Efficacy of massage therapy in improving outcomes in knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to synthesize evidence on the effect of massage therapy on knee osteoarthritis, comparing standard massage and aromatherapy massage.
Results Summary
Massage therapy showed significant short-term improvements in pain, stiffness, and functionality scores (1-8 weeks), but no long-term benefits. Aromatherapy massage reduced stiffness but was not superior to standard massage.
Population
Individuals with knee osteoarthritis (737 participants across 12 studies).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
1-8 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
massage therapy | decrease | pain scores | participants with knee osteoarthritis | - | significant reduction | #1 |
massage therapy | decrease | stiffness scores | participants with knee osteoarthritis | - | significant reduction | #2 |
massage therapy | decrease | stiffness scores | participants with knee osteoarthritis | - | significant reduction | #3 |
massage therapy | decrease | functionality scores | participants with knee osteoarthritis | - | significant reduction | #4 |
massage therapy | no change | outcomes | participants with knee osteoarthritis | - | no significant difference | #5 |
aromatherapy massage | decrease | stiffness scores | participants with knee osteoarthritis | - | statistically significant reduction | #6 |
aromatherapy massage | no change | - | - | - | not superior | #7 |
BACKGROUND: and purpose: Massage therapy is being used for knee osteoarthritis. However, level-1 evidence is lacking. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize evidence on the effect of massage therapy on knee osteoarthritis. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Ovid, Springer, and Google Scholar databases were searched up to May 8, 2021 for randomized controlled trials comparing massage with controls for knee osteoarthritis. Review manager was used for a random-effect meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane collaboration risk assessment tool and certainty of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: Twelve studies with 737 participants were included. After 1-4 weeks of therapy, there was a significant reduction in pain and stiffness scores in the massage group and after 6-8 weeks of therapy, there was a significant reduction in stiffness and functionality scores. There was no significant difference in outcomes with long-term therapy. A statistically significant reduction in stiffness scores was seen with aromatherapy massage. Aromatherapy massage was not superior to standard massage. The overall quality of evidence according to GRADE was low to moderate for standard massage therapy and very low for aromatherapy. CONCLUSION: Massage therapy may lead to some improvement in pain, stiffness, and functionality scores in the short term but not in long term. Aromatherapy massage was not found to be any better than standard massage therapy. Current evidence is limited by methodological heterogeneity amongst trials and small sample size of the studies.