Nelson NL, et al. – This systematic review aimed to critically evaluate and synthesize the current evidence about the effects of massage therapy as a stand–alone treatment on pain and functional outcomes among those with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. As per the outcomes, it remained unclear whether massage therapy was more effective than other forms of treatment. There was a need for large, methodologically rigorous randomized controlled trials examining the effectiveness of massage therapy as an intervention for individuals with arthritis.

• The clinicians searched relevant randomized controlled trials using the electronic databases Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and PEDro.
• They used the PEDro scale to evaluate the risk of bias, and the quality of evidence was assessed with the GRADE approach.

• The clinicians found 7 randomized controlled trials representing 352 participants who satisfied the inclusion criteria.
• In this study, risk of bias ranged from 4 to 7.
• The outcomes found low- to moderate-quality evidence that in reducing pain and improving certain functional outcomes, massage therapy was superior to nonactive therapies.
• It was unclear whether massage therapy was more effective compared to other forms of treatment.