Inevitably this topic comes up regularly due to various things we once thought were causes of pain. How do we know if a persons pain from say, something like posture, is the cause, or there’s just an association between the two? This post helps us understand the different variables that come in to play with research and some of the bias’ involved.

“Association Or Causation, How Do We Ever Know?” – Hopin Lee

A great story of how an eighth-grade student is helping people in pain with homecare kits she made herself. On the basis of using distraction and relaxation, her kits were put to use in a clinical setting and had some pretty amazing results with the patients who used the kits.

“Loveland Student Tackles Pain With Clam Kits” – Pamela Johnson

The body likes stimulus, but how much do we need? Well, it depends on what you’re trying to do. If we want to make a lasting change one stimulus exposure is probably not going to make much of a difference, however, repeated exposure over time is more likely to be successful.

“Overcoming The Inertia Of The Body” – Ian Harvey

There are many contributing factors to people experiencing pain, sleep can be a major one. “After one night of inadequate sleep, brain activity ramps up in pain-sensing regions while activity is scaled back in areas responsible for modulating how we perceive painful stimuli”.

“Poor Sleep At Night, More Pain The Next Day” – Science Daily

Want to be happy? Start working on relationships.

“An 81-year Harvard Study Says Staying Happy and Mentally Sharp Boils Down to 1 Thing” – Scott Mautz

We know that communication with patients is a crucial part of treatment, so the way we talk about pain is equally important. Helping a patient rephrase their pain and how they talk to themselves about it can be helpful in encouraging resilience and decreasing pain.

“The Right Words Matter When Talking About Pain” – Michael Vagg

Yet another example of how loading tissue can help injuries. This research shows how exercise has anti-inflammatory effects and helps prevent cartilage degradation in conditions associated with arthritis.

“Exercise Helps Prevent Cartilage Damage Caused By Arthritis” – Queen Mary University of London

Reddened skin, mechanical effects, pressure ulcers, venous insufficiency, and all other things related to circulation and massage. This outlines where evidence is and is not in favour of the idea that massage increases circulation.

“Does Massage Increase Circulation?” – Paul Ingraham

Quite often the value of a relaxation massage gets devalued as we look to prove what massage therapy can do. However, we should never doubt it’s value and this post gives us some quality assurances around the benefits of a great relaxation treatment.

“Massage Therapy For Stress And Anxiety” – RMTAO

When products get the label of “natural’ or “organic” we automatically assume it’s better for us. Well according to the NIH, this isn’t necessarily the case. While some of them may be good for us and some supplements may come from natural sources, it doesn’t always mean it’s safer or better for us.

“Natural Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Safer, Or Better” – NIH

As we progress towards a more evidence-based practice both personally and hopefully overall as a profession, new opportunities will continue to open up for massage therapy. Part of this is being able to explain to patients exactly what we do and what we offer. Here are four science-backed ways we can do so.

“4 Science-Backed Ways Massage Therapy Helps People Feel Better” – Richard Lebert

When it comes to manual therapy there is any number of courses and teachings centered around techniques of touching people in different ways. However, what is really important is touch and narrative. We often focus on what we hope are specific effects, but the non-specific may be more important.

“Clinical Reasoning In Manual Therapy” – Nick Efthimiou

Research is showing that slow gentle stroking of the skin can be an effective way to reduce feelings of social exclusion. While it didn’t completely eliminate the feelings of exclusion, it did help.

“Gentle Touch Soothes The Pain Of Social Rejection” – Science Daily

Researchers in Sweden have shown that nerve endings in our fingertips actually encode information about touch intensity and shape before it even reaches the brain. Probably why you can do some treatments on autopilot, letting your hands feel their way through the treatment.

“Your Fingertips Perform Brain Like Calculations” – Carl Engelking

As therapists, we regularly talk to our patients about their homecare and taking care of themselves, to be kind to themselves. But, how often do we take our own advice? If we are kind to ourselves, we can actually treat others better as a result.

“The Heart And Science Of Kindness” – Melissa Brodrick