By Staff Writer - March, 19th 2014

Massage therapy has a long history in cultures around the world. Today, people use many different types of massage therapy for a variety of health-related purposes. In the United States, massage therapy is often considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), although it does have some conventional uses. This fact sheet provides a general overview of massage therapy and suggests sources for additional information.

Natural Health News — Neck pain is a common and debilitating condition, and massage therapy is commonly used to treat it, and yet there is very little research to guide patient on the ‘dose’ of massage needed to get the job done.

To find out US researchers randomised 228 patients with chronic neck pain into five different groups receiving various doses of massage over a five-week period. What they found was that the benefits increased in line the the ‘dose’.

Specifically, they found that, in terms of achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in neck dysfunction or pain, patients who received 30-minute treatments two or three times weekly were not significantly better than those in a control group who were put on a waiting list for treatment.

But patients who received 60-minute treatments two or three times weekly showed significant improvement in neck dysfunction and pain intensity compared to the control group.

Compared with …

Before deciding to begin massage therapy, ask about the therapist's training, experience, and credentials. Also ask about the number of treatments that might be needed, the cost, and insurance coverage.

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