Massage Therapy for Post-Surgical Recovery
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Many people experience chronic pain after surgery, and one study found that nearly a quarter of people with chronic pain could attribute that pain to surgery. The surgery itself may have been successful and the person may have visibly recovered, but the pain from the surgery can linger for weeks, months or even years. Postoperative pain can also affect mood, sleep and other aspects of both physical and mental health. Massage therapy is a great option to help people relieve and manage their post surgical pain.
Research has found that massage therapy can reduce pain and muscular tension for cardiac surgery patients after surgery, as well as increase their relaxation and improve their overall satisfaction. Massage therapy can reduce both the frequency and intensity of post-surgical pain. Many people have chronic upper limb pain and decreased mobility after breast cancer surgery, and massage therapy has been found to reduce that reported pain and help improve mobility. Massage therapy can provide educated, welcome human touch that can help reduce pain perception for people who have experienced surgery.
In addition to relieving pain after major surgeries, massage therapy can help relieve symptoms of anxiety both before and after surgery. Many people are impacted by anxiety about an upcoming surgery, but even after the surgery is over, anxiety can persist about the potential outcomes. Massage therapy is safe after many types of surgery and at least in the short term, can reduce pain and stress especially among hospitalized patients after surgery.
After many types of joint surgery, for example hip or knee surgery, patients experience stiffness and limited range of motion, and massage therapy can help decrease this stiffness and help people begin to be able to move more comfortably and efficiently. Fibrosis, which is characterized by the production of excessive fibrous scar tissue, is a possible complication of surgery that can result in decreased movement, but massage therapy can be a great option to treat this issue. Massage therapy can lead to reduced pain and increased mobility in the area of the surgical scar.
After surgery, many people will experience chronic pain, decreased mobility, increased anxiety, and scarring. Massage therapy is a great option to help manage these symptoms. Even if the surgery itself has good outcomes, there are a lot of challenges in the post-surgical period and massage therapy can help you cope. Most RMTs will see at least some patients who undergo surgery at some point in their life, and massage therapy can help those patients return to some semblance of normal after their surgical procedure.
References
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Boyd, C., Crawford, C., Paat, C. F., Price, A., Xenakis, L., Zhang, W., & Evidence for Massage Therapy (EMT) Working Group (2016). The Impact of Massage Therapy on Function in Pain Populations-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Part III, Surgical Pain Populations. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 17(9), 1757–1772.
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