In a randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers examined the effects of whole-body massage on adults with knee osteoarthritis.
Participants in the trial were randomized into three groups: massage, active control (light-touch), and usual care. Participants in the massage and light-touch groups received 60 minutes of protolyzed whole-body massage or light touch in eight weekly treatments, and were then randomized to either biweekly interventions or usual care to week 52. The original usual care group maintained treatment up to week 24.
The authors observed improvement in symptoms in the massage group at week 8 versus the light-touch and usual care groups, but no significant improvement at week 52. The authors conclude that massage is a good short-term treatment option with few adverse effects.
Read the full article in the Journal of General Internal Medicine at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11606-018-4763-5.