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IN THIS ISSUE |
Dear e-touch reader,This month in e-touch, let us know what you want to read by taking our Click 'n' Pick survey—it's fast, it's easy, and it's completely anonymous! Also, learn about new research on the effects of massage for arthritis sufferers. Enjoy the issue! If you no longer wish to receive e-touch, please follow this link to unsubscribe. Massage Brings Relief from Arthritis Pain
The research, conducted by the Touch Research Institute (TRI) of the University of Miami School of Medicine, examined 22 adults aged 20 to 65 years with wrist and/or hand arthritis. Participants were randomly assigned to either a massage therapy or a standard treatment control group. The massage therapy group received massage from a therapist on the affected area once a week for a four-week period, and also conducted self-massage at home daily. The control group received no massage, but was taught self-massage at the end of the study. Researchers found that the massage therapy group had lower anxiety scores and depressed mood scores after the first and last sessions, and by the end of the study reported less pain and greater grip strength. The massage therapy group showed greater improvement than the standard treatment control group on all measures. "While massage therapy has decreased pain in several pain syndromes, this is the first report of pain reduction in hand arthritis following massage therapy," says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the TRI. "The results of this study are very encouraging for the application of massage therapy as a complementary alternative treatment for hand arthritis." Arthritis is a systemic inflammatory disease that causes persistent joint pain and can affect people of all ages and activity levels. While this pain can appear in any joint in the body, it often affects the small joints of the hands. Hand strength in patients with arthritis is generally 75 percent lower than in healthy patients. Because many daily activities, such as opening doors or food containers and lifting and carrying items, require considerable hand strength, the pain caused by arthritis can lead to significant limitations on activity. But as this research indicates, massage is one of many ways that arthritis sufferers can reduce their pain and improve their quality of life. Did You Know?Massage therapy has been studied in pain management for a long time, and has been found to provide effective relief for a variety of conditions. Whether you suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, shoulder pain, low back pain or some other form of chronic pain, research indicates that massage can help. Regardless of the condition, the most important thing to remember when booking your massage is to look for a qualified massage therapist. Use AMTA’s Find A Massage Therapist® national locator service to locate an AMTA Professional member anywhere in the United States. This service will direct you to professionals who agree to adhere to a professionally recognized code of ethics and standards of practice, and are committed to continuing their professional education and development. You can visit the locator service online today at www.findamassagetherapist.org, or call toll-free 888-THE-AMTA [843-2682]. AMTA members listed in AMTA’s locator service must meet any and all local or state licensing requirements for massage therapists. All information included in the locator service is provided by individual members, and AMTA presumes all information to be true and correct. AMTA assumes no liability for incorrect information provided to AMTA for inclusion in this locator service, nor does AMTA represent these practitioners as competent. Table TipsA quick stress reducer
Simply tilt your head slightly downward, then place your right hand across your forehead, as if feeling your temperature, and place your left hand across the base of your head where it meets the back of your neck. Hold your hands in this position while taking seven or eight slow, deep breaths. This comforting placement of the hands comes from our body's natural response to calm itself. An example of this would be when we are told something horrific, we respond by saying something like, "Oh my!" or "I forgot," and bring a hand to the forehead. Give it a try—it really works! Bill Jackson Click 'n' Picke-touch values you as a reader! To make sure we give you what you want in this newsletter, we'd like to know a little more about you. Please take a few minutes to answer some demographic questions and suggest topics in this month's survey. It's fast, it's easy, and it's completely anonymous! Legal NoticeArticles submitted by individual authors are copyrighted by those authors and reprinted with their permission. Views expressed in these articles are not necessarily the views of the American Massage Therapy Association®, and should in no way be construed as an endorsement. They are for informational purposes only. AMTA MissionTo serve AMTA members while advancing the art, science and practice of massage therapy. |
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Arthritis pain in hands can be helped by massage therapy, according to a study published in the January 2007
issue of the
When you really need to shift gears at a stressful time, take 20 seconds or so to calm yourself.