Using research to demonstrate the effects of thearpeutic massage in practice.
by Jolie Haun, LMT, PHD
Massage Thearapy has a wide range of uses,
from pure relaxation to helping people recover from injury. As a massage
therapist, you may have watched the tension and anxiety ease from a client's
shoulders, or perhaps you had a hand in getting an athlete back to
peak condition.
Some of you, too, might work with populations where the benefits of
massage therapy are more difficult to quantify or are a part of a larger
treatment program, making pinpointing the benefit of therapeutic massage
difficult. For the most part, cancer patients fall into this category. Anecdotal
evidence continues to detail the relief massage therapy offers, but
these accounts go only so far to persuade people of the merits of massage
therapy.
And this is where research can help. By quantifying the benefits offered
by massage therapy, scientific studies help build a foundation upon which
massage therapists, and the people they help, can stand.
THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE
The American Cancer Society estimated 10,400 new cases of pediatric
cancer were diagnosed in 2007.[1] These children, especially those receiving
chemotherapy and radiation, often experience adverse symptoms, including
nausea, pain, anxiety, depression, weight loss and hair loss. Invasive
treatments can leave patients feeling physically, mentally and emotionally
drained.
Palliative care options such as massage therapy, however, are gaining in
popularity. A 2003 study reported 33 percent of parents in a primary care
setting use complementary and alternative medicine therapies (CAM), with
massage therapy being the most commonly used.[2] Massage therapy is believed
to improve circulation and immune function, help eliminate waste,
dissolve soft adhesions, reduce swelling, and relieve the pain and stress
associated with many illnesses.[3,4] The potential for increased immune function
and decreased pain make massage therapy a potentially key palliative
option for children with cancer.
There is little data, however, focusing on the effects massage therapy has
on pediatric oncology and hematology patients. Tiffany Field, PhD, director
of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine,
has conducted research investigating massage therapy to treat premature
and HIV-exposed newborns, as well as children with asthma, cystic
fibrosis, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).[3,9,10,11,12,13]
In these studies, children with RA had significantly lower stress hormone
levels following massage therapy.[9] Participants with asthma reported
decreased levels of anxiety after one day of treatment.10 Decreased anxiety
and depression, and improved sleep patterns have been seen in children
and adolescents with psychiatric problems.[3] Both behavioral and physiological
functions in children appear to be enhanced by massage therapy,
including growth, development, sleep, attentiveness and immune function,
along with reduced pain, stress and anxiety.[3,9,10,12,13]
Despite some promising results, however, massage therapy is criticized
for the lack of conclusive evidence using rigorous scientifically conducted
studies.14 Clinical trials evaluating massage therapy suffer from small
sample sizes and several confounding variables, particularly in pediatric
populations.[3,14, 15] Conclusive data concerning the effects of massage therapy
with pediatric cancer patients would help enhance the quality of care
given to children with cancer.
Continue <1
2
3
4
5>
|
American Massage Therapy Association®
