Medical Massage Articles

American football is a huge part of American life. It is impossible to imagine our country without the Super Bowl. However, football has also a very dark side associated with death and irreversible changes in the brain function of players.

From 1960s to the mid 1980s, a large percentage of the Olympic gold medals used to go to the former Soviet Union, Eastern Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, and other countries in the Soviet bloc. I do not believe that these athletes had a greater physiological potential.

Two factors define the physiological effect of massage on humans: 1. The local or mechanical factor is expressed by mechanical acceleration of venous blood drainage, some degree of lymph drainage acceleration, passive exercise for soft tissues, breaking down deposits of calcium in soft tissue and stimulation of its removal from the body. 

It’s probably very difficult to find a person who, at least, a few times during her lifetime, wouldn’t experience delayed onset muscle soreness. Usually this happens when we perform some uncommon physical activity, such as working in the garden, moving to a new residence, starting a new work out routine and so on.

In 1996 a physicist Alan Sokal submitted a nonsensical research paper filled with jargon to the Social Text, a journal published by Duke. His goal was to prove that the many journals of the day were nothing more than “…fawning references, grandiose quotations, and outright nonsense.”

The critical thinking is based on analysis, critique and conclusions. In our field in most cases critical thinking is necessary at the time of meta-analysis. If scientists have an interest in research and development of hands-on protocols/techniques, the purpose of which is to accelerate quantities of lymphatic drainage, scientists analyze huge amount of available data on the subject, including, physiology of lymphatic system, its main duty, etc.

Relations between empirical data and theoretical explanation.

The process of discovery in bio-medical science as in natural sciences in general, is quote non-linear.

The context, in which word is used, could change its meaning. This happens quite often and it’s enough to look up a word in a dictionary to see a long list of diverse meanings that are specific to different contexts.

Having devoted forty years of my life to the wonderful occupation of massage therapy I naturally often think about this profession at large and find myself deeply concerned with the direction it takes in the country where I live and work.

Usually when I write articles, I try to offer some practical material, discuss different protocols and give advices in subjects related to science of massage therapy. In this article I will share my knowledge and offer practical steps on how to contact medical community, became member of a team and together contribute to well-being of general public.

We hope that the presented materials contribute to your well-being. Even though proposed techniques are not harmful, we highly recommend consulting your doctor before application.

A RESPONSE TO THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERVIEW WITH PROF. M. TSCHAKOVSKY

by Ross Turchaninov, B. Prilutsky

First this article was published at the Jornal of Massage Science in the October issue, 2010

On the February 2nd 2012 we witnessed a press release related to massage therapy of extreme healing power. Below are the few samples of this release. In reality, however, it was much broader publicized, including TV reports.

In identifying their occupation with health care, opinion of massage therapists would probably range from a definite yes to a definite no. Such variance is natural, because there are many ways to practice it.

Not long ago I was invited for a DPT presentation, organized by a physical therapy equipment distribution company. The audience where composed predominantly of physical therapists with some influx of orthopedic surgeons.

For the last 20 years I’m teaching and practicing medical and sports massage in the United States. Of course, my old country is quite different culturally and that applies to massage therapy education as well.

My name is Boris Prilutsky. For over 40 years I have been teaching and practicing Medical and Sports Massage protocols. For over 20 years I have been practicing and teaching medical and sports massage in the United States.

These days, the manual acceleration of lymph drainage is mainly used by practitioners to reduce the size of lymphedemas, even though the main function of the lymphatic system is detoxification and disposal of metabolic waste products. 

Hypertension is a socio-medical problem in the United States of America. 70 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure. It is a fact that only 8% of these people are diagnosed with a real direct cause of high blood pressure such as kidney insufficiency, a tumor on the adrenal gland, or narrowing of the aorta, all of which can be detected by a various lab and radiological means.

This article is a response to “Truthaches and Trigger Point Therapy” published in December 2005 issue of Massage Today by Dr. G. T. Lawton. Our article we would like to start from few statements

Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis of thoracic outlet syndrome can be linked with the anatomy of the anterior scalene muscle. The anterior scalene muscle starts from the transverse processes of C3-C6, slanting downward and forward, and inserts into the first rib. When it contracts, the head bends to the same side and forward.

Over thirty-five years that I in the massage-therapy field, I have performed and have viewed a number of my colleagues performing different types of massage with a wide range of results.

Sciatic nerve neuralgia is considered to be one of the most difficult abnormalities of the support and movement system. Clinical expressions of sciatic nerve neuralgia include sharp pain irradiating to the lower extremities which increases during any of the patient’s attempts to move and, of course, limited range of motion on all axes and planes.

Statistically ten percent of cases clients complain that they feel more pain and stiffness after receiving a treatment than they felt before it. Many therapists might ask themselves why this happened and what was done differently this time compared to previous treatments.

Bronchial asthma and bronchitis are very common disorders of the respiratory system. Various factors can cause bronchitis and asthma – viral infections, allergic reactions, etc. Massage therapy and bronchial drainage can play an important role in treatment and management of the aforementioned disorders.

Any soft tissue mobilization provided by hands is traditionally called massage therapy. Soft tissues are: skin, fascia, superficially and deeply located muscles, periosteum, etc.

The human body is a complex system that demands the “body and mind as one” approach when considering aspects of its functions and overall health. Due to constant stress, various emotional complexes, psychological, and/or physical trauma many people are developing anxieties, clinical depression and other psychological disturbances.

“Frozen shoulder” is not a diagnosis, but a descriptive term for the symptomatology of a number of different diagnoses. Physically, frozen shoulder is expressed by severe limitation in the range of motion on multiple planes and axes.

I have been practicing medical massage for more than three decades and have had the pleasure of practicing in the U.S. for the last 10 years. In my early days in the U.S., many of my colleagues, including those within our professional massage associations, did not like that I was calling the method I practiced and taught "medical massage."

Incorporation of Hot Stone in treatments of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Lumbago, Lumbalgia, Sciatic Neuralgia, knee, elbow, ankle and shoulder disorders, rotator cuff syndrome and others is proven to be a very beneficial modality for achieving rapid and sustained results. Stones are minerals.

Most massage therapists and bodyworkers have seen the effects of fibromyalgia on at least some of their clients’ bodies and minds. Often unable to find help elsewhere, fibromyalgia sufferers have been known to seek out alternative methods to find lasting pain relief. Understanding the disorder more comprehensively and discovering how massage can be applied to a particular client may benefit all who suffer from it.

As a result of a tremendous exposure to stress, the development of temporomandibular joint (TMl) disorders has reached pandemic proportions. TMJ sufferers experience high-intensity headaches, difficulty with chewing, palntul joint clicking and popping, and other symptoms. With the progression of the pathology, indivlduals may even develop sleep disorders.

Currently, we are witnessing a lot of very stormy discussions in the massage therapy community about whom among practitioners should be allowed to call themselves medical massage therapists. How many hours of training should be required and is national certification necessary?

In order to understand why massage is so efficient in reducing side effects of stress, the mechanism of development of these side effects should be well understood. Imagine being confronted by a large angry dog.

The reputation of massage therapy as a medical therapeutic tool has taken a strong stance in the modern healthcare arsenal. But for some reason, the massage therapeutic community and other health care practitioners underestimate the therapeutic power and importance of full body stress management massage.

Chair massage or massage in sitting position shouldn’t be viewed as a cosmetic “feels good” procedure but as an effort in stress management. Most people carry stress in a form of elevated resting tone within cervical and upper back muscles.

This might sound incredulous but nowadays, with all technological advances in medicine, the treatment of muscular pathologies is one of the most difficult challenges for health care practitioners.

Cellulite is not considered by most to be pathology. However, cellulite makes many women very unhappy. As we know, an unhappy person cannot be healthy. Therefore, massage therapy for cellulite reduction will help people to be happier, and of course, healthier.

Tensor Fasciae Latae Muscle SyndromeThe iliotibial tract is the lateral thicker and stronger portion of the fasciae latae. It originates from the anterior part of the iliac crest and inserts into the lateral tibial condyle.

In most cases of back and limb disorders as well as in cases of hip problem, people experience pain in the hip region and in some cases it is accompanied with decrease in range of motion. The main pathology of the hip joint is arthritis.

According to Sven Jonhagen, MD, of the Institutionen Sodersjukhuset in Stockholm, Sweden, Post-Event Sports Massage has no positive therapeutic impact on post-workout recovery in athletes. The results of this study were published in the American Journal of Sport Medicine, (September, 2004).

Nowadays no one in medical society would argue the significance and the necessity of stress management. Many surveys and researches suggest that between 60 to 80 percent of doctor visit are related to constant exposure to stress.

Even with the best intentions in mind and best efforts of school personnel, many massage therapy schools cannot teach graduates the full scope of practice.

The most common causes of male and female orgasmic disorders are both physiological and psychological in nature. Among other factors defining such disorders are: depression, feelings of guilt, anger, fear, low self-esteem, anxieties, etc.

Medical Massage posits twelve basic hand-on kneading techniques but only five or six are commonly used in common practice. That said, we believe that massage practitioners should know and be able to properly execute all twelve of these techniques.

Massage therapy is a therapy by means of massage. Therapy means health benefits to the human body. Actually, Medical Massage or Therapeutic Massage means the same thing. It is called Medical Massage because the founders and researchers who developed this method called it Medical Massage.

As an instructor I often witness quite a curious phenomenon. Many massage therapists expect me to disclose some “deep and dark secrets” of mine; some “magic” spot on the client’s body where they can press and relief clients from suffering.

Each muscle can produce movement in only one plane. A complex movement, requiring transposition in several planes or rotation is supported by several muscles. Muscle contractions are initiated by nerve impulses fired in a specific sequence or in parallel, ensuring that contractions of all muscles propagate the overall movement.