Massage Therapy for Musculoskeletal Disorders and Repetitive Strain Injuries

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Nerve inflammation may contribute to upper limb pain and musculoskeletal disorders.

Massage Therapy for Musculoskeletal Disorders and Repetitive Strain Injuries

Repetitive strain injuries are a common and potentially debilitating condition that affects millions of people world wide. One of the most common forms of repetitive strain injuries involves peripheral nerves. As peripheral nerves pass through the body they may be exposed to mechanical deformation or chemical irritation during repetitive limb movements. This type of peripheral nerve injury may cause pain, numbness, pins and needles (Dilley et al., 2022; Schmid et al., 2020). Ongoing mechanical deformation or chemical irritation may then contribute to the development of post-inflammatory fibrosis and diffuse nerve inflammation.

The pernicious impact of local and systemic inflammation may be disrupted by soft tissue massage.

Research using modeled massage has shown that attenuating the inflammatory response in the early stages of an injury, may help prevent the development of musculoskeletal disorders in forearm nerves, muscles, and tendons. Researchers have been looking at the effect of an experimental massage protocol (skin rolling, gentle mobilization, soft tissue massage, and wrist joint mobilization) on the development of these types of repetitive strain injuries. Soft tissue massage and nerve-directed stretching may help disperse intraneural edema and flush inflammatory cells (cytokines and chemokines) from the injured area.

  • One study published in The Journal of Neurological Sciences showed soft-tissue massage prevented the deposition of collagen and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF beta 1) in the nerves and connective tissues of the forearm (Bove et al., 2016). 

  • This was followed up by multiple studies showing that by attenuating the inflammatory response (with modeled massage) in the early stages of an injury, they were able to prevent the development of fibrogenic changes in forearm nerves, muscles, and tendons (Barbe et al., 2021; Bove et al., 2019).

  • Another study looked at the effectiveness of soft-tissue massage with rest to treat the inflammation and fibrosis that develops through the performance of a repetitive task. One interesting finding was an increase in muscle levels of IL-10 (a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine) with soft-tissue massage (Barbe et al., 2021).

  • Additionally, peripheral nerves themselves adapt to appropriate nerve-directed stretching. An improvement in nerve excursion has also been shown to correlate with a decrease in pain and disability (Andrade et al., 2020; Thoomes et al. 2021).

Take Home Message

The multidimensional effect that massage therapy can have on the musculoskeletal system (mediated by a whole-body neuro-endocrine-immune response) may improve the body’s ability to recover from repetitive strain injuries.

The pernicious impact of local and systemic inflammation may be disrupted by soft tissue massage.

Reference 

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