Importance of Massage Therapy - Research Paper Example

?Effect of Massage Massage is the art of manual manipulation of the superficial and deeper layers of muscles, soft tissues and skin. It is a component of complementary therapy that is increasingly receiving attention in today’s therapeutic world. This non invasive intervention uses various manipulation and techniques such as holding, applying pressure and causing movement in some body parts (Moyer et.al, 2004). Massage therapy is the professional application of this technique to achieve positive effects on the health and well-being of a client (American massage therapy association, 1999). Despite its ancient use in the society, there is scarce empirical evidence associating the effectiveness of massage and the claimed benefits. Recent times have experienced a gradual re-emergence of this technique as a complement to conventional medicine and therapy. Massage can be purposefully applied either for leisure (recreation) or as a therapeutic intervention. Despite the purpose for which it is applied, massage is generally useful in promoting healing, restoring normal function of the body systems and enhancing optimal performance of these systems. Massage can achieve all these aims by directly or indirectly acting on the cardiac system, the coagulation and inflammatory system, the lymphatic drainage, connective tissue as well as the autonomic nervous system. Massage is equally useful in sport science in improving sport performance by physiologically preparing the muscle system for endurance. Among the aims of massage is to promote healing of any disease condition in the body. These disease conditions may include; physical trauma or injuries, localized and systemic infections, and abnormal (altered) body function as such cancer and genetic disorders. The physical manipulation by massage both in health and disease, dilates superficial arterial blood vessels and increases blood flow rate. Arterial vessels are a component of the cardiovascular system responsible for supplying nutrients and oxygen to tissues. (Finley, & Nugent, 1995). Apart from arterial vessels, massage also improves the overall cardiac stroke volume, an effect associated to enhanced venous flow back to the heart. Enhanced blood flow to a diseased tissue or organ arguably promotes healing. However this effect of massage on arterial blood vessels is not uniform and largely depends on the actual technique involved (Finley, & Nugent, 1995). While some massage techniques show a positive association to blood flow, others, do not or they may, in fact, show a negative effect. For instance, deep muscle massage is also associated with improved venous return and thus the effect on cardiac output volume while mild massage in some patients is associated with a reduced flow rate (Scull CW. 1945). Apart from the cardiac system, massage has an effect on the activity of the autonomic nervous system. This is convincingly evident in patients experiencing pain and discomfort. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems activities control physiological balance of body function systems. The two pathways (sympathetic and parasympathetic) are activated in disease or infection and can either act synergistically or in antagonism depending on the overall effect to be achieved. Present scientific findings suggest that massage stimulates the activity of the parasympathetic and suppresses that of sympathetic nervous system. Parasympathetic is associated with reduced pain due to its counter effect on chemokine and other pro-inflammatory products such as histamines. Despite the scarcity of scientific evidence to support the effect of massage on the body, current literature strongly shows potential in the technique and the whole field of complementary medicine. For instance, a study by Delaney on the short-term effects of massage therapy on cardiac autonomic tone showed a significant increase in cardiac parasympathetic activity with corresponding myofascial trigger point massage(2002). The study investigated this effect on healthy adults in order to eliminate confounding effects associated with disease. The effect of massage on the parasympathetic nervous system according to Delaney is mediated by the manual stimulation of dermal and subdermal pressure receptors on the skin. These receptors are nerve terminal of the vagal afferent fibres involved in the Autonomic nervous system regulation. (Diego & Field, 2009 ubo 2013). Massage has also been shown to enhance pain relief and improve relaxation. The physiological process associated with pain is the inflammatory response, which is common in many medical conditions and diseases. This response has also been associated with negative psychological and emotional effects to the patient. Despite being associated with pain, inflammation is essential in the body’s effort to combat diseases and return normalcy to the affected body systems. Undocumented evidence of pain relief after massage provides further proof of the effect of massage on the nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stimulates and maintains the inflammatory response, and thus associated with increased pain and suffering. It is the suppressive effect of massage on the SNS that is associated with pain relief and relaxation effect. This claim is further supported by Batalha (2013), who investigated the effectiveness of massage as a pain relief in children with cancer. The study was done on children aged 10 to 18 years, and they all reported relief and general wellbeing after the massage session. Evidence on the effect of massage on the circulatory system has been demonstrated in a couple of studies. For instance, Pemberton (1945) reported a positive effect of massage on superficial vaso-dilation of arterial vessel beneath the skin. This effect, is associated with an effect on local axon reflexes as a result of the manual manipulative effects on the skin. Moderate and forceful massage increases blood flow in healthy adults, which is caused by the release of vaso-dilator, histamine from fragile cells during the process. Interestingly, the effects of moderate massage according to Carrier, (1922) are longer lasting that those of gentle or mild massage. Tracer experiments have also provided further evidence on massage as a technique that improves blood flow. When compared with other conventional techniques, in the tracer experiments, massage significantly increased blood flow rate in effleurage experiment far much better than diathermy and therapeutic ultrasound techniques (Hansen, & Kristensen, 1973). Studies on patients with flaccid paralysis also support the above findings, when patients on massage therapy significantly improved, compared to those in other therapies. The evidence discussed above clearly point out that massage has beneficial effects whether used for therapeutic or recreational purposes. These benefits may be countless considering the limited documentation present and wider application of the technique. Massage improves the physiological performance of various body organs, such as the heart, the brain, and the mind. Blood flow is essential for good health as it ensures adequate supply of nutrients and oxygen to various body parts. With adequate flow, many medical conditions can be averted, or their effect diminished. For example, regular massage can potentially prevent thrombosis, a condition caused by poor venous blood flow. This especially important to bed confined patients who can hardly exercise. Another benefit of massage is improved blood enzyme concentration. Enzymes are secreted from cells though they may exert their function in a different organ or tissue far from their source. In this case enzymes are secreted and transported to their target organs or tissue via the blood circulation. Massage through unclear mechanisms enhances and increase the serum concentration of some enzymes such as myoglobin and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, thus enhancing biological processes (Danneskiold-Samsoe, Christiansen, & Lund, 1983). Massage can also efficiently improve and reduce swelling especially in sport science. Swelling is an indication of inflammation and is usually associated with pain. Healing effect of massage is achieved by the mechanical compression of the tissues enhancing the flow of interstitial and lymphatic fluid back to circulation (Starling, 1894). Massage can also be used to treat swelling associated with an imbalance of body fluid balance such as pregnancy induced oedema. Another benefit of massage is that it can be to alleviate pain and discomfort associated with muscle spasm. In sport, massage can help reduce muscle soreness associated with vigorous exercise by lowering the concentration of lactate in muscle cells. Massage is also applied in sport science as a warm activity prior to sport activity in conditioning the connective tissue. This is essential in preventing sport associated injuries. Sports people who do not warm up efficiently are prone to physical injuries associated with sports. Total relaxation achieved during massage improves the emotional wellbeing of the client. This is linked to the benefits discussed above and the general experience of the technique. Massage is non invasive process, and the art of touching helps in relaxing the mind and achieving a resting state. Part of this effect is also achieved through the music played during the process. Music is a good stimulator and relaxer of the mind as musical waves tends to integrate with brain waves of relaxation. However, scientific studies are necessary to prove this claim and provide further evidence. In a nut shell, massage is an ancient technique that it is still relevant today and is gradually emerging as an alternative to invasive therapy. Present literature point out the direct influence of the technique to a number of body systems and organs. Some of the systems affected by massage include, the autonomic nervous system (brain), circulatory system(heart), lymphatic system as well as the immune system. There are a couple of benefits associated with massage some of which are documented and others are not. These benefits include, improved psychological well being, healing, physiology of body organs and systems as well prevention of some diseases and conditions. Increasing scientific studies in the subject is promising, and soon compelling evidence about the effect of massage on health will increase its acceptance in health care. References American Massage Therapy Association. 1999, “AMTA definition of massage therapy.” Retrieved from http://www.amtamassage.org/about/definition.html Batalha, L.M & Mota, A. 2013, “Massage in children with cancer: effectiveness of a protocol” J Pediatr (Rio J), Vol. 89(6):595-600 Carrier E,B. 1922, “Studies on the physiology of capillaries. V. The reaction of the human skin capillaries to drugs and other stimuli.” Am I Physiol Vol, 61: 528-47. Danneskiold-Samsoe B, Christiansen E, & Lund B. 1983, “Regional muscle tension and pain (fibrositis): effect of massage on myoglobin in plasma.” Scan J Rehabil Med Vol, 15: 17-20. Delaney, J.P.A et al,. 2002, “The short-term effects of myofascial trigger point massage therapy on cardiac autonomic tone in healthy subjects” Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol 37(4), 364-371 Field, T. M. (1998). “Massage therapy effects.” The American psychologist, Vol, 53(12), 1270– 81. Finley, J., & Nugent, S. 199, “Heart rate variability in infants , children and young adults.” Journal of the Autonomic Nervous System, Vol, 51, 103–108 Hansen T.I, & Kristensen J.H., 1973, “Effect of massage, shortwave diathermy and ultrasound upon 133Xe disappearance rate from muscle and subcutaneous tissue in the human calf.” Scand J Rehabil Med Vol, 5: 179-82. Moyer, C. a, Rounds, J., & Hannum, J. W. (2004). A meta-analysis of massage therapy research. Psychological bulletin, 130(1), 3–18. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.1.3 Pemberton R. 1945, “Physiology of massage. In: Council of Physical Medicine. Handbook Of Physical Medicine.” 4th ed. Chicago, Illinois, USA: American Medical Association. Scull CW. 1945, “Massage - Physiologic Basis” Archives of Physical Medicine, Vol, 26: 159-67. Starling E.H. 1894, “The influence of mechanical factors on lymph production.” I Physiol Vol 16: 224-67. Read More