Achy knees need not sideline your exercise routine
If you've had to avoid exercise lately due to painful osteoarthritis of the knee, consider a hands-on solution: massage.
Just one hour of Swedish massage therapy once or twice per week for eight weeks can help improve flexibility, range of motion and pain in adults with knee osteoarthritis, according to one university study. And, the benefits didn't stop with the cessation of the initial eight weeks of massage: Even after the conclusion of the study, subjects reported that the benefits of massage lingered for another eight weeks.
The authors of the study theorize that the sensory input of massage helps block pain sensors in the spine. Also, increased blood flow to the area supports bone and cartilage remodeling.
Regardless of the science, I'm sure those folks who were suffering from knee pain were only concerned with one thing: That it works.
Even better? It's free of damaging side-effects—which is not something you can say about expensive and potentially dangerous COX-2 inhibitors and NSAID drugs. I enjoy a monthly massage myself and consider it one of the best forms of preventive medicine around. I can't think of anyone who doesn't feel good after a nice massage, so I recommend you jump on the chance to get one as soon as possible.
If cost is a concern for you, let me offer you a tip: Look around for a massage school. You can get a great massage for a fraction of what you'd pay an outside professional—and you'll be helping a student finesse their technique.
