The purpose of this section of the Journal of Massage Science is to inform the practitioners about valuable articles that frequently go unnoticed, as well as to point to those authors and publications who exhibit low educational standards. We do not play politics, and we are not associated with any publishing company or professional association. We are a completely independent voice and we promise you direct, unbiased reviews based strictly on the science.
If the author of the reviewed article does not agree with our opinion, we will be more than happy to publish his or her response and have a productive discussion over the article’s subject.
At the end of the year, we will recognize and reward the author of the most important publication(s) and point to the authors of the most unscientific publication(s). We hope this will help to raise the bar of published materials in massage journals for the benefit of the entire profession.
MASSAGE & BODYWORK MAGAZINE
Touch as a Language. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:12-13, 2017
It seems that the article covers a trivial thing, but we think that this important component of bodywork is one some therapists don’t fully understand and appreciate. This article reminds therapists about the importance of correct touch, which links them to their clients.
Just one example. If a therapist, while doing a full body stress reduction massage, thinks about what to cook for dinner or what to buy in the grocery store after work, he or she immediately loses touch connections with the clients. They won’t complain about it, but they will feel the difference. Just keep it in mind.
Massage As Catalyst. Helping Other Therapies to Work Better. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:28-29, 2017
This short article is dedicated to the important subject of the integration of MT with other medical therapies or procedures. In some cases, MT is the solution; in some cases it helps to control the side effects of medical therapies; and in some cases MT is only part of the solution.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:38-41, 2017
A very good article which gives the readers an overview of this debilitating disease. What is good about the article is the fact that the author gives correct recommendations for MT application for these patients.
Skeletal Muscle Fibers. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:43-44, 2017
A short but informative article on the physiology of muscle and its correlations with MT.
Sensory Overload. Effective Touch for Fibromyalgia. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:48-53, 2017
A very informative article which covers the basic aspects of Fibromyalgia and its treatment options. Despite the fact that it is well documented, the article covers only one aspect of Fibromyalgia’s pathophysiology. The other point of view isn’t presented at all, despite the fact that these ideas are getting more and more recognition from scientists and the medical community.
The alternative vision rests on the fact that patients with Fibromyalgia exhibit fragmentation of mitochondria. If these energy-generating stations inside the cell are compromised, the contraction/relaxation cycle of skeletal muscles is greatly affected, and Fibromyalgia becomes the result of an energy crisis.
In such a case, sensory overload and tension in the fascia, which are mentioned in the article as major contributors to the Fibromyalgia symptoms, are secondary reactions, and this fact greatly impacts the treatment options already used, including MT.
How Breath Can Impact Your Client’s Fibromyalgia pain. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:62-71, 2017
Great article!
Elbow Room. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:72-81, 2017
Excellent self-help case study!
Why Clients Stray. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:82-83, 2017
The topic of the article is how to build up a successful practice by making clients faithful to the therapist. If therapists who work in the stress reduction branch of MT would like to build a stable clientele, they first of all need to fight the clients’ brain and, more precisely, the Phenomenon of Adaptation.
In the article this subject is mentioned in the section ‘Stuck in a Rut’ but what is described there is nowhere near enough. To win over the client’s brain, just changing the sequence of the massage session from front to back or from back to front is not enough. Only a wide technical arsenal and its constant alternation will make your practice bulletproof. All other aspects mentioned in the article have secondary value. To read more about the Phenomenon of Adaptation and its effect on the therapist and client, visit The Phenomenon of Adaptation.
Putting Squeeze on Morton’s Neuroma. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:88-91, 2017
Very good article on Morton’s Neuroma. We may only add that for many patients the treatment which is described in the article unfortunately will be unsuccessful. However, the therapist should try it and observe clinical results and after that make a conclusion about whether further therapy is beneficial.
Iliosacral Alignment and Sciatic Nerve Entrapment. Sensory Overload. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:92-93, 2017
Very good article!
Gentle Techniques for Jaw and TMJ. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Jan/Feb:98-101, 2017
If the techniques described in the article are part of the treatment strategy, they will have merit. If they are the cornerstone of the therapy, they are not enough to address tension in the masticatory muscles and decompress TMJ.
The masseter is able to generate 270 pounds (!) of pressure during the bite. That makes the masseter the most powerful muscle in the body. From this perspective, the techniques discussed in the article are not enough to reset the muscle spindle receptors in the masticatory muscles. The techniques discussed in the article can be used only as preparation for more sophisticated treatment options.
Thoraco-lumbar Fascia Network. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Mar/Apr 45-46-101, 2017
A small but important article which covers the anatomy and function of the Thoracolumbar Fascia.
Massage for Infantile Colic. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Mar/Apr 48-49-101, 2017
Very good article for the therapists who practice Infant Massage. The article reviews recent medical studies on the subject and it justifies the application of MT to help infants and their parents to deal with Infantile Colic.
Pin and Stretch Technique. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Mar/Apr 50-57, 2017
Very good article on application of different stretching techniques. Great illustrations!
Deciphering Nerve Injuries. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Mar/Apr 86-89, 2017
Very good and very important article. Therapists must understand the importance of different nerve entrapment syndromes.
You Can’t Teach Experience. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Mar/Apr 56-89, 2017
The article emphasizes a very important concept of personal clinical experience which is needed for the successful practice of bodywork and manual therapies.
Sympathetic Sacrum. Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Mar/Apr 586-89, 2017
This is an article of great importance! Everyone who practices clinical aspects of bodywork and massage therapy MUST read it. The article discusses the newly discovered fact that there are no parasympathetic fibers which innervate the lower pelvic organs: the rectum, urinary bladder, sex organs and the soft tissues and circulatory system of the pelvis and lower extremities. From this perspective instead of dual innervation from BOTH parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions, the function of these organs and tissues is controlled by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system ONLY — more precisely, by a simple increase or decrease of the sympathetic tone. This looks like a purely scientific fact, but it has enormous clinical meaning for everyone who practices massage and manual therapy.
The author deserves a lot of credit for bringing this information to the attention of the readers and for not being afraid to challenge the established status quo. There are several widely-practiced modalities (Craniosacral Therapy, some Rolfing techniques etc.) which are built on the idea that the parasympathetic nervous system has two divisions, cranial and sacral. The goal of these treatments was to balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions, and one of the therapy’s key components was stimulation of the parasympathetic tone by working with the cranium and sacrum of patients.
Thanks to the exceptional study by Espinosa-Medina et al. (2016), we now know that there is only ONE (cranial) division of the parasympathetic nervous system and that there is no sacral division of the parasympathetic nervous system. This fact completely changes the dynamic of bodywork since it puts the modalities we mentioned above and their proclaimed clinical effectiveness in question. Now we can say without any doubt that these therapies rely mostly on the placebo effect, with limited clinical impact, despite widely accepted views.
REFERENCES
- Espinosa-Medina I, Saha O, Boismoreau F, et al. The sacral autonomic outflow is sympathetic. Science. 2016;354(6314):893-897. doi:10.1126/science.aah5454
MASSAGE TODAY
Inside Look at Cruciate Ligaments. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (1)
A very good article about the Cruciate Ligament. We would like to confirm one detail regarding the MT option. Yes, it is mentioned that in case of severe trauma to the cruciate ligaments, surgery must be performed. However, from reading the article the therapist may get the wrong impression that restoring the balance between the antagonist muscles which support knee function is a treatment option in all injuries of the cruciate ligament. It is not. The ONLY solution for severely damaged cruciate ligaments is surgery, with MT playing a role in rehabilitation only.
Palpation Skills. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (1)
The article covers the very important subject of palpation skills, but it gives very basic information about it
Enhance Healing With Therapeutic Endings. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (1)
The article is dedicated to an important subject and touches on some central concepts like adaptation of the nervous system to chronically persistent somatic dysfunction.
However, the author apparently is not aware of recent discoveries in regard to the parasympathetic flow, which he constantly tries to stimulate and balance with his sacral work as a part of Craniosacral Therapy.
There is nothing to balance in the sacrum, since the parasympathetic nervous system is not there to start with. Thus, the author can’t treat something which isn’t there. To read more we refer readers to the great article by Til Luchau which we reviewed above.
When Cancer Involves the Brain. Part I. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (2)
The article covers very basic aspects of brain cancer, its treatment options and MT intake.
Movement. Valuable Technique. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (2)
The article covers the aspect of soft tissue and joint rehabilitation after prolonged immobilization due to surgery or a fracture. The article discusses this issue from the clinical perspective of foot/ankle joint immobilization in the boot. The author is completely correct when she mentions correct movement therapy as a tool to speed up recovery.
Manual Resistive Tests. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (2)
The article covers basic aspects of muscle evaluation using Resistive Tests. Indeed, this testing is an important part of the client/patient’s evaluation.
Let’s Talk About. Supinator Injuries. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (2)
The article is completely correct when it describes the anatomy and function of the supinator muscle, and it covers some testing for potential injury and tension. Indeed, the tension in the supinator muscle may mimic or coincide with acute elbow pain due to the Tennis Elbow or Lateral Epicondylitis. Therefore, the issue of the supinator muscle is very important. If a therapist tries to help a patient with Tennis Elbow while his or her symptoms are due to tension in the supinator muscle, the treatment will fail.
However, we have a lot of questions about the treatment options the author offers. The ONLY treatment suggested in the article is cross fiber friction.
- Let’s start with cross fiber friction itself. The supinator muscle is located UNDER the extensor digitorum muscle. Fig. 1 illustrates the anatomy of the dorsal forearm.
Fig. 1. Anatomy of dorsal forearm As readers may see in Fig. 1, the area for the application of the cross-fiber friction recommended in the article will target the superficially located extensor digitorum muscle first, with very little therapeutic impact on the supinator itself.
To avoid completely unnecessary traumatization of the extensor digitorum, the therapist must move this muscle to the side first to expose the supinator and only after that apply cross fiber friction to the fibers of the supinator only. Since the article advocates direct application of the cross fiber friction there, it is a clinical mistake.
The therapist MUST leave as little imprint as possible in the soft tissues while delivering as much therapeutic impact as possible. Unfortunately, the application of cross fiber friction suggested in the article works the opposite way.
- Cross fiber friction as the ONLY treatment option for the tension or injury of the supinator muscle is an insufficient treatment strategy. The tension in the superficial fascia which covers the extensor digitorum and in the deep fascia which separates the extensor and the supinator must be addressed as well.
What about the extensor digitorum muscle itself? Why wasn’t this superficially located muscle, which will ALWAYS carry protective tension, even mentioned as an initial target of the therapy?
Also, the anatomical length of the supinator muscle MUST be restored and the muscle spindle receptors MUST be reset after the application of cross-fiber frictions. Otherwise, the same problem sooner or later will re-emerge.
What about the insertions of the supinator muscle to the bones? From reading the article, therapists will get the incorrect impression that there are no other components in the treatment of the tension in the supinator muscle. From this perspective, the treatment mentioned in the article is one very small component of the treatment strategy, and refusing to see the full clinical picture and not addressing it with correct treatment tools is a professional mistake.
- Finally, why didn’t the author even mention the posterior interosseous nerve and its anatomical position regarding the supinator muscle? This nerve is the first major branch of the radial nerve in the forearm, and the absence of this critical piece of information may greatly affect treatment options. The supinator muscle is part of the so-called Arcade of Frohse which is an arch over the posterior interosseous nerve where it can be easily entrapped. Fig. 1 also illustrates the location and anatomy of the Arcade of Frohse.
Application of cross fiber friction without understanding and considering the anatomy of the posterior interosseous nerve, the supinator muscle and the Arcade of Frohse may lead to direct traumatization of the nerve during back and forth cross fiber frictions, which will rub the nerve and weaken hand extension.
There are some basic rules of cross fiber (i.e., Cyriax’s) friction that the author and the therapist MUST know for its application in regard to neighboring important anatomical structures. Apparently, this important piece of information is completely missed in the article.
At the Foundation of Bodywork. Palpation. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (3)
The article is dedicated to the very important and underrepresented topic of palpation. Unfortunately, it provides very basic information without significant practical input.
When Cancer Involves the Brain. Part II. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (3)
Part II is a much better article because it gives therapists enough guidelines on how to adjust therapy to the needs of the clients with brain cancer.
Get Re-Educated for Success. Neuromuscular Way. Massage Today, Vol. 17 (3)
The article discusses Neuromuscular Re-education Therapy as an important tool of somatic rehabilitation. The information in the article is correct and helpful. However, we would like to emphasize that this treatment is less effective when used alone and it is helpful only in cases of soft tissue trauma or overload. At the beginning of the article, the author emphasized this aspect, saying that irritation of the peripheral nerves (which is a very frequent clinical scenario) should be ruled out first.
MASSAGE MAGAZINE
Help For Migraines. Massage Magazine, March, 250: 42-45
The article covers Migraine treatment by the so-called Mundo Method. The author describes some correct aspects of the Touch Therapy, but they can be only an introductory component of the therapy. Additionally, the author claimed that she works with Migraines. This is a subject of great confusion because for True Migraine patients this therapy is a pure waste of time and money. Thus, the author more likely talks about Migraine-type Headache, and the difference is great.
The True Migraine ALWAYS must be preceded by the aura, which is the sensory abnormalities (sound, smell, taste, visuals, etc.) the patient feels 30-60 min before the attack. For these patients, the therapy may bring some temporary relief without any stable clinical outcome.
For patients with Migraine-type headaches, the Touch Therapy suggested in the article can be the initial segment of the therapy if the patient has a very acute clinical picture. Thus, to achieve stable clinical results more sophisticated modalities of somatic rehabilitation must be added later.
Visceral Manipulations. Massage Magazine, March, 250: 42-45
An excellent introductory article on Visceral Massage and Manipulations.
What Does Research Say About Massage and Pain? Massage Magazine, April, 251: 28-32
A very basic review of the role MT plays in pain management. We think that for the article to be more helpful for the therapists who can use the mentioned data, a full list of references must be included in the article.
MASSAGE THERAPY JOURNAL
Breaking Through. MTJ, Spring 2017; 5(1): 20-30
This article examines the effect of massage therapy on children with autism. In fact, massage therapy is a very important and sometimes even critical tool to get through to an autistic child. In these cases, the therapist and parents use somatic stimulation to alter the function of the brain. This is an irreplaceable tool when it is done right.
Category: Good Apples, Bad Apples
Tags: JMS 2017 Issue #2
