Yellowknife (Oct 20/04) - Marianne Wasylycia peels the warm wax from her client's hand -- one of the treatments massage therapists can use to treat people with arthritis.

"It's not something we can change," said Wasylycia, president of the NWT Massage Therapists Association.

"The intent of the massage becomes decreasing pain, maintaining mobility and maintaining function."

This week is National Massage Therapy Awareness week and the theme is Living Well with Arthritis.

Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain and swelling. The most common types are rheumatoid arthritis - in which the body's own immune system attack the joints - and osteoarthritis, which is often caused by an injury to a joint.

"My father was a miner and he got arthritis in his hip because he used to carry the battery for his helmet lamp on his hip," said Wasylycia.

She said massage treatments that help arthritis vary widely based on many factors, such as the type of arthritis, the place on the body, the person's age and activity level.

Different treatments

Hot wax treatment is effective for osteoarthritis, but would never be used for rheumatoid arthritis.

"Somebody with rheumatoid arthritis, the treatments have to be shortened because if you overwork it, it causes a flare-up," said Wasylycia.

Arthritis sufferers and their caregivers can join the Yellowknife Arthritis support group. The group meets on the first Thursday of every month to discuss treatments and share experiences.

The support group tries to share information with new arthritis patients, who often don't know that they may be able to get their employers to pay for medically-necessary massage therapy. Some aboriginals may also be able to get coverage under their Treaty entitlements if the arthritis is severe enough.

Aboriginal people in Canada have a higher rate of arthritis, 19 per cent, compared to 16 per cent of the general population, said a Statistics Canada report.

Arthritis is the most prevalent chronic condition in the aboriginal population.