Massage and Touch for Pain Relief

Massage, touch, and human contact in general are well-known in the world of pain relief. But they are also notoriously hard to measure.

After all, with a clinical trial you might give a patient a "real" pill with real medication, and a "placebo", containing no medicine - to measure the difference. But how do you "fake" a massage?

Still, researchers are finding various ways to measure the value of human touch. One study published this year compared massage with light touch. In that case, the researchers found a significant improvement for migraine patients in the massage group.

In this case, family members were actually trained to give the massage, making it much cheaper and more convenient for many.

The New York Headache blog recently summarized some of the other findings about human contact in general. For example, "when romantic partners held hands during a painful procedure, their brain waves actually synchronized. The stronger this 'brain-to-brain coupling,' the less pain the receiver reported—sometimes by as much as 34%."

34%!

But it's not just couples that can benefit. A huge meta-study, covering 130 studies including nearly 13,000 participants, showed that benefits came not only from loved ones, but also healthcare professionals.

Not surprisingly, these "touch" interventions not only decreased pain, but also depression and anxiety.

Those with moderate to severe migraine may respond that they just want to be "left alone" during an attack. And there are certainly circumstances when that may be the best thing.

But here are a couple of things to consider today:

Touch and massage can be given in different ways during different phases of a migraine attack. If you live with other people, it may be wise to consider how you could integrate more human contact at different times, or even go for a last minute massage, if possible, before pain becomes to great.
And of course touch in general will probably help even if it's given when you're not in the midst of a major migraine attack. A regular massage, or regular human contact, may go a long way in prevention.

Sometimes it takes a lot of science to tell us something we know intuitively. Still, it's not always easy to know how to integrate this knowledge into everyday life. But it's worth taking some time to consider how this might work for you, in your special circumstances. For example:

Are there people you could hug appropriately, or even give a hand-squeeze to?
How could you include more touch with your romantic partner, if you have one?
Is there a good place to go for a massage? Something regular? How quickly can you get an appointment?
What about other services that include touch? A hair appointment? Pedacure? Even certain sports involve more touch than others. Be creative!
Remember, appropriate and wanted touch not only helps you, but the other person as well.

Social Media Reminder

Don't forget to find me on social media. At the moment, I am on X and Facebook. I don't have a lot of time to interact, but I do try to post regularly. Sometimes I post articles I'm reading, clinical trials that you might be able to be a part of, or old or new articles at Headache and Migraine News.

So feel free to stop by, comment, and share! We're better together, even if I can't be there in person to give you a hug. :)

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