A Healing Treatment

For people with arthritis, massage can be the perfect complementary therapy

Katie Newell was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when she was 4 years old. Then, when she was 25, she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that affects the spine.

It was then that Newell vowed to be healthier and take better care of herself. Now 30, she focuses on healthy eating and exercise, as well as regular massages at Massage Envy to manage her arthritis.

"Since I made these lifestyle changes and started regular massage, I have not had any more fusion in my spine," says Newell, a mother of two and author of the blog HealthNutFoodie.com. "I can stand up straighter. And while I might feel a little sore the next day, for a week or two after, I can notice my pain level decreases."

Massage and Arthritis

Arthritis affects 50 million Americans-and not just older adults. There are more than 100 types of the condition, which is an inflammation of the joints that causes pain, swelling and stiffness.

Newell is experiencing the benefits that researchers at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School have been exploring.

"What these studies report is a reduction of pain, which is typically the focus of an arthritis study," says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., the institute's director.

Part of that pain relief, says Patience White, M.D., M.A., vice president of public health for the Arthritis Foundation, is massage's ability to relax the muscle.

"In general, if you have a swollen joint, the muscles and tendons around that joint are stretched and become tight," Dr. White says. "When there's limited mobility in the joint and you try to move it, it is painful. What you want to do is coax that muscle into relaxing."

Massage has been shown to increase serotonin, which is one of the body's natural chemicals for reducing pain, Dr. Field says. She also notes the relaxation that massage induces helps normalize your sleep cycle, another benefit for reducing pain.

For optimal benefit, she recommends "moderate" pressure-meaning the skin moves so you can see pressure is being applied.

But, Dr. White adds, it's important to know your body. "When people are in a fl are or joints are painful, then massage therapy around and over those joints may not be comfortable," she says.

Go Ahead, Relax!

Treating arthritis, Dr. White says, isn't just about the condition itself.

"It's also about the tension and stress of having arthritis. Stress relief is critically important."

Seth Ginsberg, who was diagnosed with a type of arthritis called spondyloarthropathy at age 13, experiences pain that ranges in severity as a result of his condition, and has found physical and mental benefits of regular massages.

"The way I feel after a massage really does help me. My ability to de-stress is really valuable," says Ginsberg, the president of the Global Healthy Living Foundation and co-founder of CreakyJoints, an arthritis advocacy group. "I'm a believer that the mind and the body are connected, and I like doing things that are great for both."

The reduction of the hormone cortisol, Dr. Field explains, eases stress and improves the immune system.

'An Investment'

Regular massage isn't just a luxury for people like Newell and Ginsberg who have arthritis. It's an adjunct therapy for caring for their disease and easing the pain that accompanies it.

"Don't be afraid to take time for yourself," Newell says. "You're making an investment in yourself."

-By Stephanie R. Conner
-Photography By Jeff Newton