Massage Therapy Improves Your Pain and Stress Levels

1. Massage Therapy Improves Your Pain and Stress Levels Strive Physiotherapy & Performance

2. Synopsis

3. A prescription for exercise: Why it’s important to stick to the schedule • The Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines 2018 says that being active for just 150 minutes per week can help reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and various other chronic illnesses as well as prevent obesity and overall body function deterioration. The guidelines also underline the benefits of including bone and muscle strength exercises into the program for at least two days a week. How to adapt these to holiday mode? Easy: brisk walking, bike riding or jogging can all do the trick while being away. • To reinforce the significance of sticking to an active schedule, new studies have been published by the University of Liverpool in England which look into the impacts of being inactive, even for a short period of time. The researchers asked 45 adult men and women who have been previously physically active to abruptly start sitting more. Participants were clocking in over 10,000 steps in most days before the study kicked off and all of them tested disease free. Once the study started, they were asked to reduce their steps to under 2,000 and sit for more than three and a half hours per day, for two weeks. Respondents underwent then an initial health evaluation, following which they were permitted to return to their normal routines for two weeks and then tested again for comparison. • The findings were worrisome. Almost all participants had developed ‘metabolic derangements’ during the two weeks of inactivity which translated into high blood sugar levels, less healthy cholesterol profiles and minor muscle mass loss around the legs. They also put on weight, specifically around the abdomen.

4. Almost 80% of Canadians have accessed complementary therapies at least once in their lifetime • A recent Fraiser Institute survey has revealed that 8 in 10 Canadians (79%) have used a form of alternative medicine. This marks an increase from 74% in 2006 and 73% in 1997, when two previous similar surveys were conducted. Interestingly enough, the preferred types of complimentary therapies have stood their ground over time, with acupuncture and massage therapy being in the top 4. The most common health conditions reported were back or neck problems (34%), allergies (27%), and arthritisor rheumatism (23%). To help better address these and complement their treatment plans, over three-quarters adult Canadians have accessed at least one form of care that falls outside of mainstream healthcare. This number has increased by 5% since 2006 which can only mean positive progress after years and years of stigma and disbelief. • In 2016, massage was the most common type of therapy with 44% of Canadians having tried it at least once, making it also one of the most rapidly expanding therapies. With current lifestyle patterns which are guaranteeing more musculoskeletal problems than ever before, it comes as no surprise that people are investing more in manual therapies to relieve tension and pain. • Massage might just be one of the oldest forms of medical care, dating back to ancient Egypt where tomb paintings portray people being massaged. But how are the techniques actually benefitting the body? In a modern approach the beneficial effects of massage therapy are best described as a gathering of interconnected adaptive responses. Just imagine that the human skin has over 5 million touch receptors and about 3,000 can be found at a fingertip level.

5. How can massage therapy help children and adolescents living with pain and discomfort • While strong evidence is available to back up the benefits of massage therapy in adults living with painful conditions and that has led to clinical recommendations being put in place, when it comes to youth populations, there is still more work to be done. The studies that have been conducted so far lack statistical significance, but they nevertheless show a great deal of promise. For instance, a small study evaluated 44 children and adolescents aged between 9 and 19 years old suffering from severe chronic pain. Massage therapy reportedly reduced pain by 33% and tension by 44%. • At the same time, we all know there is a strong link between stress and the immune system’s performance. When stress hormone are high they destroy healthy immune cells. Various massage techniques are specifically performed to target points throughout the body to promote relaxation and increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine. This can mean the world to many pediatric patients in need of relief and it better equips them to fight their condition. • As far as the child’s response to massage goes, the majority are receptive to the technique and can quickly experience a sense of happiness and mood improvement, often feeling asleep during the session. There is regardless important to acknowledge that because of past medical experiences and being unfamiliar with this type of touch, they might not know what to expect so naturally they might be reluctant or frightened. This is not abnormal.

6. Getting from post-hip and knee surgery pain to performance with physiotherapy • A Harvard expert has explained the implications of hip and knee replacement surgery and how to best manage symptoms pre and post intervention. When comparing the two, hip replacement comes as the least painful and complicated surgery as the replacements are put straight into the bones. Knee replacement on the other hand requires releasing ligaments and working with bone components and many times additional joint conditions such as arthritis which raises other risks. When it comes to recovery, hip replacement will call for the use of crutches while a knee replacement may take anything between six month to a year to even remotely feel the joints are back to normal. • What’s a given in both cases is that physiotherapy is a must in the continuum of care. Rehabilitation is the most important thing to do following total joint replacement to ensure pain is relieved and as best as possible function is regained. And it should be started as soon as possible. • Physiotherapy is a fundamental part of the recovery process and it has been for many years due to its effectiveness and improved patient outcomes reported. It’s important to start gently moving the knee or hip as quickly after the surgery, unless otherwise told so by the doctor or physiotherapist. Studies point out that various types of physiotherapy are needed to reach optimal results. For instance, one research showed that accelerated physiotherapy improved activity a week following the operation as well as after 6 weeks and 3 months. Another one revealed that hydrotherapy combined with land-based therapy resulted in cardiovascular and nervous systems changes, thus enhancing recovery and reducing joint load.

7. Alleviating cancer-related joint pain through acupuncture • A randomized clinical trial conducted in 2018 and published in Jama has investigated the effects acupuncture in releasing joint pain associated with hormone therapy among women with early stage breast cancer. The study took place at 11 academic centers and clinical sites in the United States and involved patients who scored at least 3 on a pain inventory from 0 to 10 with 10 being the most severe one. • The technique of acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and it involves the use of thin, metallic needles manipulated manually or through electric stimulation to penetrate the surface of the skin. The therapy’s efficiency across various symptoms and conditions continues to be explored by experts. In the study, it was found that after six weeks of undergoing acupuncture sessions, participants reported a decrease in pain levels by an average of 2.05 points. For many, it may seem like an insignificant finding, but on the contrary these results are remarkable in paving the way for better treatment for breast cancer patients.

8. The End Interested to know more? Please visit: https://www.strivept.ca/massage-therapy-kitchener.html Strive Physiotherapy and Performance Telephone 519-895-2020 Email info@strivept.ca