Issue link: http://www.bodysensemagazinedigital.com/i/693903
8 Body Sense focused on comparing IMMT with Swedish massage. The women were divided into two groups. Both groups received two treatments per week over the course of four weeks, with half of the group receiving Swedish massage and the other half of the group receiving IMMT. Pain was measured before and after using a 0–10 analog pain scale, and cervical range of motion was also measured before and after the series of treatments. The results of this study revealed that IMMT had a more positive therapeutic effect than Swedish massage alone and that cervical range of motion in all planes of movement had increased while pain had significantly decreased. 3 Low-Back Pain In 2011, more than 400 patients with low-back pain received one-hour massage treatments once a week for 10 weeks. Three groups were formed: one group received structural massage, one group received relaxation massage, and one group received usual medical care without massage. At the end of 10 weeks, the participants who received massage reported greater ability to be active and perform activities of daily living, spent less time in bed, and used less medication than the group that received the usual medical care. They also showed measurable improvement in sleep patterns, which has emerged as a common benefit among many participants in hands-on research studies for all types of pain. 4 TALK TO YOUR THERAPIST This is only a small sampling of current research, yet the impact is far reaching and significant. If you are one of the millions experiencing pain today, be sure to consult with your therapist about the modalities that can best help you. Massage can, one body at a time, reduce the unacceptable number of people who are in chronic pain and help them return to a thriving life. B S Notes 1. Richard A. Deyo et al., "Report of the NIH Task Force on Research Standards for Chronic Low Back Pain," Journal of Pain 15, no. 6 (2014): 569–85. 2. Rose Adams, Barb White, and Cynthia Beckett, "The Effects of Massage Therapy on Pain Management in the Acute Care Setting," International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork 3, no. 1 (2010): 4–11. 3. B. G. Rohe et al., "Experimental Integrative Muscular Movement Technique Enhances Cervical Range of Motion in Patients with Chronic Neck Pain: A Pilot Study," Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 21, no. 4 (April 2015): 223–8. 4. Daniel C. Cherkin et al., "A Comparison of the Effects of 2 Types of Massage and Usual Care on Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized, Controlled Trial," Annals of Internal Medicine 155, no. 1 (July 2011): 1–9. Cindy Williams has served the massage profession as a practitioner, school administrator, instructor, curriculum developer, and mentor since 2000. She enjoys the challenge of blending structure with creative flow to provide balance in her classroom, bodywork practice, and life. If you are one of the millions experiencing pain today, be sure to consult with your therapist about the modalities that can best help you.