The Power of Touch: Exploring the Science Behind Massage Therapy For thousands of years, various massage techniques have been used worldwide to address a wide range of health issues. While the specific approaches and names may differ the core benefits of massage often share many similarities. However, one key element has been missing in the world of massage therapy: a unified theoretical framework for understanding how massage therapy works. The available evidence suggests that the effects of massage cannot be explained by a single mechanism. Instead, it acts through a complex interplay of in ..read more

THIS POST IS PART OF A NEW SERIES OF BLOG POSTS CALLED - MASSAGE THERAPY: AN EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE Open Access Resources for Massage Therapists: If you are a massage therapist who is interested in reading massage therapy research, PubMed is a great resource but most massage therapists do not have academic access to journals.  But, this is not the only barriers to entry, sorting through the data is like drinking from a fire-hose, if you search Massage therapy on PubMed you will get over 15,000 returns. So, if you don't feel like sorting through all those lis ..read more

THIS POST IS PART OF A NEW SERIES OF BLOG POSTS CALLED - MASSAGE THERAPY: AN EVIDENCE-BASED GUIDE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE 10 Open Access Research Articles About Low Back Pain If you are a massage therapist who is interested in reading research papers, PubMed is a great resource but most massage therapists do not have academic access to journals.  This is not the only barriers to entry, sorting through the data is like drinking from a fire-hose. If you don't feel like sorting through thousands of articles on PubMed I have put together a curated selection of open access article to make ..read more

The Neuroscience of Touch The skin is the body's largest organ. It affects everything from our social interactions to temperature regulation, and immune defense. This is because it is home to a wide variety of sensory nerves that provide us with information about the environment around us. The peripheral sensory system can detect gentle touch, pain, itch, temperature, and proprioception. In addition to the physical responses to touch, the psychological affective responses can not be overstated.  Research into neuroscience of touch is coming out at an ever increasing rate. Some of the arti ..read more

This post is part of a new series of blog posts called - Massage Therapy: An Evidence-Based Guide For Clinical Practice Unlock the Language of Massage: Your Guide to Massage Therapy Terms Whether you're a seasoned massage therapist or a curious newcomer, this glossary is here to be your one-stop shop for understanding terms as it relates to massage therapy. Glossary of Massage Therapy Terms A fascia - A sheath, a sheet, or any other dissectible aggregations of connective tissue that forms beneath the skin to attach, enclose, and separate muscles and other internal organs. Active inference - A ..read more

An Integrated Whole Person Approach to Musculoskeletal Conditions Musculoskeletal conditions are a broad term for problems that affect your muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. This can include everyday aches and pains, but also serious conditions that can limit your mobility. Some common examples include back pain, neck pain, arthritis, and repetitive strain injuries. These conditions can arise from injuries, overuse, age-related wear and tear, or even underlying diseases. They can cause pain, stiffness, weakness, and make it difficult to perform everyday activities. The go ..read more

Auricular Acupressure for Musculoskeletal Pain Auricular acupressure is simple intervention that may be of use for patients as a part of a multidisciplinary pain management strategy (Jan et al., 2017; Murakami et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2023). Acknowledging that traditional narratives outdated auricular acupressure can be reframed as a form of peripheral nerve stimulation technique in acupressure points are stimulated manually or with electricity. Auricular acupressure can be used to stimulate the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (the inner conch of the ear), the auriculotemporal nerve, th ..read more

Cupping (also known as Hijama in Arabic or Ba Guan in Chinese) has been practiced by different cultures throughout history. The Use of Cupping Massage for Musculoskeletal Pain Cupping (also known as Hijama in Arabic or Ba Guan in Chinese) has been practiced by different cultures throughout history, but the true origin of cupping remains uncertain (Ashton et al., 2021; Qureshi et al., 2017). The practice of cupping is a technique where a vacuum is created in a cup, drawing the skin up and decompressing the layers of the epidermis and subcutaneous superficial fascia. Cupping massage is a modern ..read more

Mindfulness-Based Interventions Mindfulness-based interventions include slow controlled breathing, mindfulness meditation, cognitive–behavioral therapies, biofeedback, guided imagery and physical activities such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong. These activities may be used to increase self-awareness, relieve stress, and improve interoception. Interoception refers to the representation of the internal world, and includes the processes by which an organism senses, interprets, integrates, and regulates signals from within itself (Chen et al., 2021; Weng et al., 2021). “Mindfulness-based interventio ..read more

The concept of sore spots that can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes have been independently discovered and used as a treatment for musculoskeletal pain by different cultures in the middle east, Europe, Africa and Asia. A Few Thoughts on Myofascial Trigger Points The concept of sore spots that can be leveraged for therapeutic purposes have been independently discovered and used as a treatment for musculoskeletal pain by different cultures throughout the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. One of the oldest examples on record is a 5,300 year old naturally preserved human body discovered ..read more