Chronic Pain and Massage

Massage has been shown to help hospitalized patients manage chronic pain and relieve anxiety.

Pain management is becoming a critical issue for hospitals. In a study done at the Flagstaff Medical Center, 65 hospital inpatients were given 30-minute massage therapy sessions with a physicians order. Pre and post massage therapy pain levels were recorded using the visual scale. Results were compared to commments made by and with nurses taken from the patient’s charts, and a survey completed by patients. Patients noted improvement in all survey elements, including relaxation, pain levels, emotional well-being, ability to sleep, quicker recovery, and the need for less pain medication. Pre and post pain levels demonstrate a moderately strong correlation between massage and reduction in pain levels. The study shows the integration of massage therapy in the acute care setting creates overall positive results in the patient’s ability to deal with the challenging physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of their health condition. Benefits include a possibly shorter length of stay for the patient, leading to less nosocomial infections, a more positive patient experience, enhanced recovery, and an improved financial bottom line for the hospital. (2008 AMTA National Convention, Phoenix, AZ,Poster Session Abstracts,, The Effect of Massage Therapy on Pain Management in Acute Care Setting, Authors: Rose Adams, MHA, LMT ; Cynthia Beckett, PhD, RN; Barb White, MS, LMT)