BACKGROUND AND AIMS In recent years, the nursing profession used technology and pharmacology to relieve conditions such as pain, anxiety and insomnia that were once treated with massage. However, interest in massage has grown with the move to more holistic nursing. This review examines the physiological and psychological effects of slow-stroke back massage and hand massage on relaxation in olde...

Automated massage machines have been widely used in family for the past few years, but there was limit scientific evidence to support for them positive effects. This paper aims to evaluate the massage effects on recovery of muscle fatigue and explore the optimal massage machine design parameters. Two subjects participated in prone bridge exercises to make the erector spinae muscles fatigue befo...

Many chiropractors either perform some type of massage on their patients or have a massage therapist in their office. The term therapeutic massage (TM) is a general, nonspecific term referring to any type of massage, from superficial to deep, that may have a healing effect. Most massage therapists1 "train in multiple programs and therapies and there is high variability in the training programs ...

BACKGROUND Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common and costly musculoskeletal problems in modern society. Proponents of massage therapy claim it can minimize pain and disability and speed return-to-normal function. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of massage therapy for nonspecific LBP. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, HealthSTAR, CINAH...

BACKGROUND Although there is evidence that client expectations influence client outcomes, a valid and reliable scale for measuring the range of client expectations for both massage therapy and the behaviors of their massage therapists does not exist. Understanding how client expectations influence client outcomes would provide insight into how massage achieves its reported effects. PURPOSE To...

BACKGROUND One of the challenges in conducting research in the field of massage and bodywork is the lack of consistent terminology for describing the treatments given by massage therapists. The objective of this study was to develop a taxonomy to describe what massage therapists actually do when giving a massage to patients with musculoskeletal pain. METHODS After conducting a review of the m...

BACKGROUND Belief in efficacy of CAM therapies has been sparsely reported and may be different than reported use of the therapy. PURPOSE The aim of this study was to identify efficacy beliefs of massage for muscle recovery following a 10-km running race. SETTING Finish zone of a 10-km race. RESEARCH DESIGN Participants completed a brief survey regarding running race characteristics, prior...

BACKGROUND Conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are merging into the broader field of "integrative medicine." Massage is no longer considered complementary or alternative in some conventional medical circles today. PURPOSE We aimed to determine the prevalence of massage use among children with cerebral palsy (CP) in the Pacific Northwest in the United States,...

OBJECTIVES To assess effects of a regular massage program on novice runners over a longer-term training period. PARTICIPANTS Twelve control and sixteen massage subjects took part in the study. SETTING Both groups participated in 10-week running preparation clinics. DESIGN An individualized massage treatment plan was developed for each massage group participant. Massage group subjects met ...

BACKGROUND Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of massage for chronic low back pain. OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of 2 types of massage and usual care for chronic back pain. DESIGN Parallel-group randomized, controlled trial. Randomization was computer-generated, with centralized allocation concealment. Participants were blinded to massage type but not to assignment to ma...