OBJECTIVE Stimulation of the nervous system plays an important role in brain function and psychomotor development of children. Massage can benefit premature infants, but has limitations. STUDY DESIGN The authors conducted a study to verify the direct effects of massage on amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG), oxygen saturation (SaO(2)), and pulse analyzed by color cerebral funct...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of calf muscle massage on ankle flexibility and balance. [Subjects and Methods] The study's subjects were 32 healthy college students, divided into two groups according to the massage methods applied. Both groups received five-minutes of massage to each calf, making a total of ten minutes. Massage group A received effleurage, tapoteme...

BACKGROUND The equivocal findings in the literature on efficacy of massage makes it difficult to assess the requirement for, or justify the use of, specialist massage personnel at major athletics events. However, the use of massage by athletes during training and competition remains popular. OBJECTIVES To quantify the amount of their time that physiotherapists devote to massage treatment at m...

OBJECTIVE Menopause is a significant event in most women's lives because it marks the end of a woman's natural reproductive life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy massage on menopausal symptoms. METHODS A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted at a menopausal clinic at a gynecology hospital in Tehran. The study population comprised 90 w...

E D I T O R I A L I want to open the Research section of this premier issue of the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, and Practice (IJTMB) with a provocative question. Does the massage therapy profession actually need re-search? To many, it may seem that it does not. Consider the following positions I have encountered that are sometimes held by propo...

Research investigating the efficacy of infant massage has largely focused on premature and low birth weight infants. The majority of investigations have neglected highly acute patients in academic neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The current study was developed with two aims: (Phase 1) to develop, implement and demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a parent-trained compassionate touch...

Background—Despite massage being widely used by athletes, little scientific evidence exists to confirm the eYcacy of massage for promoting both physiological and psychological recovery after exercise and massage eVects on performance. Aim—To investigate the eVect of massage on perceived recovery and blood lactate removal, and also to examine massage eVects on repeated boxing performance. Method...

BACKGROUND Despite massage being widely used by athletes, little scientific evidence exists to confirm the efficacy of massage for promoting both physiological and psychological recovery after exercise and massage effects on performance. AIM To investigate the effect of massage on perceived recovery and blood lactate removal, and also to examine massage effects on repeated boxing performance....

BACKGROUND Integrative therapies such as massage have gained support as interventions that improve the overall patient experience during hospitalization. Thoracic surgery patients undergo long procedures and commonly have postoperative back, neck, and shoulder pain. PURPOSE Given the promising effects of massage therapy for alleviation of pain, we studied the effectiveness and feasibility of ...

INTRODUCTION Nowadays particular emphasis is placed on the developmental aspects of premature infants care. Massage therapy is one of the best-known methods of caring. Due to the minimal touch policy in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), massaging is not usually performed on premature infants. However, there is not sufficient evidence to support the claim that newborn infants with complex m...