Massage and other complementary therapies have been shown to alleviate the pain associated with arthritis. New research shows that some cases of adult-onset arthritis may be connected to childhood physical abuse.
According to a press release from the University of Toronto, where the research was conducted, Adults who had experienced physical abuse as children have 56 per cent higher odds of osteoarthritis compared to those who have not been abused.
Osteoarthritis is an often debilitating chronic condition that affects millions of adults. “We found that 10.2 per cent of those with osteoarthritis reported they had been physically abused as children in comparison to 6.5 per cent of those without osteoarthritis,” says lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson of U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and Department of Family and Community Medicine. “This study provides further support for the need to investigate the possible role that childhood abuse plays in the development of chronic illness.”
The study is published in the November issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research.
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