title: Hand pain is reduced by massage therapy.
abstract: METHODS
  Forty-six adults with hand pain were randomly assigned to a massage therapy or a standard treatment control group. Those assigned to the massage therapy group were massaged by a therapist on the affected hand once a week for a 4-week period and were also taught self-massage on the hand that was to be done by the individual participant once daily.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The massage therapy group versus the control group had less pain and greater grip strength after the first and last sessions, and their anxiety and depressed mood scores decreased more than the control group. Over the four-week period the massage group had a greater decrease in pain and a greater increase in grip strength as well as lower scores on anxiety, depressed mood and sleep disturbance scales.
authors: Touch Research Institutes, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL 33101, USA. TField@med.miami.edu
authors: Tiffany
authors: T
authors: Field
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: Diego
authors: Jeannette
authors: J
authors: Delgado
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Garcia
authors: C G
authors: CG
authors: Funk
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006225:Hand; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage; D008875:Middle Aged; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000628:therapy; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012648:Self Care; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome