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A Sampling of CAM Therapies and Philosophies
Published in Lillian R. Brazin, The Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the Internet, 2020
According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), this is manual soft-tissue manipulation. It includes holding, causing movement, and/or applying pressure to the body. Massage therapy stimulates muscle tissue, creating blood flow through key areas of the body. The increased blood flow is said to help the muscles regenerate. American Massage Therapy Association<http://www.amtamassage.org>
Massage Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
Published in Michael S. Margoles, Richard Weiner, Chronic PAIN, 2019
Massage therapy reduces muscle spasms, helping the tissues to relearn their resting length or intended pattern. This is accomplished by a variety of muscle manipulations called “strokes.” An oil or lotion is used on the therapist’s hands to prevent irritation to the patient’s skin. The quality of the painful tissue is first assessed. It may be ropey (fibers stretched lengthwise), knotted (small lumps), grainy (as if containing sand), or armored (thick and unyielding). Once this is determined, appropriate strokes are used to soften and lengthen the fibers, thereby helping restore them to a smooth and elastic state.
Management of chronic myofascial pain: finding common ground
Published in Kirsti Malterud, Steinar Hunskaar, Chronic Myofascial Pain, 2018
Kirsti Malterud, Steinar Hunskaar
Massage therapy may be both an appropriate and useful treatment for CMP as well as for medically unexplained disorders. Massage therapy has a direct effect of promoting lengthening of contracted and tensed muscles, with an immediate, resulting relaxation both at the local and general body level. Repeated treatments within a short period, such as four to eight weeks, offer the possibility of maintaining these gains from one treatment to the next, and decreasing overall pain over time. Massage therapy also promotes whole-body relaxation that is often unavailable to people with chronic pain syndromes. Such relaxation promotes better sleep, helping to break the cycle of pain and sleeplessness. Massage therapy addresses the place that hurts. The therapist touches the pain. The importance of touch itself in healing, though infrequently studied, cannot be overestimated. For some chronic pain patients, especially women, massage may be the only form of non-sexual, non-abusive touch in their life. For patients who have suffered prior physical abuse either as children or adults, chronic pain may directly and indirectly relate to the injuries and fear and tension associated with those injuries. Massage therapy may address such’body memories’.
Clinical relevance of massage therapy and abdominal hypopressive gymnastics on chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial
Published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2022
Lorena Bellido-Fernández, José-Jesús Jiménez-Rejano, Raquel Chillón-Martínez, Almudena Lorenzo-Muñoz, Elena Pinero-Pinto, Manuel Rebollo-Salas
Massage is one of the oldest passive treatments: It seeks normalisation and global balance of the individual [4,8]. Massage therapy (MT) stimulates tissue regeneration and reduces pain levels [8,9]. This technique improves the circulatory, muscular, and nervous systems [10,11]. Concurrently, exercise therapy is currently gaining ground because of its effectiveness in clinical and scientific practice [3,12], but there is no clear evidence of a specific protocol [13]. One outstanding technique is Abdominal Hypopressive Gymnastics (AHG). It involves postural exercises that provide a decrease in pressure in the abdominal, perineal [14], and thoracic cavities [15,16]. Abdominal hypopressive gymnastics is a postural educational technique that teaches correct breathing and posture [15]. It provides benefits such as strengthening the abdominal muscles, rearranging the body posture, and increasing flexibility of the lumbar spine and the ischiotibial muscles [6,17,18]. Further, there is insufficient evidence that the addition of massage to an exercise program provides short-term relief of pain (Grade of Recommendation: I) [7].
Interventions for developmental delays in children born to HIV-infected mothers: a systematic review
Published in AIDS Care, 2019
Megan Song McHenry, Carole Ian McAteer, Eren Oyungu, Andrew Roland Deathe, Rachel Christine Vreeman
Two studies focused on massage therapy. One study in the United States only performed the intervention on neonates born to HIV-infected mothers for the first 10 days after birth (Scafidi & Field, 1996). The authors found that the intervention group scored higher compared to the control group in multiple sub-scales of the Brazelton neonatal assessment, including habituation (p = 0.01), motor (p = 0.001), range of state (p = 0.05), autonomic stability scores (p = 0.003), excitability (p = 0.01), and stress behaviors (p = 0.004) (Scafidi & Field, 1996). The second study focused on infants born to HIV-infected mothers in South Africa and trained mothers to perform massage therapy daily to their infants between 6 weeks and 9 months of life (Perez et al., 2015). While the intervention group had higher scores in all sub-scales of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales, statistically significant differences were only found in the hearing and speech quotient (21.9 vs 11.2, p < 0.03) and the general quotient (19.3 vs 7.7, p = 0.03) (Perez et al., 2015). Neither study looked at follow-up beyond 9 months of life.
Effect of dry needling on myofascial pain syndrome of the quadratus femoris: A case report
Published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2018
The patient was diagnosed having a “hamstring strain” by his family doctor and was referred to physiotherapy and massage therapy, twice a week for 12 weeks, respectively. Physiotherapy consisted of taping, electrotherapy (thermotherapy, ultrasound, cold laser, transcutanoeus electrical nerve stimulation), manual therapy (mobilization, high velocity thrust), and exercise therapy (stretching, eccentric strengthening of hamstrings, and motor control exercises for the lumbo-pelvic region). Massage therapy consisted of a “deep tissue release” focused on his hamstrings, piriformis, gluteal, and back muscles. As the patient did not notice any improvements, he was referred to a chiropractor, who performed “pelvic adjustments,” twice a week for eight sessions. Since then, he noted worsening of his symptoms and was currently seeking a second opinion for his pain.