Touch in infancy is important for healthy brain development

Touch in infancy is important for healthy brain development

"Touch underpins our social world and, evidence suggests, it may even help to reduce anxiety and provide pain relief. But can touch shape the actual organisation of our brains? Research is now revealing that experiences with touch – especially in infancy – do indeed shape brain development."

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Massage Therapy and Postoperative Care

Massage Therapy and Postoperative Care

The use of massage therapy has been shown to improve outcomes in post-op patients. One recent paper published in the journal PM&R, looked at the use of fascial manipulation following total hip arthroplasty. Another recent study published in The Journal of Knee Surgery looked at the effect that soft-tissue treatments with hand-held instruments have on post-surgical knee stiffness. In the study soft-tissue treatments was shown to improve knee flexion deficits by 35° and knee flexion contractures by 12° in a small cohort of individuals who had failed to respond to traditional rehabilitation and manipulation under anesthesia. 

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Why people troll

Why people troll

"A recent Pew Internet Survey found that four out of 10 people online have been harassed online, with far more having witnessed such behavior. Trolling has become so rampant that several websites have even resorted to completely removing comments."

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How genetics can uncover links in chronic pain and other conditions

How genetics can uncover links in chronic pain and other conditions

"In the recent Global Burden of Disease study, four of the top ten causes of disability worldwide were chronic pain conditions. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts beyond normal healing time – usually three months – and is one of the most common global causes of incapacity. It rarely occurs by itself, however, and is one of the most common conditions to present itself alongside other chronic conditions, such as diabetes and COPD. This increases the overall burden of disability, and the impact of each chronic condition."

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Recommended Resources for Massage Therapists

Recommended Resources for Massage Therapists

A selection of readings - books and scientific journals that might be of interest to massage therapists that want to explore the topics introduced in more depth.

General reference books for massage therapists

• A Guide to Better Movement. Todd Hargrove
• Big Ideas Simply Explained
  • The Philosophy Book
  • The Psychology Book
  • The Science Book
  • The Sociology Book
• Cure. Jo Marchant. 
• Homo Deus. Yuval Noah Harari
• Humankind. Alexander Harcourt
• Mindware. Richard Nisbett
• Move your DNA. Kathy Bowman
• Neurocomic. Hana Ros
• Sapiens. Yuval Noah Harari
• Science Set Free. Rupert Sheldrake
• The Brain That Changes Itself. Norman Doidge
• The Brain's Way of Healing. Norman Doidge
• The Demon Haunted World. Carl Sagan
• The Story of the Human Body. Daniel Lieberman
• Touch. David Linden
• The Upright Thinkers. Leonard Mlodinow
• Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Robert Sapolsky

General reference books on pain

• A Nation in Pain. Judy Foreman
• A Headache in the Pelvis. David Wise & Rodney Anderson
• Explain Pain. Lorimer Moseley and David Butler
• Migraine Brains and Bodies. C.M. Shifflett
• Migraines: More than a headache Elizabeth Leroux
• Pain: the science and culture of why we hurt. Marni Jackson
• Pain: from suffering to feeling better. Marie-Josée Rivard
• The Challenge of Pain. Ronald Melzack
• The Migraine Brain. Carolyn Bernstein
• The Sensitive Nervous System. David Butler
• Understanding Pain. Fernando Cervero

Clinical Textbooks

• Craniofascial Pain. Harry von Piekartz
• Examination of Peripheral Nerve Injuries. Stephen Russell
• Fascial Dysfunctions. Leon Chaitow
• Fascia in Sport and Movement. Robert Schleip
• Nerves and Nerve Injuries. Shane Tubbs
• Manual Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes. Cesar Fernandez de las Pen
• Manual Therapy for the Peripheral Nerves. Jean-Pierre Barral
• Medical Acupuncture: A Western Scientific Approach
• Orthopedic Physical Examination Tests.  Chad Cook
• Pain in Practice. Hubert van Griensven
• Physical rehabilitation of the injured athlete. James R. Andrews
• The Oxford Textbook of Musculoskeletal Medicine. Michael Hutson
• The Placebo in Manual Therapy. Brian Fulton
• Therapeutic Stretching: Towards a functional approach. Eyal Lederman

Anatomy and Physiology Textbooks

• Anatomy Trains. 3e. Tom Myers
• Architecture of Human Living Fascia. Jean-Claude Guimberteau
• Color Atlas of Human Anatomy: Locomotor System. 7e Werner Platzer
• Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System. Carla Stecco
• Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. 13e
• Thieme Atlas of Anatomy: General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System 2e.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

• Acupuncture in Medicine
• American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• British Journal of Sports Medicine
• International Journal of Massage & Bodywork
• Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
• Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy
• Journal of Pain
• Musculoskeletal Science & Practice
• Physical Therapy in Sport
• PM&R