Massage will not "cure" inflammation and can most certainly aggrevate acute situations.
Massage CAN help to relax surrounding musculature and reduce swelling within an area. As many of my colleagues have mentioned already, massage is contraindicated for acute injuries, lacerations, fevers....basically any condition in which the body is "guarding" an area for a reason.
When trying to address an inflammatory response, it is important to understand what is the underlying cause of the inflammation. The body's inflammatory response is a good thing, it is the body attempting to isolate an injury and increase circulation that will bring an immune system response to aid the area in immediate healing. For more information on inflammation and specific inflammatory condition, check out WebMD - it is pretty simplified, but I think helpful:
http://arthritis.webmd.com/about-inflammation