Category: From the Internet

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Massage Therapy for Improvements in Balance, Neurological, and Cardiovascular Measures in Older Adults

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Research published in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (IJTMB) found that older adults who receive massage therapy for up to six weeks could benefit from decreased blood pressure and improved stability.

Falls in older adults represent a primary cause of decreased mobility and independence, increased morbidity, and accidental death. Research and clinical reports indicate that therapeutic massage (TM) may positively influence suggested causative factors. This project assessed the effects of six weeks of TM treatment on balance, nervous system, and cardiovascular measures in older adults.

Results:

The TM group showed significant differences relative to controls in cardiovascular and displacement area/velocity after the week six session, with decreasing blood pressure and increasing stability over time from immediate post-TM to 60 minutes post-TM. Long-term differences between the groups were detected at week seven in displacement area/velocity and systolic blood pressure.

Conclusions:

Results suggest six weeks of TM resulted in immediate and long-term improvements in postural stability and blood pressure, compared to a controlled condition.

Sefton JM, Yarar C, Berry JW, et al. Six weeks of massage therapy produces changes in balance, neurological and cardiovascular measures in older persons. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.2012; 5(3):28-40.

Massage therapy can help with burn scars

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In a study published in the March 2014 issue of the journal Burns, 146 burn patients with scars were randomly divided into two groups. All patients received standard rehabilitation therapy for hypertrophic scars – known as raised scars that are typically red, thick and may be itchy or painful—and 76 patients received additional burn scar rehabilitation massage therapy. Both before and after the treatment, researchers assessed the scar characteristics for thickness, melanin, erythema, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), sebum, and elasticity.

Results

While both groups showed improvement, the massage group showed a significant decrease in scar thickness, melanin, erythema, and TEWL. There was a significant intergroup difference in skin elasticity with the massage group showing substantial improvement.

Conclusion

Researchers concluded that burn rehabilitation massage therapy is effective in improving pain, itching, and scar characteristics in hypertrophic scars after a burn.

 

Cho YS, Jeon JH, Hong A, Yang HT, Yim H, Cho YS, Kim DH, Hur J, Kim JH, Chun W, Lee BC, Seo CH. The effect of burn rehabilitation massage therapy on hypertrophic scar after burn: A randomized controlled trial. Burns. 2014 Dec;40(8):1513-20

Queensland Researchers pour cold water on ice baths

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The idea that ice baths are an effective way to speed up muscle recovery after strength training has again been debunked, this time by researchers from the University of Queensland and QUT.

They say athletes who immerse themselves in icy cold water are hindering long-term gains in muscle mass and strength and it would be better for them to “warm down” on an exercise bike.

Their 12-week study, involving 21 physically active men, shows that not only does cold-water immersion attenuate muscle adaptation, it also blunts the activation of key proteins and satellite cells in skeletal muscle up to two days after strength exercise.

Their advice to athletes is to stay clear of cold water, at least after strength training.

Findings

“The present findings contribute to an emerging theme that cold-water immersion and other strategies (e.g. antioxidant supplements, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) that are intended to mitigate and improve resilience to physiological stress associated with exercise may actually be counter-productive to muscle adaptation,” write the researchers in The Journal of Physiology.

Report

The research report, published in The Journal of Physiology, may be found by following this link: Post-exercise cold water immersion attenuates acute anabolic signalling and long-term adaptations in muscle to strength training

See also our May 2015 post about Why Ice Delays Recovery by Gabe Mirkin, MD, author of the best-selling 1978  Sportsmedicine Book, and creator of the term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for the treatment of athletic injuries.

The 2015 City2surf is over

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The City to Surf is over for another year, and our congratulations go out to the 78,607 people who started. The first male across the line had a time of 00:42:09, and the first female finished in 00:46:32, with the average race time being 01:49:34.

Several of our families ran in the event, and returned with personal best times. Congratulations!

City to Surf

The City2Surf[1] is a road running event held annually in Sydney on the second Sunday in August, covering a 14 kilometre course. Many clients of IC Sports Therapies are participating in this year’s City2surf event on August 9th, and we’d like to remind them – please book your pre- and post-event treatment sessions early, while there are still openings available. Phone 9477-3103 today, or book  during your next visit to the clinic.

The Sydney City2Surf event is a “fun run” as well as a race, attracting both competitive runners and community participants who can choose to run or to walk. The event was first run on 5 September 1971, and on the event’s 40th anniversary, a record 80,000 participants ran, making it the largest run of its kind in the world.

The course record is 40:03, set by Steve Moneghetti in 1991. The women’s record is 45:08 minutes, set by Susie Power in 2001[1].

Two of our clients, photographed during the SMH half-marathon, 17/5/2015
Two of our clients who participated in this year’s Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon on Sunday, May 17th 2015.

Multiple 60-Minute Massages per Week Offer Relief for Chronic Neck Pain

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Results of a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) found that multiple 60-minute massages per week were more effective than fewer or shorter sessions for people with chronic neck pain, suggesting that several hour-long massages per week may be the best “dose” for people with this condition. Researchers from Group Health Research Institute, University of Washington, The University of Vermont College of Medicine, and Oregon Health and Science University published their findings in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Researchers enrolled 228 people with chronic neck pain into five randomly assigned groups receiving various “doses” of massage: a 4-week course of 30-minute sessions two or three times each week, or 60-minute sessions one, two, or three times each week. Other participants were assigned to a 4-week wait list, which served as the control group. Therapists used a wide range of massage techniques and were not allowed to make any self-care recommendations.

The researchers found that 30-minute massages two or three times per week did not provide significant benefits compared with the wait-list control group. However, beneficial effects of 60-minute massages increased with dose and were particularly evident for participants receiving massages two or three times per week. Compared with the control group, participants were three times more likely to have clinically meaningful improvement in neck function if they received 60-minute massages twice per week and five times more likely if they received 60-minute massages three times per week. However, the researchers noted that longer and more frequent massages might be challenging for many patients due to financial and time constraints. They also noted that future studies of massage for neck pain should include multiple 60-minute massages per week for the first 4 weeks of treatment, self-care recommendations, and longer-term followup.

Reference