massage therapists and body-workers everywhere should take a stand against the low-back epidemic and show the world the most effective treatment for low back pain; MASSAGE!
References
Frey, Rebecca J. PhD, www.ahealthyme.com, INTERNET.
Cherkin, Dan PhD, Director of Group Health Cooperative?s Center for Health Studies, www.centerforhealthstudies.org, INTERNET. April 2001, Seattle, WA.
Preyde, Michelle, "Massage Improves Function, Reduces Pain and Anxiety Associated with Subacute Low-Back Pain", College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and Canadian Medical Association Journal, 200, Vol. 162, pp. 1815-1820.
Cherkin, Dan PhD, Director of Group Health Cooperative?s Center for Health Studies, "Alternative Approaches to low-back pain," www.webmd.org, INTERNET.
