BACKGROUND Mechanical neck disorders (MND) are common, disabling and costly. Massage is a commonly used modality for the treatment of neck pain. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of massage on pain, function, patient satisfaction and cost of care in adults with neck pain. To document adverse effects of treatment. SEARCH STRATEGY Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, MANTIS, CINAHL, and ICL data...

R eflexology or foot massage has long been part of Chinese tradition and culture. It is believed that foot massage can not only maintain and promote health but also cure a variety of ailments. Foot massage is considered a form of relaxation and, to some extent, a luxury. With improved economy, foot massage has become widely popular in China, especially in coastal cities that have benefited from...

Medical care in disabled sports is crucial both as prophylaxis and as ongoing medical intervention. The aim of this paper was to present changes in the quality of medical care over the consecutive Paralympic Games (PG). The study encompassed 31 paralympians: Turin (11), Vancouver (12), and Sochi (8) competing in cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, biathlon and snowboarding. The first, question...

CONTEXT High ankle sprains are common in athletes who play contact sports. Most high ankle sprains are treated nonsurgically with a rehabilitation program. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION All years of PUBMED, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL PLUS, SPORTDiscuss, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched to August 2010, cross-referencing existing publications. Keywords included synde...

OBJECTIVE Sport massage, a manual therapy for muscle and soft tissue pain and weakness, is a popular and widely used modality for recovery after intense exercise. Our objective is to determine the effectiveness of sport massage for improving recovery after strenuous exercise. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL using all current and historical names for sport massage. Referen...

Little is known about the effect of massage on post-burn tissue in children. We conducted a pilot study to examine the effect of massage (3-5 days) on mood and range of motion (ROM) in eight post-burn children. Participants showed significant increases in ROM from Time 1 (pre-massage, first day) to Time 2 (post-massage, last day) in massaged tissue but not control (non-massaged) tissue. Mood wa...

[Purpose] This study aimed to examine whether or not friction massage of the popliteal fossa would be effective for achieving dynamic changes in muscle oxygenation and ankle flexibility. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve healthy male university students participated. Before and after friction massage, dynamic changes in muscle oxygenation and ankle flexibility were measured by near-infrared spectro...

BACKGROUND Massage therapy is offered increasingly in US medical facilities. Although the United States has many massage schools, their education differs, along with licensure and standards. As massage therapy in hospitals expands and proves its value, massage therapists need increased training and skills in working with patients who have various complex medical concerns, to provide safe and ef...

CONTEXT Massage is the most common complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy used in hospitals in the United States. As such, it is often the first CAM therapy to be integrated with conventional medicine. However, few academic medical centers have a written standard policy to guide this integration. This lack of standard policy may impede institutions from offering massage therapy as...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular diseases such as acute coronary syndrome and myocardial infarction are often accompanied by severe anxiety over the likelihood of death. Cortisol has been known as a stress hormone. However, there are controversies about the effect of massage therapy on blood cortisol level. Furthermore, no study is available on the difference between massage applied by a nurse special...