Massage Therapy Journal Spring 2024

18 • Massage Therapy Journal

The Pain Problem: The Role of Integrative Therapies

“I gradually increase the pressure, change the direction of my strokes, and add movement until I feel a difference in the muscle tissue,” Jobe adds. After identifying tight spots and trigger points, Durrence will also use deeper pressure and active and passive stretching to release tension. Massage for Shoulder Pain: Updates in Research A January 2022 study 4 sought to determine the effectiveness of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and myofascial release techniques

Both treatment methods were performed three times a week for four weeks. Pain severity was assessed by visual analog scale, range of motion using a goniometer, muscle strength by digital hand dynamometer, quality of life by Nottingham health profile, functionality by arm, shoulder and hand problems questionnaire, and disability by shoulder pain and disability index. The study concluded that the combined application of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and myofascial release had a more acute and cumulative positive effect on all of the measured outcomes. Additionally, myofascial release was found to be more effective in increasing flexion, external and internal rotation range of motion, and flexion and abduction muscle strength after the first session. Another study 5 compared the effects pharmacological treatment alone for shoulder pain after laparoscopic surgery. The intensity of shoulder pain was evaluated using a visual analog scale before and after each 20-minute treatment. Finding ways to deal with chronic pain that don’t require—or at the very least reduce the need for—opioids has been one of the cornerstones in helping people with addiction, as well as preventing addiction. Learn more about what some leading experts are saying about the role of massage therapy in pain management in “Promising Approaches to Pain Relief,” available at amtamassage.org/mtj . of massage therapy in tandem with pharmacological treatment versus

The middle back, also called the

thoracic spine, is made up of 12 vertebrae and provides support for the majority of your body’s weight.

New Africa / shutterstock.com

in patients with subacromial impingement syndrome. The study measured the effectiveness of the interventions in terms of pain, range of motion, muscle strength, quality of life, functionality and disability. The study divided 30 patients into two groups, a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation group and a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation combined with myofascial release group.

amtamassage.org/mtj