Massage therapy and exercise therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease impacting mobility and quality of life.
• Current management often includes exercise therapy, but its effectiveness can be limited.
• Investigating complementary therapies like massage is crucial for comprehensive MS care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effects of massage therapy versus exercise therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis.
• To determine if a combined massage and exercise approach offers additive benefits.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled pilot trial involving 48 multiple sclerosis patients.
• Participants were assigned to massage therapy, exercise therapy, combined therapy, or a control group.
• Interventions consisted of 15 supervised sessions over five weeks, with blinded assessments before and after.

Main Results:

• Massage therapy demonstrated significantly greater improvements in pain reduction, dynamic balance, and walking speed compared to exercise therapy.
• The combined massage-exercise therapy group showed significantly greater pain reduction than the exercise-only group.
• Specific improvements noted: pain (2.75 points), dynamic balance (3.69 seconds), and walking speed (7.84 seconds) with massage therapy.

Conclusions:

• Massage therapy may be more effective than exercise therapy for certain multiple sclerosis symptoms.
• Combining massage and exercise therapy appears to offer a modest additional benefit over exercise alone.
• These findings suggest massage therapy as a valuable adjunct in managing multiple sclerosis.