title: Fibromyalgia pain and substance P decrease and sleep improves after massage therapy.
abstract: Massage therapy has been observed to be helpful in some patients with fibromyalgia. This study was designed to examine the effects of massage therapy versus relaxation therapy on sleep, substance P, and pain in fibromyalgia patients. Twenty-four adult fibromyalgia patients were assigned randomly to a massage therapy or relaxation therapy group. They received 30-minute treatments twice weekly for 5 weeks. Both groups showed a decrease in anxiety and depressed mood immediately after the first and last therapy sessions. However, across the course of the study, only the massage therapy group reported an increase in the number of sleep hours and a decrease in their sleep movements. In addition, substance P levels decreased, and the patients' physicians assigned lower disease and pain ratings and rated fewer tender points in the massage therapy group.
authors.affiliation: Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33101, USA. tfield@med.miami.edu
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diego
authors.forename: Christy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Reif
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sunshine
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Douglas