PHTY102 Lecture 5: Lecture 5
Therapeutic Touch- Massage Principles and Effects I-IV
•Define touch
•Outline the effects of touch on the human body
•Define the term therapeutic touch
•Outline how therapeutic touch may be used in clinical practice
•Define the term palpation
•Outline how palpation is used in physiotherapy clinical practice
•Outline and describe the general principles of massage techniques
•Describe the known therapeutic effects of massage used in physiotherapy intervention
•Identify contraindications/precautions for massage and common endangerment sites on the body
•Outline and describe common massage techniques used in physiotherapy intervention
•Identify the indications for massage in physiotherapy intervention
Therapeutic touch:
•Touch/ palpate/ examine with the hand
•touch is a major part of everyday life- used to explore the environment and acquire a sense of
the world
•Receptors- mechanoreceptors, nocioceptors and thermoreceptors
•Increased number of receptors in finger pads
Massage:
“The term used to designate certain manipulations of the soft tissues of the body… administered
for the purpose of producing effects omg the nervous. muscular, and respiratory systems and the
local and general circulation of the blood and lymph”
Mechanical effects:
•Movement of oedema, venous blood,
hematoma contents, lymph (know where
lymph nodes are- drainage points)
•Mobilisation (loosening,stretching/elongation) of muscle fibres, tendons, skin, subcutaneous
tissue, scar tissue, adhesions (know muscle anatomy to allow specific effective treatment)
Physiological effects:!
Blood and lymph flow:
•Increased movement from tissues to flood - reduced oedema
•Improved circulation (venous blood flow back to heart)
•Associated effects: nutrition, removal of waste
Skin and subcutaneous tissues:
•Vasodilation (redness) histamine-mast cells
•Heat friction
•Mobilisation/ stretching
•Reduces superficial keloid formation
Metabolism and healing:
•Related to circulatory effects
•Increase flow of nutrients
•Improved removal of waste products
‘Normal’ muscle:
•Relieves muscle tension and spasm
•Reduces negative effects of exercise
Pathological/injured muscle:
•Prevention of adhesions
•Maintain state of nutrition, flexibility
Nervous system:
•Inhibitory effect on H-reflex amplitude (reduced excitability of spinal motor neuron)
•Promotion of parasympathetic activity
Hormones:
•Altered level of biochemical indicators of stress i.e. cortisol
•Endorphin release into blood stream
Pain relief:
•Gating mechanism- stimulates skin receptors (large diameter) which block transmission of pain
signals (small diameter)
•Via circulatory effect (removal of pain metabolises)
•Via reduction of muscle spasm
•Endorphin release
Document Summary
The term used to designate certain manipulations of the soft tissues of the body administered for the purpose of producing effects omg the nervous. muscular, and respiratory systems and the local and general circulation of the blood and lymph . Mechanical effects: movement of oedema, venous blood, hematoma contents, lymph (know where lymph nodes are- drainage points, mobilisation (loosening,stretching/elongation) of muscle bres, tendons, skin, subcutaneous tissue, scar tissue, adhesions (know muscle anatomy to allow speci c effective treatment) Blood and lymph ow: increased movement from tissues to ood - reduced oedema, improved circulation (venous blood ow back to heart, associated effects: nutrition, removal of waste. Skin and subcutaneous tissues: vasodilation (redness) histamine-mast cells, heat friction, mobilisation/ stretching, reduces super cial keloid formation. Metabolism and healing: related to circulatory effects, increase ow of nutrients, improved removal of waste products. Normal" muscle: relieves muscle tension and spasm, reduces negative effects of exercise. Pathological/injured muscle: prevention of adhesions, maintain state of nutrition, exibility.
