Massage

What it is

Massage is soft-tissue manipulation using the hands or a mechanical device [1].

What the research says

For low back pain, a Cochrane review of 25 trials (3,096 people) found short-term pain relief compared with inactive controls and with other active treatments [1]. Function improved in the short term against inactive controls but not against active ones [1].

For muscle soreness, a 2021 trial of 78 older adults found that a calf massage after strength training relieved muscle pain and limited strength loss [2]. An umbrella review listed massage among treatments with significant pain reduction 24 to 72 hours after exercise, but most of its reviews were of critically low quality [3].

For anxiety, a 2025 meta-analysis in people with cancer found a small reduction after treatment, with very low certainty [4]. In fibromyalgia, massage lasting at least 5 weeks reduced anxiety and depression straight after treatment [5]. For occupational stress, massage alone reduced stress more than no intervention in healthcare workers, though yoga ranked best [6].

Doses used in studies

A 15-minute calf massage was given straight after exercise and again at 24, 48 and 72 hours [2]. In fibromyalgia, benefits were seen with massage programmes of 5 weeks or more [5]. The back pain trials compared massage with inactive and active control groups [1].

Safety and interactions

Increased pain during or after massage was the most common adverse event, reported by 1.5% to 25% of participants in back pain trials [1]. No serious adverse events were reported in those trials [1]. The abstracts read for this page did not report data on pregnancy, interactions with medicines or upper limits. Anyone with a recent injury or a medical condition should check with a clinician before starting.

Caveats and open questions

Most back pain trials could not blind participants or therapists, and the pain benefit was seen only in the short term against inactive controls [1]. The cancer anxiety evidence is very low certainty [4]. The soreness trial included 78 people [2], and an umbrella review found most soreness reviews were of critically low quality [3].