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Our e-magazine has received a warm welcome from you guys, thanks for your support. And now we are back to the usual. We got great news for you this month ... Performing massage can set a world record. Check out the news on the largest foot massage in Taiwan..also beware of wearing flips flops...and more benefits from massage ...

Check out our new DVD on BodyReading by Tom Myers. This exceptional DVD is definitely a must for structural bodywork. Also a new Nerve Mobilization DVD for the back, a great work on how to assess and treat anyone with back pain, or any nerve pain down their leg.

Poster .. Poster we got a range of poster and you can get a poster for just $2... Yes... Buy any of the Real Bodywork DVD and you can get a lovely poster (Reflexology or Lymphatic Drainage) for just $2.... yes, what a bargain. Note this only applies to DVDs produced by Real Bodywork. Check it out here http://www.terrarosa.com.au/sp_a.htm

This newsletter is our attempt to bring you what's happening in the latest research and news on massage related issues. We sell massage videos and books so the advert is at the end of this page. Archive of our past news can be found at http://www.massage-research.com/blog/ You can search for and comment on articles. We don't just sell DVDs, we provide you with the latest information. Happy reading and stay healthy… from us at www.terrarosa.com.au

Smokers and Lower Back Pain

Smokers suffer more chronic back pain. This was the result of the analysis of a questionnaire performed by Monique Zimmermann-Stenzel and her colleagues and published in the Deutsches Ärzteblatt International In 2003, the Robert Koch Institute interviewed more than 8000 private persons in the course of a telephone health survey in Germany. This included questions on social and demographic themes, as well as health and life style. On the basis of the collected data, the authors examined whether there was an association between smoking and chronic back pain.

Their evaluation showed that smokers or former smokers suffer chronic back pain much more often than do non-smokers. The number of years the subjects had been smoking or had smoked was decisive. Subjects who had consumed tobacco for more than 16 years had a two-fold greater probability of suffering chronic back pain than subjects who had smoked for less than 10 years. The probability of back pain was further multiplied for subjects who had smoked for longer than 26 years. On the other hand, the frequency with which the subjects consumed tobacco and the quantities smoked did not play a role.

However, the authors pointed out that tobacco consumption does not necessarily cause chronic back pain. It is just as possible that people with chronic back pain smoke to alleviate the pain. The exact association between smoking and back pain will have to be clarified in appropriate studies. These could offer additional possibilities to prevent chronic back pain or smoking motivated by this.

(Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2008; 105[24]: 441-8) http://www.aerzteblatt.de/v4/archiv/pdf.asp?id=60552

Massage reduces stress among oncology patients

A study was conducted to assess the impact of a Swedish massage intervention on oncology patients’ perceived level of distress. Each patient’s distress level was measured using 4 distinct dimensions: pain, physical discomfort, emotional discomfort, and fatigue. A total of 251 oncology patients volunteered to participate in this nonrandomized single-group pre- and post design study for over a 3-year period at a university hospital setting in southeastern Georgia.

The analysis found a statistically significant reduction in patient-reported distress for all 4 measures: pain, physical discomfort, emotional discomfort, and fatigue. This reduction in patient distress was observed regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, or cancer type. These results lend support for the inclusion of a complementary massage therapy program for hospitalized oncology patients as a means of enhancing their course of treatment.

Currin, Jennifer LMSW, OSW-C; Meister, Edward Anton PhD. A Hospital-based Intervention Using Massage to Reduce Distress Among Oncology Patients. Cancer Nursing. 31(3):214-221, May/June 2008.

Get up and Stretch

Attention office workers, couch potatoes, and other sedentary people: reduce your time spent sitting by getting up and using your muscles more regularly throughout the day, says Dr. Genevieve N. Healy. Breaks from sedentary activity appear to complement the health benefits gleaned from other types of physical activity. Moreover, Healy told Reuters Health, “a break could be as simple and light in intensity as standing and stretching.”

Healy, from the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia, and colleagues measured the non-sleeping sedentary and active time of 168 Australian adults to determine whether taking breaks might impact their weight and metabolism. The subjects were participants in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle study, but did not have diabetes.

This healthy group, who ranged in age from 30 to 87 years, kept an activity diary and wore an accelerometer during all waking hours for 7 days, the researchers report in Diabetes Care. The accelerometer, worn firmly around the trunk, measured the duration, type, and intensity of physical activity in counts per minute.

The researchers considered accelerometer counts of less than 100 per minute as sedentary periods, and counts of 100 or greater as active time. Light-intensity activity was from 100 to 1951 per minute and counts more than 1951 were periods of moderate-to-vigorous activity.

Overall, participants spent 57, 39, and 4 percent of their waking hours in sedentary, light-intensity, and moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity, respectively. On average, their breaks lasted less than 5 minutes, with accelerometer counts of 514 per minute.

They found that the number of breaks from sedentary activity positively correlated with lower waist circumference, lower triglycerides, and lower 2-plasma glucose scores.

Further studies should examine the physiological and metabolic responses in larger groups of people during prolonged periods of sitting and regular interruptions with short bouts of activity, Healy added.

http://prelive.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23516594-36398,00.html

Flip flops can cause sore feet

Auburn University researchers have found that wearing thong-style flip-flops can result in sore feet, ankles and legs. The research team, led by biomechanics doctoral student Justin Shroyer, presented its findings at the recent annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis.

“We found that when people walk in flip-flops, they alter their gait, which can result in problems and pain from the foot up into the hips and lower back,” Shroyer said. “Variations like this at the foot can result in changes up the kinetic chain, which in this case can extend upward in the wearer’s body.”

The researchers, in the AU College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology, recruited 39 college-age men and women for the study. Participants, wearing thong-style flip-flops and then traditional athletic shoes, walked a platform that measured vertical force as the walkers’ feet hit the ground. In addition, a video camcorder measured stride length and limb angles.

Shroyer’s team found that flip-flop wearers took shorter steps and that their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when the same walkers wore athletic shoes. When wearing flip-flops, the study participants did not bring their toes up as much during the leg’s swing phase, resulting in a larger ankle angle and shorter stride length, possibly because they tended to grip the flip-flops with their toes.

Shroyer, who owns two pairs of flip-flops himself, said the research does not suggest that people should never wear flip-flops. They can be worn to provide short-term benefits such as helping beach-goers avoid sandy shoes or giving athletes post-game relief from their athletic shoes, but are not designed to properly support the foot and ankle during all-day wear, and, like athletics shoes, should be replaced every three to four months.

World Record for Foot Massage

Taiwan set a World Record recently by arranging for 1008 people to have a foot massage (reflexology) simultaneously. The event was organized by the Taiwan tourism bureau and four Taiwan reflexology associations.
The years 2008 and 2009 had been designated as the “Tour Taiwan Years.” The Tourism Bureau has been planning a wide variety of exciting events and popular tourist attractions to draw more international visitors to Taiwan, and one of its new ideas is health care tourism.

Tourists who volunteered for the event came from various countries, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong etc. The tourists lied back on reclining chairs at the Taipei Area stadium for 40 minutes of foot massage, or reflexology treatment, given by 1,008 masseurs. Foot massage or Reflexology or also called "Rwo Shur" is popular in Taiwan. In large cities in Taiwan, there are many foot massage parlours which charge 500 Taiwan dollars (15 US dollars) for 50 minutes of foot massage. The previous world record stood at 200 reflexologists with the same number of tourists.

Effect of Healing Touch Therapy

Often, a gentle hand on your shoulder when you’re upset is all it takes to ease your mind and calm your nerves. Now, UC researchers are looking at a similar occurrence by pairing a complementary therapy known as Healing Touch with mild sedation to see if the technique truly calms patients undergoing minor procedures.

Healing Touch is a series of techniques that balance energy for wholeness within a person’s body, mind and soul. It is an energy therapy that can be used in conjunction with other traditional medical treatments. Nathan Schmulewitz, MD, the lead author of this investigator-initiated study and assistant professor of digestive diseases, says people undergoing procedures often have problems falling asleep because of anxiety. Schmulewitz specializes in endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), a technique for imaging and accessing deep structures in the chest and abdomen which are near the GI tract. EUS is used as a screening tool for cancer or other suspicious polyps. He says if a patient is unable to fall asleep with intravenous sedation, it might be necessary to use stronger anesthesia which is expensive and not often covered by insurance companies. “In addition, stronger sedation can prolong recovery for the patient and can cause slight amnesia following the procedure,” Schmulewitz says.

This study is looking at whether coupling Healing Touch with mild sedation prior to an EUS procedure can help relax patients, avoiding problems with anesthesia and making the procedure run more smoothly. Judy Bowers, a nurse at University Hospital, Healing Touch practitioner and co-author of the study, has been doing this therapy for about seven years and has administered it to over 40 patients involved in this study. “By restoring balance within the energy system, you create an optimal environment for healing,” Bowers says. “This is complementary medicine, not alternative medicine, so it can be easily incorporated in a medical model.”

Although there are many healing touch therapies, this study is only looking at three: the Chakra Connection, which facilitates movement of energy from one energy center to another, Magnetic Clearing, which clears the field of congested energy, and Mind Clearing, which involves a light touch on the face, head and neck. As part of the study, a third party calls the patient two days after the procedure to ask a number of questions about how Healing Touch affected the patient during the EUS and recovery.

The results are being analyzed, but Bowers says she’s observed some fairly positive responses. “Some of the patients are asleep before they even receive the intravenous sedation,” she says, noting that she stays with patients throughout the procedure in order to continue sharing her energy with them and maintaining the balance.

Schmulewitz says if the results are positive, this could be an inexpensive, effective way to reduce costs and improve care at University Hospital. “It will be a fairly easy way to enhance patient care with acceptable and specific means and without increased risk of injury,” he says.

Knee injuries, among the most economically costly sports injuries, are the leading cause of high school sports-related surgeries according to a study conducted at the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and published in the June issue of The American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The researchers utilized data from the High School RIOTM online injury surveillance system which collects injury reports for nine high school sports from certified athletic trainers at 100 U.S. high schools selected to achieve a nationally representative sample. Data are collected for boys' football, soccer, basketball, baseball and wrestling and girls' soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball.

The knee was the second most frequently injured body site overall, with boys' football and wrestling and girls' soccer and basketball recording the highest rates of knee injury. The most common knee injuries were incomplete ligament tears, contusions, complete ligament tears, torn cartilage, fractures/dislocations and muscle tears.

"Knee injuries in high school athletes are a significant area for concern," said Dawn Comstock, PhD, CIRP principal investigator, faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and one of the study authors. "Knee injuries accounted for nearly 45 percent of all sports injury-related surgeries in our study. Knee surgeries are often costly procedures that can require extensive and expensive post-surgery rehabilitation and can increase risk for early onset osteoarthritis. Without effective interventions, the burden of knee surgeries and rehabilitation will continue to escalate as the number of high school athletes continues to grow."

Researchers also found several interesting gender patterns. For example, while boys had a higher overall rate of knee injury, girls' knee injuries were more severe. Girls were more likely to miss > 3 weeks of sports activity (as opposed to <1 week for boys) and were twice as likely to require surgery. Girls were also found to be twice as likely to incur major knee injuries as a result of non-contact mechanisms, often involving landing, jumping or pivoting.

"Parents of young female athletes should not overreact to these findings however," warned Comstock. "The long term negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle far outweigh those of the vast majority of sports injuries." The study also identified illegal sports activity as a risk factor for major knee injury in high school sports. Although illegal play was identified as a contributing factor in only 5.7 percent of all knee injuries, 20 percent of knee injuries resulting from illegal play required surgery. This finding suggests the importance of making it clear to athletes, parents, coaches, and officials that illegal play has the potential to cause serious injury.