Clinical equipoise means that clinicians and researchers honestly don’t know which treatment is better. Therefore, no researcher favors one treatment over another during the experiment design, which reduces the risk of bias. If one treatment is already known to be better, it would be unethical to give someone the inferior
Swedish massage often brings to mind a relaxing experience in a spa-like setting, maybe with white robes, low lighting, aromatherapy, and bliss. While the techniques do have roots in Sweden, it became a catch-all term for generic relaxation massage, typically slow gentle strokes with a lubricant, such as oil or
A 2024 systematic review of 17 systematic reviews found that the evidence and certainty of massage therapy for 13 pain conditions to be predominately “low” or “very low.” “There were only a few conditions for which [the] authors of systematic reviews concluded that there was at least moderate-certainty evidence regarding
A group of British, Australian, and Finnish researchers identified eight clinical trials that skew the results of 32 systematic reviews and 10 clinical practical guidelines for spinal pain, according to their study published in The Journal of Pain in 2023. These trials examine cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and/or physical therapy for
A group of European, Australian, and U.S. researchers identified several factors that reduce the trustworthiness of pain research, according to a review published in The Journal of Pain in 2025. These factors include: Failure to meet current standards of governance and integrity Undeclared or poorly managed conflicts of interest Unethical
Most chronic pain explanations are often attributed to biomechanics, physiological factors or both. Not surprisingly, most treatments are often based on these reasons, such as surgery, medications, posture correction, and joint manipulation. However, a group of researchers—led by Dr. Lene Vase from Aarhus University in Denmark—highlighted core principles of psychological
Regression to the mean in health care describes the tendency of the symptoms of a condition to go back to an average state after it has run its course in one extreme. Various academic fields have similar definitions of regression to the mean, such as in psychology and philosophy. For
We see the terms “evidence-based practice”—and sometimes its cousin “science-based practice”—pop up often in massage therapy forums. It’s not uncommon to see massage therapists sharing research from various sources in their discussions. This shift is a decidedly good thing. As healthcare providers, we should strive to critically evaluate our own
A team of researchers from Australia, Brazil, and the U.K. recommended several changes to the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines for low back pain and sciatica because some of the guidelines “are not in line with the most recent evidence.” According to their editorial published in
For decades, many physicians and manual therapists believed osteoarthritis pain was rooted primarily in the joints. However, research in the past 20 years is pointing toward the brain and spinal cord as key players in how pain is felt and processed, including different types of arthritis. A 2025 review published
Traditionally, massage and other manual therapists are taught mostly the biological aspects of treating joint pain, such as anatomy, biomechanics, and physiology. However, some physiotherapists and pain researchers have been advocating for a broader approach to patient care. They wrote in an editorial published in British Journal of Sports Medicine
Jason is a 47-year-old man who loves to work around the house. If there’s grass to be cut, gutters to be cleaned, or Christmas decorations to be hung, he’s your guy. His lawn is the envy of his neighbors, and he beams at his twinkling lights, but the next morning