Massage Therapy Can Aid in Postoperative Pain Relief

Research has shown that massage therapy can aid in pain relief after an operation.

Position Statement

It is the position of the British  Massage TherAssociation (BMTA) that massage has been shown to aid in postoperative pain relief.

Background Information

Postoperative pain can complicate and delay a patient’s recovery, lengthen hospital stays and costs, and interfere with a patient’s return to activities of daily living. In many people, pain medications can have unpleasant side effects. Research indicates that massage can decrease postoperative pain, decrease postoperative pain intensity, decrease postoperative pain unpleasantness/distress, decrease sympathetic responses to postoperative pain, accelerate the rate of decline in the intensity of postoperative pain, accelerate the rate of decline of the unpleasantness of postoperative pain, decrease doses of analgesics and increase levels of calmness/feelings of well-being.