Case Review:
RL is a 35-year-old man with forearm pain after a marathon session on his laptop, trying to finish a grant submission. His symptoms are worsened by using the mouse pad and are better if he does not use the computer for several days. His friend has suggested massage therapy.
Questions to Consider:
Is there evidence for massage therapy in this clinical situation?
Is there risk associated with a trail of massage therapy?
Will there be a delay in diagnosis by trying an alternative therapy such as a massage?
Discussion:
Although there is little evidence that massage therapy is useful in this specific overuse condition, there is likely to be little harm in a trial of massage therapy. Many massage therapist feel they have good success with this type of condition. As with most manual therapies, you might recommend that if he is not noticing improvement after several sessions, he may want to consider a different approach. You could recommend that he consider other standard (although possibly equally un-evaluated) recommendations such as ice, rest, and evaluating the ergonomics of his workspace.