Session at the American Massage Therapy Association Annual Convention a case sTudy uTilizing MyOfascial release, acupressure, and Trigger-pOinT Therapy TO TreaT bilaTeral “sTringhalT” in a 12-year-Old akhal-Teke hOrse

Abstracts from the 2015 Research Poster Session at the American Massage Therapy Association Annual Conventions from the 2015 Research Poster Session at the American Massage Therapy Association Annual Convention a case sTudy uTilizing MyOfascial release, acupressure, and Trigger-pOinT Therapy TO TreaT bilaTeral “sTringhalT” in a 12-year-Old akhal-Teke hOrse Tammy Brockman, MS, ATC/L, LMT, CLT, Stacey Powell, LMT Introduction: “Stringhalt” is a horse condition that causes one or both hind legs to spasm when walking or trotting. The condition is thought to be related to a neurological cause from plant toxicity or peripheral nerve injury. The prognosis is poor, and the horse’s performance and quality of life can be affected. Treatment has included surgically cutting the digital extensors, with varied results and additional problems. Case Presentation: The case study is a 12-year-old Akhal-Teke horse of excellent pedigree. In 2011, she was caught in barbed wire overnight and sustained lacerations to the bone. Shortly after the injury, the horse was placed in an inadequate stall for several months and was unable to walk or run, developing stringhalt. Currently, her condition is aggravated by stress and dietary changes, and alleviated by certain types of massage (myofascial, acupressure, triggerpoint release). The incidence of stringhalt is every 3–5 minutes, with more frequent and severe symptoms on the right. The horse is unable to run or back up. Methods: Six 1 to 1.5 hour bi-weekly treatments were performed. The treatments consisted of myofascial release at the cervical, sacrum, and iliums; acupressure of the bladder meridian including c-spine, t-spine, L-spine, and hamstring; and trigger-point release of the iliacus. Results: After six treatments, the horse was seen running and standing in a position that promotes hip extension. She had not been able to do either since the injury. The frequency and severity of the spasms have decreased to every 10–20 minutes. The horse’s owners report that her disposition and quality of life are much improved. Discussion: The results suggest that myofascial release, acupressure, and trigger-point therapy may be utilized to provide a positive treatment outcome in the case of stringhalt. Note that the scope of practice varies by state, and special training is needed to work with the equine population. hand self-shiaTsu fOr sleep prObleMs in persOns WiTh chrOnic pain: a pilOT sTudy* Cary A. Brown, PhD, Geoff Bostick, PhD, Leisa Bellmore, CST Introduction: Difficulty falling asleep is a common problem for persons living with pain. Research demonstrates that disrupted sleep will, in turn, exacerbate the chronic pain problem. The evidence-base for a range of pragmatic, nonpharmacological sleep interventions that can potentially be incorporated into pain management programs is growing. However, strategies that are controlled by the patient and are congruent with the self-management model favored by most pain services are not yet well researched. This study looks at the outcome of teaching adults with enduring musculoskeletal pain a standardized, pre-bedtime, self-administered Shiatsu hand massage (SHM) intervention to promote sleep onset. Method: A range of standardized sleep-related, self-report tools and objective sleep actigraphy (recorded for 5–7 nights) were used to collect baseline data. Participants were then taught pre-bedtime, self-administered SHM in one-to-one sessions. They also received two follow-up phone calls to offer support and clarification, if needed. The assessment battery and 5–7 nights of actigraphy data were collected again at 2 weeks and 8 weeks postSHM training. Results: Twelve persons with diverse musculoskeletal pain experiences participated. Data collected at baseline, 2-week, and 8-week follow-up periods revealed no apparent changes in actigraphy scores. Treatment fidelity dropped off at 8-week follow-up. A trend toward improved self-reported sleep latency (time to fall asleep) and sleep duration (time spent asleep) emerged. A number of participants reported they were more concerned with increasing their period of unbroken sleep as opposed to their total sleep time. None of the participants reported adverse effects of the intervention. Conclusion: Preliminary findings of a lowcost, pragmatic, patient-controlled intervention are * Brown CA, Bostick G, Bellmore L, Kumanayaka D. Hand selfShiatsu for sleep problems in persons with chronic pain: a pilot study. J Integr Med. 2014;12(1):94–101.