Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Medicine and executive director for the Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM) at UMDNJ, recently led a study demonstrating the positive effects of Swedish massage on osteoarthritis of the knee. The findings, published in the December 2006 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, represent the first clinical study to assess the effectiveness of this treatment.

Patients with pain, stiffness and limited range of motion in the knee participated in the 16-week study which consisted of eight weeks of massage followed by observation for another eight weeks.

"Participants in this study showed significant improvement in symptoms after finishing the eight weeks of massage therapy and the benefits persisted when we evaluated them eight weeks after the massage intervention was completed," said Dr. Perlman.

Ultimately, massage may be shown to lessen a patient's reliance on medications and decrease health care costs. That could serve to change practice standards so that massage is a more common option for the many patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. As curriculum director for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) at NJMS, Dr. Perlman has worked with faculty to integrate lectures and instruction on CAM across all four-years of medical school to provide students with knowledge that will help them best care for their patients. "Since we know that more than one third of Americans used some form of CAM in the past year, it is critical that our future physicians have the training, knowledge and understanding of this growing realm of health care," said Perlman.

The New York Times reported on the findings in the December 12 issue.

Watch a segment that appeared on ABC Eyewitness News on December 11.

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