Is your neck stiff?
Neck pain or a stiff neck is characterised by stiffness or pain when turning or moving the head or neck. Neck stiffness is a common problem which usually gets better after a few days or weeks.
The neck contains muscles, tendons, ligaments, and the cervical spine. These work together to support the head and allow it to move in many directions. A stiff neck may become painful when a person tries to move their neck or head.
A stiff neck often occurs when one of the muscles becomes strained or tense. Common causes of neck pain or stiffness are:
- Sleeping awkwardly.
- Sitting or slouching for long periods, such as at a desk.
- Looking down at an object (such as a mobile phone) repeatedly.
- Experiencing a fall.
- Sustaining a sports injury.
- Having tense neck muscles due to stress or pressure.
A stiff neck is one of the conditions that will benefit from stretching. While keeping the back straight and shoulders still, gradually turn the head to the left as far as it can naturally go without increasing pain. Once the head has reached its rotation limit, hold the stretch for 5 seconds before bringing it back to neutral position.
A stiff neck, along with stiff shoulders it is one of the most common triggers for booking a massage. The reason is that massaging in the neck muscles may alleviate the tension and improve the blood flow to your neck.
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Is reflexology or massage better at reducing stress or pain?
While amongst my clients there is a clear preference for massage, I decided to investigate if there was any scientific evidence if massage was better than reflexology (or vice versa) at reducing pain and stress. In 2012 there was a small study comparing massage to reflexology on cancer survivors over the age of 75 living in a care home. The study compared the effectiveness of 20 minutes of reflexology treatments against 20 minute Swedish massage by examining the impact on the patients stress levels, pain levels and mood. Pre and post treatment levels of salivary cortisol, observed affect and pain were compared. Both reflexology and Swedish massage resulted in significant declines in salivary cortisol indicating a reduction in stress levels, reduced pain levels and improvements in mood. So to go back to my original question, there is scientific evidence for both and I suggest you book the treatment you prefer. Hodgson N, Lafferty D (2012) Reflexology versus Swedish Massage to Reduce Physiologic Stress and Pain and Improve Mood in Nursing Home Residents with Cancer: A Pilot Trial. Evidence Based Complement Alternat Med. 2:456897
Can massage help you if you are constipated?
Recently scientists have looked at the impact of abdominal massage on people with constipation. Constipation affects twice as many women as men. Older people are more likely to be affected and in addition taking certain medications e.g. opioids can cause it. A randomised control trail of 204 patients with constipation (from opioid medication), were split into two equal groups. The intervention group were taught how to administer abdominal massage on themselves, in a clockwise direction over the intestines on the abdominal wall, which they performed twice a day for four weeks after breakfast & dinner. The control group received standard medical care, such as laxatives, suppositories and enemas. Both groups were asked to keep a diary of their bowel movements and to complete three questionnaires, including the Bristol stool scale for evaluating stools and bowel habits, the visual analogue scale, which contains questions about constipation, including severity, straining & pain. Patients in the massage group reported significant improvements in stool consistency, straining during defecation, the feeling of incomplete emptying after defecation and experienced increase bowel movements. They also reported a reduction in the severity of constipation, pain, straining, gas & fullness in the rectum. However, the massage had no effect on the stool amount. The researchers concluded that abdominal massage was an effective approach for managing opioid induced constipation. So if you suffer from constipation consider abdominal massage. Reference https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31358243
Guess what science has discovered about back pain …
According to the UK's Office for National Statistics the UK economy loses almost 31 million work days per year which costs the UK economy £14 billion to bad backs, neck & other muscle problems. A bad back is of the most common causes of absence and 80% of p will suffer with people will experience back pain at some point in their lives. At Vitality Therapy we find back pain is something we treat on a regular basis. I know a lot of my clients and potential clients are interested in what the latest scientific research is on how effective massage is for treating back pain, becuase they don't want to waste their time and money if massage isn't going to help them. Until now scientific studies of the effectiveness of massage were conducted in controlled research situations. However in a recent study, a physician sent patients to a massage therapist. The massage therapist designed and provided a series of 10 massage -- at no cost to the patient -- in a clinical treatment environment. This clinical treatment environment mimicks the experience of people who choose to seek massage in the real world. More than 50 percent of those who participated in the study experienced clinically meaningful improvements in their low back pain. The reasearches concluded that the study gives primary care providers (i.e. GPs) the confidence to tell patients with chronic low back pain to try massage, if the patients can afford to do so. References http://www.nhsemployers.org/news/2015/04/bad-backs-cost-the-uk-31-million-days-of-work Elder WG, Munk N, et al, 2017, Real Wold Massage Therapy Produces Meaningful Effectiveness Signal for Primary Care Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: Results of a Repeated Measures Cohort Study, Journal of Pain Medicine, 18(7):1394-1405
