Why do we offer massotherapy at our office?  Because it works!  Research proves it.  As a Chiropractic office we specialize in treatment of soft tissue injuries.  Our treatment is considered conservative in nature.  We will do everything we can to solve the problem without drugs or surgery. I want to make it clear that I am not against drugs, I am against the abuse of drugs.  There is a time and place for medications but conservative care should be tried first.   One of the treatment options we utilize is deep tissue massage.  Deep tissue massage is a form of massage that is more direct in finding what muscles are overly tight and in spasm with the goal to release and relax them.  It is considered to be therapeutic and used as treatment for soft tissue injuries.  It is more concentrated and specific than a relaxation massage.  When this is combined with Chiropractic adjustments and exercise the end goal of helping a patient in pain and improving functional limitations comes much faster. 

A study in the Scientific World Journal compared deep tissue massage with deep tissue massage combined with NSAIDS ( non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs ).  Some examples of NSAIDS you have probably heard of include Advil, Tylenol, Motrin, Aspirin, Aleve, Ibuprofen, and Acetaminophen to name a few.   This study used patients with chronic low back pain which was defined as pain lasting over 7 weeks.  Massage was based on 10 sessions lasting 30 minutes each.  The Treatment group received massage only while the control group received massage and NSAIDS combined.  The results of this study show that there were no significant differences between the two groups in the end results.  Both groups had an equally positive effect on reducing pain. 

The study further goes on to mention that effectiveness of using NSAIDS in the treatment of chronic low back pain is questionable.  There are no reports which would show that these drugs cause a long lasting improvement in well-being or reduced pain.  Limited effectiveness only was reported. 

So should you use NSAIDS for pain relief?  According to this study deep tissue massage gives the same results without the need for them.  No study shows long term benefit from these drugs. What also must be considered are the many possible severe side effects from NSAIDS that most people are not aware of.  Side effects such as liver failure, kidney failure, heart damage, and stomach damage cannot be ignored. Acetaminophen (found in Tylenol) is the number one cause of acute liver failure in the US!  Taking an NSAID once in a while for that killer headache will of course not put you in as great of a risk however many patients have come into our office relying on NSAIDS taking them daily as their number one way to reduce pain.  These are the cases where damage most probably will come. 

To read more about our massotherapy department and meet our licensed massotherapists click on this link. 

To read the entire research paper quoted above click on this link.