Benefits of Massage Therapy for Arthritis Patients Page 2

Though massage therapy has usually been connected with spas and health clubs, recent interest by the medical field has led to an increasing number of nurse practitioners performing massage on patients, including those with arthritis. Most use a technique called "reflexology," in which the "reflex zones" in a patient are massaged gently to relieve pain (Zollman, 1254).

  Massage therapy for arthritis (and other patients) lasts from 15 to 90 minutes and involves gentle strokes to the affected areas of the body. Nurse practitioners who work on arthritic patients report that those patients say they not only get great relief from pain, but also sleep better and experience significant reductions in stress and anxiety (Zollman, 1256).

Cost of Treatments

When performed by a registered nurse practitioner, massage treatments can cost between $50 and $100 or more per session. However, people are willing to pay for two important reasons: first, they are performed by a registered nurse who is a qualified practitioner; second, such therapy is now approved by the National Institutes of Health (Rock, 39).

 <<Previous Page |  Next Page >>

View All Massage Chairs