Is massage therapy advisable for lupus patients?
Dr Irwin Ziment
Professor of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
Professor of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA
Q: Is it safe to use massage therapy on clients with lupus? If yes, then how should it be applied and with what lubricant? Can massage therapy be used for all forms of lupus? When should massage therapy not be used for lupus?
A:Massage therapy at present is a form of therapy that has been poorly investigated since it is so well accepted as being of benefit. As with everything, from chocolate to bathing, what is good in reasonable amounts can be harmful when used obsessionally or excessively. There is no specific reason why the same rule should not apply to massage, with the proviso that it should be used cautiously if there are obvious problems such as bruisable skin or dermal disease.