Category: Articles

Robot massage for Non-specific Low Back Pain

  Researchers from Spain used a robotic massage to clarify the role of mechabical pressure on people with Non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). Forty-four patients with NSLBP were randomly allocated into the two “arms” of the study (robot vs. placebo/control). In the robot arm, a physiotherapist identified the trigger points in the patient, programmed the

Robotic massage cleared neutrophils and induced muscle regeneration

Skeletal muscle injury can limit daily activities. Now research has pointed regenerative muscle fiber formation and maturation are critical for functional repair. Immune cells can facilitate skeletal muscle regeneration by clearing damaged muscle fibers. They secrete specific cytokines and growth factors that modulate the sequence of satellite cell activation and differentiation. This, in turn, instructs

Nobel Prize Winners on Pain, Touch, and Proprioception

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries of how we detect touch and pain. Somatosensation is how we register or perceive touch, warmth, pain, and other sensations in the brain. These sensations are important part of our life and the key to many

Chronic Pain Body Maps

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects the physical and social dimensions of life. Chronic pain is complex and varies between individuals, but the pain is often not random, and occurs over a certain region of the body. For example, fibromyalgia pain syndromes report widespread pain, but share clinically relevant features, especially regarding the

The Demonization of Manual Therapy

Dr. Chad E. Cook, an American physical therapist, recently wrote “The Demonization of Manual Therapy” on a German publication, Muskuloskelettale Physiotherapie, referring to manual therapy’s systematic and thorough criticism in recent years. The full article is available here https://www.thieme-connect.com/media/10.1055-s-00049852/202103/supmat/10-1055-a-1499-5262-s01.pdf You all probably have read and even supported the “critical thinking” bloggers or internet gurus, with a

Neck and back muscle chains hypomobility in women with migraine

Objective To compare the mobility of neck and back flexor and extensor muscle chains in women with migraine, chronic migraine and headache-free. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. The muscle chain test was performed based on the theoretical assumptions of the Busquet method, in women with migraine (MG, n=24), chronic migraine (CMG, n=36) and headache-free

Understanding ligament referred pain

Peripheral pain is one of the of common issues that patients bring to our practices. Investigating their complaints is one of our greatest challenges as clinicians. Pain is a huge topic in the medical profession. With all the new research and information that has been provided over the past decade, investigating a potential cause can

Why You Need to Exercise Your Fascia

By Robert Schleip I am fascinated by fascia. Fascia is more commonly known as the soft tissue component of the connective tissues that run through the entire body as a covering and connecting network. It gives form and structure to our bodies. This material and its characteristics are so interesting that I changed my field