Aches in the neck, shoulders and back are among the most common reasons people book a massage. Here is what the main reviews and guidelines say, so you can set realistic expectations.
Shoulder pain
A review of 15 trials with 635 people found that massage reduced shoulder pain straight after treatment more than no treatment or a placebo did. It was not clearly better than other active treatments such as physiotherapy or acupuncture, and the benefit at follow-up was smaller. Many of the trials were small or of lower quality, so the authors called for larger studies.
Neck pain
The most recent Cochrane review, published in 2024, concluded that the contribution of massage to managing neck pain remains uncertain, because most of the evidence is low certainty. Compared with a placebo treatment, it found little to no difference in pain or function for longer-lasting neck pain at up to 12 weeks, although people may be slightly more likely to report that the treatment helped.
Low back pain
NICE, which sets NHS guidance in England, says that soft tissue techniques such as massage can be considered for low back pain, but only as part of a package of care that includes exercise.
A 2011 trial in the Annals of Internal Medicine followed 400 adults with long-term low back pain. Both a relaxation style of massage and a firmer, more focused style improved symptoms and function more than usual care after 10 weeks, and neither clearly beat the other. For the relaxation style, a small improvement in function was still there after a year.
What this means for you
- Massage is a reasonable thing to try for aches and tension, and it can feel very good. Treat it as one part of looking after yourself, alongside movement, rather than a cure.
- You do not need the firmest pressure to get a benefit. Choose the level you enjoy.
- See your GP or a physiotherapist before booking if your pain is severe, getting worse, follows an injury, or comes with numbness, weakness or pins and needles.
Sources
- Effectiveness of massage therapy for shoulder pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Gross AR and colleagues. Massage for neck pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024.
- NICE guideline NG59. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s.
- Cherkin DC and colleagues. A comparison of the effects of 2 types of massage and usual care on chronic low back pain. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2011.