New research shows that massage therapy may be more effective than commonly used treatments such as drugs for short-term relief from soreness in your lower back, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine. After 10 weeks, study participants who received either a 1-hour relaxing Swedish massage or a form of massage focused on treating the tissues of the back were twice as likely to have spent fewer days in bed, taken fewer meds, and continued everyday activities (think: walking up stairs or having sex) compared with those who got usual care, such as painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, or muscle relaxants. Moreover, benefits lasted more than 6 months. "This study showed that massage is not only helpful in relieving lower-back pain, but you can get the same benefits with the more commonly available relaxing massage as you can with a more targeted massage," says lead study author Dr. Cherkin.
Experts aren't sure how massage works exactly to relieve back pain, but one theory might be that spending an hour being touched in a relaxing environment calms the central nervous system to lessen the perception of pain. To find a trained massage therapist near you, check out the American Massage Therapy Association. Massage may not be covered by your insurance even for medical reasons, but an affordable option is to find a teaching school near you. Relaxing massages can cost only $35 for 50 minutes, and students are under the guidance of a licensed massage therapist.
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