Last week, we looked at what a complementary health approach included, and whether or not it might be helpful. Today, we are going to a brief look at a specific complementary health approach and show how it may add benefit to some people’s lives. In what claims to be the first study of its kind, a study out of Indiana University indicates that massage has the potential to help relieve chronic lower back pain.
Massage has been widely regarded as a luxury in recent years, but some doctors have been recommending it to help deal with pain, especially when trying to help relieve some of the discomfort and pain that comes along with pregnancy. When it comes to back pain, not much research has been done when it comes to long term results. In this recently released study, more than 50 percent of the patients that participated found that their symptoms improved significantly. For those that have been struggling with back pain for years, this is extremely encouraging.
In the study referenced above, therapists attempted to use massage methods that were used in commercial spas. The fact that these techniques were so effective is promising. Massages are easy, are non-invasive, and do not use any sort of medication. For most individuals, this is a far better scenario. And the best part of this study? It found that those born in the Baby Boomer generation and older saw the largest amount of benefits when it came to pain relief.
Chronic back pain is very difficult to treat with success, especially when only traditional methods are used. For example, some doctors in the past have prescribed opioids to help deal with back pain. Unfortunately, this often creates more severe health problems than what the pain killer medication was meant to treat. Back pain is often a precursor to disability, too. In fact, many insurers will not provide long term care insurance to someone that is being treated for back pain. Whether or not it is related, the correlation between back pain and a need for in-home care or even a nursing home residency is so high that it is in the insurers best interests to do this for specialty insurance like this. Thanks to pre-existing condition laws, this is not applicable to general health insurance policies any more.
Massage, like many other types of alternative or complementary health care approaches, is typically not covered by any type of health insurance. This immediately narrows down the number of people that can use this method effectively. The issue is that because it is not considered medical care, insurance policies see no benefit in carrying it. The service is not provided by a doctor, and therefore not a medical treatment. But, as this study indicates, this method seems to provide a great benefit to patients, with much less danger to the patient than opioid usage does. Despite the cost involved, if this method can provide relief, it is well worth looking into for you or an older loved one.
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