Do massages & acupuncture work?

[MSbrother]

Im thinking about giving my bro gift certificates for massages and acupuncture. Dose that stuff work? Will it make him feel better? He has progressive MS and has had trouble walking lately.

Thanks

[ru4cats]

I've tried both massages and acupuncture. I really like massages and try to get one at least once a month. MS tends to create imbalance in my muscles due to walking difficulty, and a massage, for me, seems to reset them.

Acupuncture, from what I've heard, can help with pain. Luckily, I don't have pain, so it was difficult to find any improvement. I tried it a few times and then quit.

[msgijo]

I go for massage every 3 weeks. Yes it helps me.

I went every other week for a while at first, but after he had 'worked the kinks out' we decided to experiment and see what worked best for me. Once a month is just a bit too long for me, but every 3 weeks is perfect!

[Zuzus11z]

I try to get acupuncture every week. I have some lower back issues when I'm not careful about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it. Back issues are complements (or a sideshow manifestation of my irregular gait) of the MS.

The acupuncture is coupled with massage: he bends/twists/squeezes/rubs/manipulates and then sticks the needles in and then applies some electrical stimulation to 2 of the needles in my problem area.

Does it work? It does for me.

Good luck.

[90stangg]

I've been told to by pass any massages due to my DVT's (blood clots) history.

Tried Acupuncture, seen some help, not enough to justify the cost.

[misslux]

Massage seemed to help my spasticity but only temporarily. Daily stretching helps me more.

I can no longer stand any form of acute discomfort (thank you MS!) so no more massage.

Acupuncture did not make a difference to me. Also refer back to my acute discomfort point above.

[football-mom]

No massages for me. I have allodynia and just the thought of a massage is painful alone.

I did have a couple of accupuncture treatments that I did like. I would love to try a full course of them, but my insurance considers it to be experimental and won't cover it, and its about $75 per session. I'm RRMS.