When I met physiotherapist Rheysonn Cornillia, who practices in Cavite, Philippines, at the 2019 San Diego Pain Summit, I wasn’t too surprised to hear the problems he faces in his profession are the same as most of my manual therapy friends in Canada, U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Given
A recent cross-sectional study from Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, found that massage therapy (Swedish style) can alleviate pain among people with knee osteoarthritis. It was better than groups that received light touching or “usual care.” However, the benefits of massage therapy lessened after eight weeks, and by
A few years ago, I recall seeing many of my friends and acquaintances in physical therapy talk about how great “Explain Pain Supercharged” was in helping them and their patients understand how pain works. Although I have not yet read the whole book, I had read a few passages when
Should you get a massage before sprinting or any sport that requires bursts of speed? Probably not. A study that was published recently in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that massage therapy alone is no better than dynamic stretching or a sham ultrasound treatment to improve acceleration in sprinting. (1) For
How well patients with chronic low back pain respond to physiotherapy treatment can depend on what and how the physiotherapist explains pain to them. Researchers from the International Spine and Pain Institute in Story City, Iowa—led by Dr. Adriaan Louw—found that their subjects seem to respond better to a single-leg
One of the biggest dividing lines in massage therapy is between evidence-based practitioners and therapists who practice ‘energy work.’ Both terms can be vague since there are many methods and modalities of massage, and many of them fall into the energy work. category. Some have been around for many years,
There are two primary types of intellectual property about which massage therapists should be aware: copyrights and trademarks. Generally, copyrights protect original works of authorship like writings or illustrations. Trademarks protect words, phrases, symbols, or designs which identify the source of the goods or services. Patents, a third type of
Case studies are often considered as low-quality evidence in the scientific hierarchy of evidence, but sometimes they can shed some insight, evoke new questions, and help us understand an unfamiliar topic better with storytelling. Because case studies are often narrated like a story, the information tends to get retained better
If you have experienced back stiffness, chances are, the experience is more than just “stiff” muscles or joints. Pain researchers from The University of South Australia recently published their study that suggests low back stiffness does not necessarily reflect actual stiffness of the low back muscles or spine. Rather, the
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.11″ text_font_size=”14px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″] If you could watch yourself getting a massage and you have back pain, would that be more effective in reducing pain than watching something else or simply close your eyes like most people?
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font_size=”14px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] Many people may consider physicist Stephen Hawkings to be one of the brightest minds in the history of modern physics. Even with his huge contribution to his field and our understanding of the universe, some
Unless you are exposed to high levels of industrial chemicals, such as chloride, mercury, and lead almost daily in your work or living environment, your sweat hardly have any “toxins.” Sweat is about 99% water with 1% minerals and other compounds. One study of seven people found that sweat contains