3 Ways to Treat Knee Pain With Massage Therapy

A woman's leg during a massage. Photo Credit AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty Images

As people age, their knees often fall victim to strains, sprains and resulting pain. As one of the body's primary weight-bearers, your knees often take the brunt of activity, and you feel it, especially as you age. About 30 percent of adults 65 years of age and over reporting knee pain or stiffness in the past 30 days, according to the American Pain Institute. According to orthopedic massage expert Whitney Lowe, director of the Orthopedic Massage Education & Research Institute in Sisters, Oregon, there are many different causes of knee pain, some related to muscles, some related to joints. If you experience pain in your knee for more than a week, see your doctor for a diagnosis. Depending on that diagnosis, massage therapy might be a beneficial means of addressing your pain. However, if arthritis is the diagnosis, the benefits of massage will be limited, according to Lowe.

"Arthritis involves degenerative changes in the joint surfaces, and those surfaces are inaccessible to massage treatment," he said. "With other conditions, such as patellar tracking disorders and patellar tendinosis, massage is a very valuable approach because it helps reduce stress on the soft tissues that are damaged from overuse." To find a massage therapist trained in basic Swedish massage, which involves long, gentle strokes and kneading, use the locate service of Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals website or the American Massage Therapy Association.

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