A new Mayo Clinic study shows that massage therapy decreases pain levels for patients after heart surgery. During a five-month period in 2005, 58 patients undergoing surgery participated in a pilot study to examine the effect of massage on pain after surgery. Of the 30 who received massage, the mean pain scores were less than 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as the most painful. Before the massage therapy, these patients rated their pain at an average of 3 on a 10-point scale.

Full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071031134336.htm