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A Welcome Compliment to Medical Care -
Therapeutic Massage
Practitioners seeking to differentiate their services and provide patients with a broader spectrum of treatment alternatives can suggest therapeutic massage as a complimentary treatment for many patients. Below you will find information on three ways massage therapy at Combined Therapy Specialties can help your patients.
Back Pain: A recent Cochrane review of therapeutic massage and back pain summarized five randomized clinical trials.1 Three trials were of high methodological quality. Massage proved more effective than placebo, relaxation treatment, acupuncture, or self care education. The benefits lasted one year. At Combined Therapy Specialties, expert massage improves the effectiveness of the overall back pain treatment plan that typically includes strengthening, stretching, modalities, and posture training. Massage at CTS works to enhance circulation, remove waste products from muscles, increase the threshold for pain,2 and reduce muscular tone/spasm.
Pregnancy Massage: As a woman’s body experiences the changes of pregnancy, many women face a number of challenges such as sleep disturbances, muscle and joint pain, sciatic pain, emotional swings, and swelling. Pregnancy massage at Combined Therapy Specialties can help. A clinical trial in 1999 studied 26 pregnant women and their response to pregnancy massage versus relaxation therapy for 5 weeks.3 Both groups reported feeling less anxious and less leg pain as a result of the therapies. Only the massage therapy group reported reduced anxiety, improved mood, better sleep, and less back pain. Researchers noted that women in the massage therapy group had decreased urinary stress hormone levels (norepinephrine).
Newborn Massage Class: This class at Combined Therapy Specialties teaches parents and caregivers to give gentle, loving massages to their medically stable newborns. CTS teaches a massage protocol designed to promote healthier digestion, elimination (including gas), weight gain, deeper sleep, immune system functioning, and bonding. The newborn massage class also teaches other issues about early infant communication including baby’s time-out cues, crying & coping, and comforting. Combined Therapy Specialties holds private and group classes.
Jennifer Peters, LMBT (pictured left)(NC #1744)
Jennifer holds a National Certification in therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, maintains NC licensure as a massage therapist, and is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She previously worked at Carolina WomanCare in High Point. Jennifer now provides expert massage therapy at Combined Therapy Specialties. Her training includes: Neuromuscular Therapy, Swedish Massage, Pregnancy Massage, Newborn Massage instruction, Russian Massage, and Hydrotherapy.
REFERENCES
- Furlan AD, Brosseau L, Welch V, Wong J. Massage for low back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2000; (4): CD001929.
- Dhondt W, Willaeys T, Vergruggen LA, et al. Pain threshold in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and effect of manual oscillations. Scand J Rheumatol 1999; 28: 88-92.
- T. Field, M. Hernandez-Reif, S. Hart, H. Theakston, S. Schanberg and C. Kuhn. Pregnant women benefit from massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology:1999 Mar; 20(1): 31-8.
©BMA 2005
Telephone (828) 277-6957
One Vanderbilt Park, Suite 120
Asheville, NC 28803