Therapeutic Massage For Anxiety

A proof-of-concept study published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry finds that massage may help treat general anxiety and other mental health disorders, as massage can reduce anxiety symptoms.

The researchers from Georgia USA conducted a randomized study that focused on patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). People with GAD experience constant anxiety and worry. They will find it hard to control the worry and often results in fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance . People with GAD are commonly prescribed with medication such as antidepressants or psychotherapy.

A randomized, single-masked, clinical trial was conducted between March 2012 and May 2013 at the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program of Emory University. Forty-seven currently untreated subjects with a DSM-IV diagnosis of GAD were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received twice-weekly Swedish massage therapy, while the other group received a light touch as a control condition. The treatments went for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure was reduction in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) scores after 6 weeks of treatment.

The results show that at the end of 6 weeks, subjects who received twice weekly Swedish massage demonstrated greater statistically and clinically significant improvement in HARS  than subjects receiving light touch. At week 6, Swedish massage shows a HARS score reduction of 11.67  for Swedish massage, while light touch shows a decrease of 8.41. Treatment shows a difference starting at the end of week 3.

The authors concluded that 12 sessions of Swedish massage decreased symptoms of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and irritability , which is more significant than light touch.

Source:

https://www.medicaldaily.com/therapeutic-massage-anxiety-how-touch-therapy-improves-mental-health-393837

http://massagetherapyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Rapaport-Mark-Acute-Swedish-Massage.pdf

Rapaport M, Schettler P, Larson E, Edwards S, Dunlop B, Rakofsky J, Kinkead B. Acute Swedish Massage Monotherapy Successfully Remediates Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Proof-of-Concept, Randomized Controlled Study. The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2016. Article