Archive for the ‘Facts’ Category

Massage Facts

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Massage Therapy

Massage therapists in British Columbia receive 3000 hours of education in a 3 year full time program. British Columbia has the highest level of education in massage therapy in North America. We are educated in thorough anatomy, physiology, manual skills, remedial exercise, hydrotherapy, systemic pathologies, and orthopedic pathologies. We are trained in a variety of techniques (see Services Page). All of Family Center’s staff are Registered Massage Therapists. We are in good standing with the College of Massage Therapy of British Columbia. All the staff have the enthusiastic commitment to provide excellence in the massage therapy profession.
More that 150 articles about massage therapy have been published in scientific, medical, nursing and popular journals since 1980.
(source: MTA Literature Review, 1997)
Massage Therapy has been part of BC’s health care system for over 50 years.
(College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia 2001)
Sixty-Seven per cent of physicians make referrals to registered massage therapists. In 1996, over 200,000 referrals were made.
(British Columbia Medical Association)

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Pain

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Pain & Rehabilitative Management

Fifty-two patients with back pain, most of whom had tried other therapies without success, received eight massage therapy treatments over a one month period. Eight-six percent said they felt dramatically better following treatments.
(Weintraub, 1994)
Patients with cancer who received massage therapy experienced less pain, improved mobility and less swelling.
(Wilkinson, 1996)
Massage therapy is more effective than drugs when treating back pain for fibromyalgia. Over 40 per cent of patients who used deep-tissue massage said it helped them feel better, in comparison to on 35 per cent said prescription drugs were effective.
(Consumer Reports magazine, 2000)
Daily massage treatments reduced the pain and stiffness of people with fibromyalgia.
(Field, 1996)
Massage therapy is more effective than acupuncture for treating chronic lower back pain. Patients who received massage therapy used less medicine and had the lowest costs for subsequent care.
(Archives of Internal Medicine, 2001)
A vigorous sport massage treatment two hours after a vigorous exercise reduced muscle soreness.
(Smith et al, 1994)

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Stress

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Stress Reduction

Young psychiatric patients who underwent massage therapy had lower stress hormone levels, better sleep patterns and less anxiety.
(Field, 1995)
Massage therapy resulted in lower anxiety and stress among children with conditions such as autism and children who were victims of physical and sexual abuse.
(Field, 1995)
Female patients suffering from chronic tension headaches who received 10 massage therapy treatments in two and a half weeks experienced a significant long term improvement of their headaches and moods.
(Puusjarvi et al, 1990)
Massage therapy promoted relaxation among patients between 56 to 96 years of age and reduced blood pressure.
(Fakouri and Jones, 1987)
Corporate Massage
In 1988, Baxter Corp., an Ontario pharmaceutical company, implemented a massage therapy program for employees. Over the next four years, the time taken off by employees for work-related injuries decreased by 25 per cent. Between 1988 and 1990, compensation claims at the company dropped by $200,000.
(Financial Times, 1992)
Employees who were given a 15-minute massage treatments twice-a-week for five weeks were more alert and exhibited positive changes in brain waves.
(Field, 1997)
Pepsi, Apple Computers and Merril Lynch and Co. are just a few of the major corporations that offer employees massage therapy as part of their benefits program.
(Financial Post, 1989)
Adults who were given 15-minute massage therapy treatments twice a week for five weeks, showed increased speed and accuracy on math questions and their job stress scores were lower.
(Field et al, 1996)

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Pediatric Massage Therapy

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Children with rheumatoid arthritis who were given massage therapy treatments had much greater reduction in pain than those involved in progressive muscle relaxation therapy.
(Field et al, 1997)

Young girls suffering from bulimia had lower depression scores, lower stress hormone levels and improved attitudes about eating and their bodies following 10 massage therapy treatments over five weeks.
(Field et al, 1997) Infant Massage Premature babies who received daily massages gained 47 per cent more weight and went home an average of six days sooner than those who did not receive massage therapy. The early return home saved about $3,000 (US) per infant in hospital costs.
(Field et al, 1986) Cocaine-exposed premature babies who received massage therapy gained 28 per cent more weight and developed significantly faster.
(Wheeden et al, 1993)

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Pregnancy Massage

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Women who received massage therapy during childbirth reported less pain and anxiety.

(Field et al, 1997)

Women that received 20 minute massage therapy treatments for 5 weeks had decreased production of stress hormones and fewer complications during labour compared to the relaxation therapy group.
(Field et al, 1998)

Doula Services

When women had doulas during labor, their “mother-infant affectionate interaction scores” at a home visit two months later were significantly higher than for women who did not have a doula.
(Hofmeyret al, 1991 and Kennell JH et al1998.)

A recent randomized controlled trial reported that the cesarean rates in induced labors were reduced from 64% to 20% if a doula was present.
(McGrath et al, 1998.)

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