Massage News Update - September 2009
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Dear Bodyworkers,
We recently interviewed a massage and bodywork school in Italy, and we found an interesting story there. Do you that in Italy there is no formal recognition for massage schools and colleges. That also mean that if you want to be formally recognised as a therapist, you need to study university courses, such as physiotherapy. Read more here
A recent study on reflexology published in the Medical Journal of Australia concluded that the best evidence available to date does not demonstrate that reflexology is an effective treatment for any medical condition. This is another one of the reviews that we frequently encounter. Will this discourage or disprove anything? I said no. As one of our readers said: "we never being taught or claimed that any form of massage is used as "treatment" of a medical condition. Having said that - I have had some amazing results with Reflexology. Proof is in the follow-up calls with clients. Whether it is psychological or physiological - if it has a positive result - that's a good thing."
We will be at the AMT National Conference, 24-25 October 2009 in Sydney, give us a visit if you are there. Great news! Art Riggs, author of best selling Deep Tissue Massage Manual & DVD, has confirmed that he will be visiting Sydney and NZ next year. He will share his experiences in classes. So check it in our upcoming events news.
This newsletter brings 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
Inside this issue:
Debate over Reflexology
Knee Injuries May Start With Strain On The Brain, Not The Muscles
Acupuncture affects brain’s ability to regulate pain
Weak hips may lead to runners’ lower-leg injuries
Cross-fiber massage enhance ligament injuries healing
Effects of massage on fat mass
Massage helps patients with breast cancer
Also Inside this issue:
Debate over Reflexology
A debate over the merits of reflexology has been triggered by a new report on the effectiveness of the practice. The report, by UK complementary medicine expert Dr Edzard Ernst of the Peninsula Medical Stool is published this week in the Medical Journal of Australia. Reflexology involves applying pressure to various parts of the foot or hands, which is said to have a beneficial effect on other parts of the body. Ernst searched six databases and found 217 trials on reflexology, of which only 18 randomised controlled trials were considered good enough to be analysed. Of these 18 trials, only five yielded positive results, says Ernst. “Most of the higher-quality trials did not generate positive findings,” he says. “The best evidence available to date does not demonstrate convincingly that reflexology is an effective treatment for any medical condition.” Ernst says proponents of reflexology argue the method is risk free but he argues it could be “life-threatening” if patients relied on it to treat a serious condition. “There is little doubt that a foot massage is pleasantly relaxing, however specific medical claims should always be supported by sound evidence,” he says.
But Australian complementary medicine experts disagree on the interpretation of the evidence. Professor Marc Cohen of RMIT University in Melbourne says claims that reflexology can be “life threatening” are “a bit dramatic”. “Getting a foot massage is not very risky. You’re not going to get infection, you’re not going to get anaphylaxis, you’re not going to get interactions with other drugs,” he says. But Cohen says people shouldn’t use reflexology on its own without other healthcare. If they did, he says, it would be their behaviour, not the modality itself that could be risky. Cohen says the evidence was inadequate to draw conclusions because the 18 trials analysed covered such a very broad range of conditions and only four conditions had more than one trial. “I think it’s very difficult for a review of this sort to make any conclusions about reflexology for any specific treatment,” he says.
Knee Injuries May Start With Strain On The Brain, Not The Muscles
New research shows that training your brain may be just as effective as training your muscles in preventing ACL knee injuries, and suggests a shift from performance-based to prevention-based athletic training programs. The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the four major ligaments of the knee, and ACL injuries pose a rising public health problem as well as an economic strain on the medical system.
University of Michigan researchers studying ACL injuries had subjects perform one-legged squats to fatigue, then tested the reactions to various jumping and movement commands. Researchers found that both legs—not just the fatigued leg—showed equally dangerous and potentially injurious responses, said Scott McLean, assistant professor with the U-M School of Kinesiology. The fatigued subjects showed significant potentially harmful changes in lower body movements that, when preformed improperly, can cause ACL tears.
“These findings suggest that training the central control process—the brain and reflexive responses—may be necessary to counter the fatigue induced ACL injury risk,” said McLean, who also has an appointment with the U-M Bone & Joint Injury Prevention Center.
McLean says that most research and prevention of ACL injuries focuses below the waist in a controlled lab setting, but the U-M approach looks a bit north and attempts to untangle the brain’s role in movements in a random, realistic and complex sports environments.
The findings could have big implications for training programs, McLean said. Mental imagery or virtual reality technology can immerse athletes to very complex athletic scenarios, thus teaching rapid decision making. It might also be possible to train “hard wired” spinal control mechanisms to combat fatigue fallout.
In a related paper, McLean’s group again tested the single leg landings of 13 men and 13 women after working the legs to fatigue. While both men and women suffer an epidemic of ACL injuries, women are two to eight times likelier to tear this ligament than men while playing the same sport. However, the study showed that men and women showed significant changes in lower limb mechanics during unanticipated single leg landings. Again, the findings point to the brain, McLean says.
During testing, a flashing light cued the subjects to jump in a certain direction, and the more fatigued the subjects became, the less likely they were able to react quickly and safely to the unexpected command.
The research suggests that training the brain to respond to unexpected stimuli, thus sharpening their anticipatory skills when faced with unexpected scenarios, may be more beneficial than performing rote training exercises in a controlled lab setting, which is much less random than a true competitive scenario. In this case, expanding the anticipated training to include shorter stimulus-response times could improve reaction time in random sports settings.
“If you expose them to more scenarios, and train the brain to respond more rapidly, you can decrease the likelihood of a dangerous response,” he said. It’s analogous to how a seasoned stick shift driver versus a novice learner might both respond to a sudden stall. The inexperienced driver might make a slow or even incorrect decision.
Acupuncture affects brain’s ability to regulate pain
Acupuncture has been used in East-Asian medicine for thousands of years to treat pain, possibly by activating the body’s natural painkillers. But how it works at the cellular level is largely unknown. Using brain imaging, a University of Michigan study is the first to provide evidence that traditional Chinese acupuncture affects the brain’s long-term ability to regulate pain. The results appear online ahead of print in the September Journal of NeuroImage.
In the study, researchers at the U-M Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center showed acupuncture increased the binding availability of mu-opoid receptors (MOR) in regions of the brain that process and dampen pain signals – specifically the cingulate, insula, caudate, thalamus and amygdala.
Opioid painkillers, such as morphine, codeine and other medications, are thought to work by binding to these opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord.
“The increased binding availability of these receptors was associated with reductions in pain,” says Richard E. Harris, Ph.D., researcher at the U-M Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center and a research assistant professor of anesthesiology at the U-M Medical School.
One implication of this research is that patients with chronic pain treated with acupuncture might be more responsive to opioid medications since the receptors seem to have more binding availability, Harris says.
These findings could spur a new direction in the field of acupuncture research following recent controversy over large studies showing that sham acupuncture is as effective as real acupuncture in reducing chronic pain.
“Interestingly both acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups had similar reductions in clinical pain,” Harris says. “But the mechanisms leading to pain relief are distinctly different.”
The study participants included 20 women who had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, for at least a year, and experienced pain at least 50 percent of the time. During the study they agreed not to take any new medications for their fibromyalgia pain.
Weak hips may lead to runners’ lower-leg injuries
Weakness in the muscles that support the hips may be a common contributor to many overuse injuries in runners, a new research review suggests.
For most runners, overuse injuries occur at or below the knee — including chronic knee pain, shin splints, Achilles tendonitis and pain in the sole of the foot. The new study, a review of previous research findings published since 1980, found that weakness in the hip muscles may translate into a higher risk of these lower-leg injuries.
The findings are published in the journal Sports Health.
“The hip muscles are responsible for stabilizing the leg during running,” explained lead researcher Dr. Reed Ferber, of the University of Calgary. “If these muscles are weak, or become fatigued easily,” he told Reuters Health, “there is less control of the leg and the risk of injury increases.”
If, for example, the hip abductors — muscles at the outer hip — are weak, this allows the knee to roll too far inward, toward the midline of the body. That, Ferber explained, can set runners up for patellofemoral pain syndrome, which causes pain under and around the kneecap, or iliotibial band syndrome, where pain arises in the outside of the knee.
The implication, according to Ferber and his colleagues, is that strengthening the hip muscles could go a long way toward preventing or resolving many running injuries. It’s estimated that up to 70 percent of runners sustain an overuse injury each year, they note in the their report, and about half of those injuries occur in the knee.
In other research, Ferber and his colleagues have found that six weeks of hip-muscle training can alleviate pain from various running injuries in most patients. The researchers are currently studying whether such strength training also prevents overuse injuries.
Stretching the hip muscles is important for runners as well, according to Ferber. However, he said, studies indicate that strengthening the muscles may be much more important when it comes to reducing injury risk.
Cross-fiber massage enhance ligament injuries healing
Ligament injuries are common and significant clinical problems for which there are few established interventions. Cross-fibre massage represents an intervention that may mediate tissue-level healing following ligament injury. A controlled laboratory study was conducted to investigate the effects of instrument-assisted cross-fiber massage (IACFM) on tissue-level healing of knee medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries.
The lab. study used rodents for the study. Bilateral knee MCL injuries were created in 51 rodents, while 7 rodents were maintained as ligament-intact, control animals. IACFM was commenced 1 week following injury and introduced 3 sessions per week for 1 minute per session. IACFM was introduced unilaterally (IACFM-treated), with the contralateral, injured MCL serving as an internal control (nontreated). Thirty-one injured animals received 9 ACFM treatments, while the remaining 20 injured animals received 30 treatments. Ligament biomechanical properties and morphology were assessed at either 4 or 12 weeks postinjury.
The results showed that IACFM-treated ligaments were 43% stronger, 40% stiffer, and could absorb 57% more energy before failure than contralateral, injured, nontreated ligaments at 4 weeks postinjury. On histological and scanning electron microscopy assessment, IACFM-treated ligaments appeared to have improved collagen fiber bundle formation and orientation within the scar region than nontreated ligaments.
The study concluded that IACFM-accelerated ligament healing, possibly via favorable effects on collagen formation and organization, but had minimal effect on the final outcome of healing. These findings are clinically interesting, as there are few established interventions for ligament injuries, and IACFM is a simple and practical therapy technique.
Instrument-assisted cross-fiber massage accelerates knee ligament healing. Loghmani MT, Warden SJ. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2009 Jul;39(7):506-14.
Effects of massage on fat mass
Researchers from Faculty of Health Sciences Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Turkey evaluated the effectiveness of three different treatment techniques on fat mass and regional fat thickness of the patients with cellulites.
Sixty subjects were randomized into three groups. Group 1 (n= 20) treated with mechanical massage (MM), group 2 (n= 20) treated with manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) and group 3 (n= 20) treated with connective tissue manipulation (CTM) techniques. Subjects were evaluated by using standardized photographs, body composition analyzer (TBF 300) (body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), fat %, fat mass (FM), fat free mass (FFM), total body water (TBW)), circumference measurement from thigh, waist-hip ratio (WHR), fat thickness measurements from abdomen, suprailium and thigh regions with skin fold caliper.
The results showed that all groups had an improvement in thinning of the subcutaneous fat after the treatment. Thigh circumference decreased by an average of 0.5 cm in all groups and thigh fat thickness decreased 1.66 mm in Group 1, 2.21 mm in Group 2 and 3.03 mm in Group 3. Abdomen and suprailium fat thicknesses decreased 2.4 and 2.58 mm in Group 1, 1.78 and 2 mm in Group 2 and 1.23 and 0.64 mm in Group 3, respectively. The mean difference in waist-hip ratio was 0.1 cm in all groups.
The authors concluded that all the treatment techniques are effective in decreasing the regional fat values of the patients with cellulites.
Effects of mechanical massage, manual lymphatic drainage and connective tissue manipulation techniques on fat mass in women with cellulite. Volga B, Turkan A, Yesim B, Hulya K, Nevin E. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009 Jul 13.
Massage helps patients with breast cancer
Patients diagnosed with breast abnormalities or cancer reported that massage therapy helped them relax.
For “Value of massage therapy for patients in a breast clinic,” surveys were mailed to 63 patients who had a breast abnormality or a recent diagnosis of breast cancer and received complementary massage therapy at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, from February to April 2005. The research was reported by PubMed.
Thirty-five patients responded (56 percent response rate). All participants felt that massage therapy was effective in helping them relax, and 34 felt that it was very or somewhat effective in reducing muscle tension.
“More than 75 percent reported that massage therapy was effective in reducing fatigue, creating a general feeling of wellness, and improving sleep quality and their ability to think clearly,” the authors, from the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Breast Clinic, Mayo Clinic, noted. “Although this study was small, the findings show that massage therapy may help patients with breast disease relax and feel better overall.”
Lomi Lomi Workshop with Carrie Rowell :
North Curl Curl, Sydney, 24-27 September 2009,
Byron Bay, September 14-17 2009
New Plymouth, New Zealand ,October 9-11 2009
AAMT approved for 20 CPE points. http://www.terrarosa.com.au/articles/lomi.htm
The 2nd International Fascia Research Congress, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 27-30 October 2009. http://www.fasciacongress.org/2009/
AMT National Conference, 24-25 October 2009, Novotel Brighton Le Sands,
Sydney. We will be there, give us a visit. More info:
http://www.amt-ltd.org.au/
World Massage Conference, 12-17 November 2009.
AAMT National Conference, 21-13 May 2010, Sydney with Whitney Lowe as Keynote. http://www.aamt.com.au/page.php?pgname=Conf10Announce
Art Riggs' Deep Tissue Massage Workshop. Sydney & New Zealand, October 2010. Class size is limited. To register your interest, email: terrarosa@gmail.com. The preliminary schedule is:
Sydney:
Fundamentals of Touch: 22, 23, 24 October 2010
Integrated Deep Tissue Massage: 26,27 October 2010
Second class (Advanced Integrated body) : 18, 19, 20, 21 Nov 2010
New Zealand:
Fundamentals of Touch: 6,7,8 November 2010
More details:
http://www.terrarosa.com.au/articles/art_riggs.htm
FLOAT ON A CLOUD WITHIN 30 SECONDS! Contoured headrest to let you relax your neck, head & shoulder. The REAL-EaSE is the most advanced and comfortable neck support available today. The product is so unique that it has a U.S. patent. Imagine surrendering the weight of your head into a massage therapist’s healing hands, while the muscles in your neck, shoulders and face completely relax. This is just what the REAL-EaSE can accomplish for you. Find out more
Gunther von Hagen's Back... And This Time He's Trying To Save Lives. From the creator of Anatomy for Beginners, Dr Gunther von Hagens presents his third series of lectures. First he dissected human bodies to show you how they work. Next he did it to show you how they die. Now he's going to show you how to save them. In these master classes, von Hagens recreates serious injuries on human bodies to reveal just what happens to the body when faced with assaults or accidents and to show what doctors, nurses and first-aiders can do, working against the clock, to try to preserve life.
Learn the ancient art of Thai Massage with master instructor, Richard Gold. This beautifully filmed DVD features over 3 hours of instruction and over 170 detailed techniques. Each technique is clearly demonstrated showing proper alignment, positioning and proper body mechanics so that pressure can be applied effectively and effortlessly. This DVD includes traditional Thai stretches, work on the Sen energy lines plus abdominal massage. Mastering Thai Massage is one of the most comprehensive programs available!
This DVD is the most comprehensive collection of Self Joint Mobilizations. Discover how safely and effectively incorporate Toe, Ankle, Hip, Thoracic Spine and Shoulder self mobilizations with clients and athletes of all levels. This DVD is unlike any other and promises to deliver some of the powerful techniques you have ever seen.
This DVD presents a comprehensive collection of Self Myofascial techniques assembled for trainers and therapists. Discover how to stretch the myofascial lines and incorporate self myofascial release to relieve tension, improve ROM and increase strength. New techniques, tips and tricks, program design and common mistakes are discussed.
The only one of its kind, this two volume series shows you how to incorporate creative warm-up progressions with clients and athletes of all levels. Discover how to design and implement seamlessly integrated warm-up sequences that will save time and improve performance. Each DVD discusses common warm up mistakes and display’s brand new, never before seen progressions and variations.
Myoskeletal Alignment for the Lower Back, Hip & Leg Pain
We are proud to bring you the new 6 volume DVD set by Erik Dalton. This six volume 'Spinal Engine' DVD series based on ground breaking research developed by Dr. Serge Gracovetsky. His discovery that the spine is the engine driving the legs has dramatically altered the view of body movement and opened exciting new clinical avenues for assessing and treating chronic pain syndromes. The 6 DVD set includes: 1. Myoskeletal Mechanic 2. Fixing Kinetic Kinks 3. Bone & Belly Work 4. Sacroiliac Syndromes 5. Toning the Core & Pelvic Floor 6. Unlocking Lumbars. Now available as 3 installment payment!
Yoga Therapy for Back Pain includes 13 routines to help restore proper function to the entire back. These safe and gentle exercises increase mobility and reduce pain. This beautifully filmed DVD features five 15 minute & five 30 minute routines for the upper back, sciatic pain, bulging disk and sacro-iliac joint pain. Each condition is addressed separately, so you will get the proper care for your condition. Whatever the level of your pain, or if you just want to strengthen your back, this DVD has the safe and appropriate therapy for you!
Professional Make-up Techniques
Start your dream career as a makeup artist. Professional Hollywood makeup artist, Melvone Farrell, shows you how to provide the latest looks being sought by clients, whether they are brides-to-be or models on a glamour shoot. In these new Professional Makeup Techniques DVD series, Melvone — who has international media and film experience spanning 20 years — demonstrates how to provide natural day makeup, sophisticated evening looks, and amped-up glamour straight from the catwalks of Paris and Milan. Each DVD in the series focuses on a different ethnicity — Black, Caucasian, and Asian — so you can provide services to the full array of beautiful women.
The Ultimate Thai Massage Video
Learn authentic Thai massage with Dr. Anthony James, CMT, ND, MDAM. This series of DVD include basic and advanced mat techniques, basic and advanced table techniques. Each DVD shows a step-by-step demonstration of a complete routine on the mat and tables. Includes overviews of different styles, Chakras, Ayurveda anatomy and more.
You've got the book, now decorate your room with these 8 posters, designed to align with the second edition of the book, are intended as a visual reference to the myofascial meridians discussed in Anatomy Trains. The set of posters illustrate the bones, muscles and joints described in the book The Anatomy Trains on the basis of "train" lines, tracks and stations. Each poster focuses on one "train" line and features full-colour illustrations, line drawings to clarify and tables summarising the tracks and stations for each line. Measuring 12 by 17 inches (30 by 43 cm), these laminated posters make a valuable addition to the walls of manual and movement therapists’ studios, for refreshing their memory about connected anatomy or to show clients why work in one area will be effective in another.
Orthopedic Massage 2009 2nd Edition by Whitney Lowe
Fully updated and revised Orthopedic Massage has been written for those interested in understanding and applying massage as an intervention for soft-tissue disorders. Full colour. Recent research into the physiological effects of massage has strengthened the justification for its use in the treatment of soft-tissue pain and injury conditions. The definitive resource for all those wanting to use massage therapy to treat pain and injury conditions. Whitney Lowe approached orthopedic massage as a broad spectrum of techniques and approaches to treat soft-tissue dysfunction.
A Massage Therapist's Guide to Treating Headaches and Neck Pain by Leon Chaitow & Sandy Fritz
This is a practical guide for the massage therapist to assist them in identifying appropriate massage treatment for those experiencing headaches and neck pain. The book describes the most common headache types and causes for neck pain that can be effectively addressed with therapeutic massage and associated methods easily incorporated into massage. Assessment procedures are provided both to identify appropriate treatment and to alert the massage therapist to more serious conditions that could be responsible for the symptoms and require a referral for further diagnosis and treatment. Protocols for treatment using massage and other soft tissue methods are provided. Incorporates a DVD demonstrating the palpation and treatment methods.
The Anatomy of Pilates by Paul Massey
This book shows what actually happens to the body’s muscles and joints during Pilates exercises. Each two-page spread features detailed anatomical illustrations of an exercise (with muscle actions highlighted in red), a detailed description of the exercise and its objectives, the particular breathing pattern to be used, a list of the specific muscles being worked, visualization techniques, complementary exercises, and more. The Anatomy of Pilates is an accessible, authoritative guide for current and prospective teachers of Pilates, practitioners at all skill levels, physical therapists, and other health professionals.
By Australian Author Michael Clarke. Hojo undo means 'supplemental training equipment' for traditional martial artists. This book comprehensively details how to construct and use the most popular martial arts training tools of Okinawa. The value of hojo undo is that the strength building exercises are linked to the motion of the fighting techniques of karate; this is the kind of information many practitioners need to have in order to make sense of where karate's devastating power comes from. This book shows you how to construct and use the most common martial arts training tools, First book in over twenty years to systematically present these traditional power
The Soothing Art of Baby Massage by Roma Turner, Susie Nanayakkara
This highly illustrated book is filled with step-by-step photographs to guide you through a massage from preparation and basic movements to a full-body massage sequence, with detailed advice on massage for mothers before and after childbirth, and healing techniques for common infant ailments, and sequences for older children. It shows how to give babies a soothing massage to help with relaxation and sleep. This book demonstrates a number of different techniques which are effective with most babies. Originally published in 1996, this is the last of the stock. Every book is personally signed by the author. Also a great gift for new parents.