Massage News Alert, March 2007

The internet and Google has revolutionised the way we search for information. It has lots of information, and sometimes it is difficult to filter out which one is useful for us, massage therapists and bodyworkers. I have frequently browsed through the net to find useful information, and have been starting to collect them, mostly  from reputable news service and scientific research findings. These are compiled in my Massage news page: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/news.htm
Although still lots of skepticism on complementary and alternative medicine and therapies, more and more scientific findings have emerged to show their efficacy.

This is our first attempt to bring you what's happening on the news by monthly email. I hope this can be useful and broaden our knowledge on the human body and complementary treatment. We sell massage books and DVDs, so there is a small ad section at the bottom of this page.

Of course, if you do not wish to receive email from us, please reply to this email with subject "Unsubscribe"

Happy reading and stay healthy from us at www.terrarosa.com.au

 

Australian Government provides $5m grant for CAM research

Complementary and alternative medicines and therapies (CAM) – a category that spans herbal, traditional and homeopathic medicines, vitamins, supplements, acupuncture, aromatherapy, naturopathy, and therapies that involve massage and manipulation – are hugely popular in Australia. More than half of us use some form of complementary medicine in any given year, and collectively spend more than $1.8 billion out of our own pockets on them.

Research into complementary and alternative medicine has often been less extensive and less rigorous than research into pharmaceutical medicines. The reasons are varied, ranging from greater difficulty in getting anyone to bankroll such research, to challenges in setting up the clinical trials themselves. The result has been that many doctors have been sceptical and reluctant to recommend alternative therapies, and often don't discuss them either. A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia last year found more than 53 per cent of South Australians who were taking complementary medicines were doing it without the knowledge of their doctor (MJA 2006;184:27-31).

In November the National Health and Medical Research Council (NMHRC), the federal government's peak funding body for medical research, allotted $5 million to investigate the use and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). Applications from research groups seeking a share of the money for specific projects close at the end of this month. See the NHMRC website http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/funding/types/granttype/strategic/cam.htm

But that $5 million is still dwarfed by funding by some other countries. Only about a third of Americans use complementary medicines, compared to 52 per cent of Australians, but the US has committed more than $US120 million annually for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine alone. Still, the $5 million grant is the first allocation of significant Australian taxpayer funds for CAM research. The NHMRC has also put CAM on its three-year strategic plan.

Source: The Australian 24 March 2007 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21434077-23289,00.html

 
 
Gel could treat back pain

 

A hi-tech gel could be used instead of major surgery to treat chronic lower back pain, according to a study. The gel contains tiny particles which swell and stiffen when injected into a damaged area. Tests on animals, reported in the journal Soft Matter, showed it was able to repair the discs that provide a cushion between the bones of the spine. See the article: http://www.rsc.org/publishing/journals/SM/article.asp?doi=b613943d

Our approach has the advantage of restoring spinal mobility whereas spinal fusion surgery results in a significant loss of mobility at the fused and adjacent discs Professor Tony Freemont University of Manchester. It offers a potential alternative to spinal fusion surgery, a technique in which the bones of the spine - the vertebrae - are fused together to reduce pain by eliminating motion in the affected area.

 

The micro gel particles the research team have developed are like "smart sponges" when dispersed in water. The material is a fluid with a low pH - indicating a high level of acidity - and can be injected through a syringe. However, at the higher pH found in the body it changes to a stiff gel because of the absorption of water. In tests, the researchers injected the gel into a damaged disc taken from a pig, and increased pH to levels similar to those found in the body by injecting alkaline solution.

Source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6466827.stm

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/index.htm?id=107437

Soft Matter Journal. A study of pH-responsive microgel dispersions: from fluid-to-gel transitions to mechanical property restoration for load-bearing tissue http://www.rsc.org/publishing/journals/SM/article.asp?doi=b613943d

 

Questionable Benefits of disk surgery

The evidence that a diskectomy's (surgery to remove the herniated disk to relieve pressure on an nerve root) worth doing is thin. A trial which randomised people with back pain and sciatica for at least six weeks and a proven protruding disk - to either surgery or usual care, failed to find much in the way of benefits.
The average age of the 500 mostly men involved was 42. The trial was disappointing because many changed their mind and crossed to the other group – in both directions. But allowing for that, everyone improved significantly with few differences between surgery and non-surgical treatments apart from some greater reductions in the severity of sciatica.

For Reference:
- Weinstein JN et al. Surgical vs nonoperative treatment for lumbar disk herniation. A randomized trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 2006;296:2441-2450
- Weinstein JN et al. Surgical vs nonoperative treatment for lumbar disk herniation. Observational cohort. Journal of the American Medical Association 2007;296:2451-2459
- http://www.spine-inc.com

 Source: http://www.abc.net.au/health/minutes/stories/s1873344.htm

 

Best Treatment for Tennis Elbow

The researchers at Physiotherapy School of the University Queensland investigated what therapy is best for this condition. The studies involved three ways of treating tennis elbow. The study involves 198 participants aged 18 to 65 years with a clinical diagnosis of tennis elbow of a minimum six weeks' duration, who had not received any other active treatment by a health practitioner in the previous six months. The three treatments are:  Eight sessions of physiotherapy; corticosteroid injections; wait and see. Physio treatment involves a specific elbow manipulation with a gentle mobilisation with movement. The outcome measures are global improvement, grip force, and assessor's rating of severity measured at baseline, six weeks, and 52 weeks. The results showed that the steroid injection is superior in the first three to six weeks but not after that, and that there's a significantly greater recurrence rate - somewhere around 72% of people said they were good at six weeks were no good in the remaining time out to twelve months. The physiotherapy group was as good as the injection at six weeks and far better than doing nothing or the wait and see group and was much better after three months than the corticosteroid injection group. But the wait and see group catches up with the physio group out at around about three months and on, so three to six months physiotherapy is no more superior than wait and see. The recovery rate of the "wait and see" at twelve months is about 70% to 80%.

The advice to people from Dr. Bill Vincenzino is "rest it, see how it goes in three months, if it hasn't resolved by then you're probably one of those in the category where you could be that 20% to 30% that are not going to get better. Well then, I would recommend they have some physiotherapy at that stage and I don't think there's much evidence for steroid injections until a really good attempt has been made at the wait and see approach plus sensible physiotherapy. And if that's failed well then you're looking at some quite drastic invasive measures like injections and possibly surgery."

Source:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/healthreport/stories/2006/1804339.htm
Bisset L et al. Mobilisation with movement and exercise, corticosteroid injection, or wait and see for tennis elbow: randomised trial. British Medical Journal, 4 November, 2006;333:939-941.


Treatment for Plantar Fasciitis

Proximal plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Researchers in the U.S. led by Dr. Ben DiGiovanni suggest that a  plantar fascia-specific stretching exercise is proving quite effective to help treat and potentially cure plantar fasciitis.Eighty-two patients with chronic proximal plantar fasciitis for a duration of more than ten months completed a randomized, prospective clinical trial. The patients received instructions for either a plantar fascia-stretching protocol or an Achilles tendon-stretching protocol and were evaluated after eight weeks. The results showed substantial differences in favor of the group managed with the plantar fascia-stretching program.

The stretch is as follows:

The stretch requires patients to sit with one leg crossed over the other, so if it's your right foot you put the right foot and ankle over your left knee. Using your right hand, pull up on your toes - grab just the toes, not the ball of the foot, pull it up towards your shin and towards your knee. Using the other hand, feel the mid arch of the foot (like guitar strings). After a count of 10 let go of the stretch, pull the toes again and feel the stretch. This exercise is repeated 10 times, and performed at least three times a day, with main acivity before taking the first step in the morning and before standing after a prolonged period of sitting or any time you've been less active.

The study was continued with a two-year follow-up, results showed marked improvement for all patients after implementation of the plantar fascia-stretching exercises, with an especially high rate of improvement for those in the original group treated with the Achilles tendon-stretching program. In contrast to the eight-week results, the two-year results showed no significant differences between the groups with regard to the worst pain or pain with first steps in the morning. Descriptive analysis of the data showed that 92% (sixty-one) of the sixty-six patients reported total satisfaction or satisfaction with minor reservations.

Source:


 

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New DVDs from www.terrarosa.com.au

Positional Release

This comprehensive DVD shows how to release the most common dysfunctions with positional release techniques (PRT). This DVD is produced by Real Bodywork which is well known for its clarity and quality, it contains almost 3 hours of information, with instructor Diana Hayes. It contains 33 chapters, 59 releases, almost 3 hours of information, and great for hyper sensitive areas. For more details see: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/position.htm


Sports Massage

This comprehensive DVD is produced by Real Bodywork, it includes more than two hours of techniques detailing 13 sessions and 10 injuries that will give you the tools to work with runners, cyclists, swimmers, tennis players and other athletes. Learn about the physiological principles that govern sports massage and the differences between each sport. The 13 sessions include a pre-event massage for runners, an inter-event massage for tennis players, and a post-event session for cyclists. The next sessions are detailed sequences for the following injuries: plantar fasciitis, shin splints, ITB syndrome, hamstring strain, neck pain, back pain, ankle sprains, patellar tendonitis, tennis elbow and the rotator cuff. Each session is a complete treatment protocol that will help to keep your athlete in top shape, recover from injuries, and improve their performance. This DVD also includes information on stretches, sport psychology, diet, and how to set up a massage station at a sporting event. For more details see: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/sports_real.htm


Chair Massage

This beautiful program will teach you over 50 techniques that you can incorporate into a 10, 15, or 30 minutes chair massage. Covers advanced techniques and foundational material such as chair setup, body mechanics, communication, the business of chair massage, how to adapt your sequence, and marketing. Many of the techniques are supported by anatomical graphics that make learning easy. After you have mastered the techniques, we have included a timed 15 minute session so you can master the art of timing as well- sometimes the most difficult part of chair massage. This DVD is 1.5 hours long produced by Real Bodywork with instructor Diana Hayes. For more details see:http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/chair.htm

 
Orthopedic Massage

Orthopaedics or Orthopedics (US) according to the Oxford dictionary is "branch of medicine dealing with the correction of diseased, deformed or injured bones and muscles". This DVD series present the "Cutting Edge" in Orthopedic Massage Training for the treatment of Chronic Pain and Sports Injuries. This series show you techniques to release Complicated Pain Conditions immediately... with permanent results by an international lecturer & author: James Waslaski. These incredibly powerful techniques are taught in James Waslaski's seminars in the US and around the world.  They have been professionally edited in a studio using four camera angles and insertions of "cadaver dissections" into windows throughout each video to match the proper technique with the specific pathology of each condition for immediate and permanent results. There are 6 DVDs in his series dealing with assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation program for injuries: Lower extremity, Upper extremity, Lower back pain, Thoracic Outlet & Frozen Shoulder, Cervical problems, and Isolated Stretching. For more details, see: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/real/orthopedic.htm

Integrative Fascial Release

This Series presents Steven Goldstein, the founder of Integrative Fascial Release.  Fascial release is a unique blend of myofascial release techniques: autonomic, mechanical, and movement methods. The techniques include: Assess soft tissue & range of motion restrictions, Myofascial release of restrictions, Awareness exercises, Golgi Tendon Organ approach, with Pin & Shift technique, PRT, MET, and Deep tissue stripping. The first DVD is on SI Joint Dysfunction Treatment and Lower back Pain.
The Second DVD is on Treating Headcahe & Neck Pain . Steven Goldstein discusses and demonstrates effective release techniques that address both a global and local perspectives for the anterior and posterior neck. Assessment includes OA Occipital Atlanto & AA Atlanto-Axial ROM, Special tests for tension headache. Techniques will specifically address sub-occipital musculature: rectus capitis posterior major & minor, oblique capitis superior & inferior. Releases for the anterior throat region that includes Suprahyoid & Infrahyoid musculature will also be covered. Additional approaches utilises Integrated Fascia Release technique, positional release technique PRT, muscle energy technique MET, and craniosacral techniques that address fundamental releases for cervical restrictions. For  more details see:  http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/ifr.htm

 

Massage Tools

Thumbsavers(R) is an affordable massage tool that assists therapists by providing support and reducing the stress on your joints and wrists from deeper tissue massages, while protecting your most valuable commodity: your thumbs & hands! Thumbsavers is so unique that it cannot be called a "tool" because your thumbs and fingers are actually inside them. Find out more: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/tools/thumbs.htm


 

New Books

Fascial and Membrane Technique. A manual for comprehensive treatment of the connective tissue system. by Peter Schwind, PhD

The Fascial and Membrane Technique developed by Peter Schwind combines the fundamental thoughts from Ida Rolf´s Structural Integration with concepts of Osteopathy. With this a successful combination of form-stabilising and mobilising techniques has emerged. Due to this holistic approach the concept will appeal to all manual working therapists. The main emphasis of this book is on diagnostic and treatment of the breathing patterns manifest in the myofascial system; minimalistic as well as global application joint techniques; visceral techniques in the myofascial context; and special treatment techniques in the craniosacral area, eg for mandibular joint dysfunction, care of the upper jaw after implants and for the after effects of a whiplash injury. For more details, see: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/dtm3.htm

 
The Fasciae: Anatomy, Dysfunction and Treatment  by Serge Paoletti

The fasciae comprise a wide variety of body tissues including the membranes, ligaments, tendons, and mesenteries. These tissues are all derived from the mesoderm, which undergoes coiling or rolling movements during embryonic development. This is the origin of the inherent micro-movements, or motility, that are so important in many osteopathic approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
The Fasciae is the first book to organize the wealth of available information concerning fascial tissues from the fields of embryology, anatomy, histology, and pathology. It describes the roles and mechanisms of the fasciae, and details appropriate testing and treatment techniques. The book is richly illustrated with 157 colour and black and white drawings throughout.
CONTENTS * Embryology * Anatomy of the Fasciae * Connective Tissue Anatomy at the Microscopic Level * Fascial Pathology * The Roles of the Fasciae * Fascial Mechanics * Fascial Tests * Treating the Fasciae. For more details, see: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/dtm3.htm