Massages as good as pain-killers

A new study has found that massage is not just good for soothing and relaxing your muscles, but can mimic the affects of pain relieving drugs.

The findings, published in the Journal Science Translational Medicine, found that massages promote the growth of new mitochondria and dampen the effect of molecules in the immune system that contribute to inflammation.

Therefore the massage can work in the same way as anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.

'The potential benefits of massage could be useful to a broad spectrum of individuals, including those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and patients with chronic inflammatory disease,' says lead researcher Dr Mark Tarnopolsky from McMaster University in Canada.

'This study provides evidence that manipulative therapies such as massage may be justifiable in medical practice.' 

The Bowen technique is a drug-free, non-invasive, hands-on remedial therapy where the therapist makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual.