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Clinical Q & A: Is massage therapy indicated as an adjunct therapy for CRPS?
Massage typically increases circulation (oxygen, nutrient exchange, toxin release) to the area and warms and relaxes muscle tissues. It is usually contraindicated for people with certain cardiac conditions, inflammatory conditions, pregnancy, and cancer. Many people who suffer with CRPS, have vasoconstriction (constricted blood vessels), so the increase in circulation to the tissues may be beneficial — depending on the stage and severity of CRPS. With the tendency toward an inflammatory response of the tissues with CRPS, massage might not be appropriate for everyone who has the syndrome.
Massage may be a beneficial adjunct to treatment in certain cases as a way to stimulate circulation and work on desensitization. However, due to their hypersensitivity, many people with CRPS have a significant fear of being touched by others, and this may also cause anxiety. In my own practice, I have found that patients with CRPS are most successful when they take an active role in their treatment and direct their care versus receiving passive treatments from therapists (such as massage, passive range of motion, etc.). I have found that intermittent massage has been beneficial for the myofascial pain that often accompanies CRPS due to the guarded posturing that many patients develop.
Melanie E. Swan, OTR/L is a Resource Clinician at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
RSDSA Review, Winter 2006. |
