Arthritis can also be called gout and it can cause sudden pain, redness and swelling around the big toe joint. The reason why this condition occurs is the high level of uric acid in the blood, which leads to the formation of crystals, which resemble needles surrounding the crystals. The number of people having this condition has been on the rise and today we have from 1 to 2% of American population suffering from gout.
Diet rich in protein, high blood pressure, obesity and kidney disease are some of the possible causes of gout. Also, metabolic syndrome, excessive production of uric acid, use of diuretics and alcohol abuse may lead to the creation of gout. Gout can be developed due to the family history of this disease as well. The problem may be chronic or acute and the treatment depends on this. Medical treatments are often implemented with the massage therapy.
Massage Therapy
The location where the pain is coming from is usually the focus of the massage, but the whole body can be massaged as well. Massaging is supposed to increase the ability of the body to heal itself. It can improve the blood circulation to the damaged joints, increase metabolism and improve the blood circulation of the muscular tissue around the damaged joints. Massages can also help us prevent spasms and decrease pain. Pain will determine the number of massage sessions needed and the results may need a short period of time to appear.One form of massage done with the bare hands is called acupressure. During this massage, fingertips, thumbs and palms are used and the hand movements on specific locations on the body need to be smooth but firm. Acupressure and conventional massage are very similar, but the conventional massage involves the use of oils, while acupressure doesn’t.
Effectiveness
The effectiveness of this ancient technique is still unconfirmed. One study performed at the University of Miami had 22 participants and those from the group who received massage every week for the period of four weeks experienced pain decrease and the improvement of the condition. The persons from this group also had to do self-massage every day during this period.
There was another study that involved 68 adults. The point of this study was to confirm the effectiveness of the massage therapy for the osteoarthritis of the knee joint. There were two groups involved in the study. The massage group had Swedish massage two times a week for the first four weeks and the massage sessions once a week for the following period of four weeks, for the total of eight weeks. The results showed that massage group experienced increased functionality of the knee and the pain reduction. It seems that the massage therapy can help with the symptoms of gout and this is one of the things we can do until the cure for this condition is found.
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