International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, and Practice最新文献

Background: Tendinopathies are common musculoskeletal disorders characterized by pain and functional impairment, often requiring therapeutic interventions for effective management. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of deep transverse frictional massage (DTFM) combined with conventional therapy for the treatment of tendinopathies.

Methods: A study search of electronic databases including MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases, was conducted for randomized controlled trials, pilot study, and comparative study design comparing the combined application of DTFM with conventional physiotherapy (e.g., exercise, stretching, or modalities) to conventional therapy alone for the treatment of tendinopathies. Inclusion criteria were studies that reported clinical outcomes such as pain reduction and disability. Data extraction was performed independently by reviewers. A meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models to estimate the pooled effect size, and heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias approach.

Results: A total of 13 studies met the inclusion criteria. The combined treatment group (DTFM + conventional therapy) showed significant improvements in pain reduction (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.92, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.70 to -0.14, p < 0.05) and disability in the shoulder (SMD = -15.05, 95% CI: -15.60 to -14.50, p < 0.05) and elbow (SMD = -2.67, 95% CI: -3.38 to -1.96, p < 0.05) compared to conventional therapy alone. No significant adverse effects were reported.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that DTFM, when combined with conventional therapy, offers significant benefits over conventional therapy alone in the management of tendinopathies, particularly in reducing pain and improving function. The exact physiological mechanisms through which DTFM works in combination with conventional therapies remain unclear. Research into how DTFM influences tissue healing, collagen remodeling, or pain reduction pathways could provide more insights into its effectiveness and guide its integration into treatment protocols.

Background: Multiple treatment modalities have been used to treat complications such as pain and fatigue in patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, the combined effectiveness of reflexology and back massage (BM) in relieving pain and fatigue in patients undergoing hemodialysis is limited and this study aims to fill this research gap.

Materials and methods: A pre- and post-test experimental study design was adopted in which 60 patients (n = 60) undergoing dialysis were randomized into two groups of 30 each using a simple randomization technique. The subjects of experimental group I received foot reflexology (FR) and BM, while experimental group II received only BM. The intervention lasted 2 days per week for 4 weeks. To examine the effectiveness of the treatment both before the intervention and at the end of the fourth week, two variables were evaluated: (i) pain intensity, which was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and (ii) fatigue experienced by patients, which was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS).

Results: Subjects treated with FR and BM showed better reduction in VAS (mean difference: 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.299-1.834, p < 0.05) and FSS (mean difference: 6.61, 95% CI: 0.230-11.90, p < 0.05) than the subjects exposed to BM only, with a significance level of 0.05.

Conclusion: The combination of FR and BM has been found to be significantly more effective than BM alone in managing the health risks of pain and fatigue in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Massage therapy is a popular treatment for musculoskeletal conditions globally. As the efficacy for massage therapy grows over time, it is becoming a more acceptable form of therapy alongside conventional medicine. The aim of this systematic review is to highlight the prevalence of massage therapy utilization specifically for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions.

Methods: A comprehensive search of health databases using keywords mapped to massage and musculoskeletal conditions identified 38 studies. An assessment of the quality of these studies was undertaken using a validated quality appraisal instrument.

Results: Overall, the prevalence of massage use ranged from 2% to 81.2%. The range narrowed marginally from 2.2% to 56% in larger studies (n ≥ 1,000). Prevalence was higher among younger individuals, ranging from 12% to 56%. The prevalence of use among women ranged from 7.7% to 56%. The highest prevalence for conditions was for lower back pain/back pain, ranging from 10.5% to 68.1%, and for patients with chronic pain, ranging from 17.6% to 56%. The lowest prevalence was reported in Australia, ranging from 2% to 56%, and the highest in North America, from 2.2% to 81.2%.

Conclusions: Our findings indicate that 74% of studies in this review relating to prevalence of massage therapy utilization for musculoskeletal conditions are reported within studies focusing on complementary medicine more generally. Further studies on massage as an independent treatment modality would be useful to provide improved evidence on prevalence for massage use for musculoskeletal conditions. While the range of prevalence reported here is wide, inpatients and outpatients with specific musculoskeletal conditions including pain are high users of massage therapy. Despite the growing interest in research, there is a gap in the literature around men and their use of massage therapy. Further high-quality research in these areas will better inform the knowledge base around these participant cohorts.

Background: Deep tissue massage has been used in sports for improving performance and recovery on deep muscle layers. This study looks at its effectiveness across different sports, performance, and recovery.

Purpose: To assess the effect of deep tissue massage on muscle recovery and performance improvement across different sports, teams, strength, endurance, and individual sports.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial design was used, and 150 athletes aged 18-45 years received bi-weekly 40-min deep tissue massage for 8 weeks. Performance improvement, muscle recovery, and flexibility were measured with objective and subjective assessments. Chi-square tests, analysis of variance, and Tukey's post hoc tests were used for statistical analysis.

Results: Team and strength athletes in this study showed the greatest performance improvement, in contrast to individual and endurance athletes (F = 6.61, p = 0.004). Bi-weekly massage sessions showed better recovery outcomes (χ² = 9.41, p = 0.0243). Longer massage sessions showed increased flexibility (χ² = 19.77, p < 0.001). Gender differences were found in perceived effectiveness of massage (χ² = 9.46, p = 0.024). Also, the intervention showed improvement in muscle strength and flexibility, especially in the lumbar region, knee, and shoulder, focusing on the effects of the massage protocol in joint mobility and muscle function.

Conclusion: Deep tissue massage therapy improves athletic performance and muscle recovery, especially for team and strength sports. With regular and continuous massage sessions, flexibility and recovery are improved among athletes.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a group of permanent neurologic disorders associated with injury to the brain during its development. The most common type of CP is spastic CP. Individuals with spastic CP commonly present with increased deep tendon reflexes, tremors, muscular hypertonicity, and weakness. Treatment aims to manage primary and secondary symptoms of CP and improve quality of life. Massage therapy has been shown to improve function and decrease spasticity in individuals with CP.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of massage therapy in increasing ankle mobility and decreasing spasticity in an adult with spastic CP.

Method: A student massage therapist at MacEwan University administered five massage therapy treatments over 6 weeks on a 55-year-old female with spastic diplegic CP who presented with no active ankle movement and her ankles rigid in plantarflexion. The treatment goals were to obtain some ankle mobility and decrease spasticity in the knee extensors, which negatively impacted her ability to don socks and shoes. Progress was monitored using goniometry pre- and post-treatment to assess ankle mobility, and by administering the Modified Ashworth Scale prior to the third, fourth, fifth, and final sessions to assess spasticity. Techniques included static contact, effleurage, broad compressions, petrissage, muscle stripping, Golgi tendon organ release, muscle approximation, joint mobilizations, and passive range of motion.

Results: Ankle mobility increased, and slight active ankle dorsiflexion and plan-tarflexion were possible. Spasticity in the knee extensors decreased, but the change was not clinically significant.

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that massage therapy may improve ankle mobility and decrease spasticity in an adult with spastic CP.

Background: Forward head posture (FHP) results in an accentuated posterior curve in the higher thoracic vertebrae and an accentuated anterior curve in the lower cervical vertebrae. Dysfunction leads to muscle imbalance, where one side of the neck and scapula muscles become weak and the opposite group of muscles become tight. Strategies to correct this imbalance by treating flexibility and improving strength are the need of the hour.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of muscle energy technique (MET) to levator scapulae versus MET to anterior scalene in improving craniovertebral angle (CVA) and joint position sense.

Setting: This study was conducted at the outpatient department of Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pune, India.

Participants: Both males and females aged between 18 and 30 years with a CVA <48° were included.

Research design: This was an experimental study.

Intervention: A comparative experimental study was done on subjects aged between 18 and 30 years with CVA<48°. Group A (n = 15) received MET to levator scapulae muscles with conventional treatment and group B (n = 15) received MET to anterior scalene muscles with conventional treatment for 4 weeks, three sessions per week. The outcome measures assessed were CVA and cervical joint position error, pre- and post-intervention.

Main outcome measures: CVA and cervical joint position sense.

Results: MET to levator scapulae and anterior scalene significantly improved the FHP (p = 0.001 for both the groups) and cervical proprioception (p = 0.001 for both the groups) using the Wilcoxon signed rank test for pre-post comparison. However, on comparison between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test, MET to levator scapulae was better in improving the FHP (p = 0.002). No significant difference was found in the cervical joint position sense between both the groups.

Conclusion: Levator scapulae and anterior scalene flexibility should also be considered in FHP. Applying MET to these two muscles is not only beneficial in realigning the FHP but also in improving the cervical joint position sense.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative condition, afflicting large number of people globally. Fascia is a three-dimensional network of connective tissue that helps in force transmission along the myofascial chains to bone level causing malalignments and movement dysfunctions. Myofascial dysfunctions have been identified in osteoarthritis of knee as a pain-causing component. Recently, clinicians have aimed a variety of therapeutic techniques at fascia. There is a lack of literature to determine the effect of kinetic chain activation technique (K-CAT) as well as deep front line (DFL) release technique in OA knee.

Purpose: The current study aimed to determine and compare the effectiveness of DFL release and K-CAT in knee OA.

Methods: The study was a randomized clinical trial conducted in an outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital. Thirty-two (n = 32) participants between 45 and 60 years of age with knee osteoarthritis (grades 2 and 3) were included and randomized into two groups based on selection criteria. Group A received DFL myofascial release and Group B received K-CAT, along with common conventional therapy (modality + exercises), three sessions per week for 2 weeks. Pain intensity using Numeric Pain Rating Scale, skyline view of knee radiographic parameters including lateral patellar tilt angle (LPTA) and bisect offset (BO), dynamic knee valgus (DKV) by single leg squat using Kinovea software and quality of life using Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score on day 1 and day 14 of intervention were assessed.

Results: Within-group analyses showed significant improvements in both the groups for pain, BO on x-ray, DKV, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (p < 0.05). LPTA showed statistical significance only in the DFL group. However, between-group comparisons showed no statistical difference in all the outcomes (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Both DFL myofascial release and K-CAT were found to be equally effective in alleviating pain, improving quality of life and knee malalignments.Trial registered under Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2023/11/059388).

The objective of this study is to investigate massage therapists' knowledge, confidence, and awareness of domestic and family violence (DFV) in clinical practice. An online questionnaire methodology was used to collect data from Australian massage therapists who were 18 years or over. The study was open for participation for 6 months. The authors developed the questionnaire based on a previous massage therapy profession questionnaire; it included 64 questions in three sections. Two hundred and seventeen respondents formed the dataset. This study found respondents with prior experience of DFV were significantly more likely to have undertaken DFV training than respondents with no prior experience of DFV (p = 0.004). Almost two-thirds of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that they would like some training to better understand DFV (n = 142, 65.4%) and to better understand their responsibilities around DFV (n = 149, 68.7%). Over half of the respondents were somewhat or very confident they would recognize the signs and symptoms of DFV (n = 126, 58.3%). Over half of respondents (n = 119, 54.8%) felt somewhat knowledgeable about DFV. The main theme from the qualitative analysis was absent resources. The subthemes were (i) without training I cannot help, (ii) prepare me, train me early, and (iii) support me with resources. This study concluded that there is a lack of resources and a deficiency in skills and knowledge among massage therapists to recognize and respond appropriately to domestic violence in clinic. Respondents indicated a desire to learn more about DFV in their practices as they deemed that without training, education, and resources they cannot provide the best of care for their clients.

Peer review is a vital component of scholarly publishing, ensuring that research adheres to the highest standards of rigor, relevance, and integrity. For the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB), peer reviewers play a critical role in advancing the field by providing constructive feedback and supporting the development of impactful research. This editorial outlines the expectations for IJTMB reviewers, emphasizing objectivity, inclusivity, cultural competence, and timeliness. Practical guidelines for conducting a thorough review are provided. Additionally, the editorial highlights key resources available to reviewers. By working together, reviewers, editors, and authors can strengthen evidence-based practice in therapeutic massage and bodywork.

Background: Myofascial trigger points are incredibly prevalent and are a painful aspect of almost everyone's life at some point. Myofascial trigger point pain can be excruciating and severely impair the quality of life. Therefore, in patients with neck pain caused by upper trapezius trigger, this current clinical trial will demonstrate the effectiveness of myofascial release therapy and positional release therapy in improving the level of pain, neck impairment, pain threshold, and standard of life.

Methods: A double-blinded randomized clinical trial will be conducted. Fifty-two participants with active myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle will be recruited based on selection criteria. They will be randomly allocated into group A (conservative treatment + myofascial release technique) or group B (conservative treatment + positional release technique). Both groups will receive the intervention three times a week for 2 weeks. The study will use the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, pressure algometer, Neck Disability Index, and a 36-Item Short-form Questionnaire as outcome measures.

Discussion: This trial will help identify the effectiveness of the positional and myofascial release techniques in active upper trapezius muscle trigger points and their effect on physical parameters.

Trial registration: This trial has been prospectively registered at the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2023/07/055126) on 12 July 2023.