Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/87297
the back, shoulder girdle, hands, and legs) and acupressure based on traditional Chinese medicine using points on the feet, lower legs, wrist, and chest that are commonly used to address nausea, pain, and distress. Professional practitioners provided up to three massage/ acupressure treatments per week during the patients' hospital stay and demonstrated the techniques to the parents whenever the parent was present and amenable to it. Parents provided additional massage/ acupressure, following a handout that outlined the standardized routine demonstrated by the therapists. Last year, a study was conducted Treatment should be focused on relieving pain and discomfort, enhancing sleep and encouraging rest, decreasing anxiety, and improving mood and self-esteem. on thoracic surgery patients at a Mayo clinic, demonstrating that massage can be successfully integrated into a high-volume thoracic surgical practice.12 The study highlighted the specific process and reality of providing massage therapy in a hospital environment. The massage therapy provided was a picture of the reality of how massage is provided in hospital settings and emphasized how massage needs to be focused on patient symptoms and individualized according to symptoms, medical status, and positioning tolerance. Each massage session consisted of a 1–5 minute assessment, including comfortable positioning of the patient, and 20 minutes of hands-on massage that focused on the areas of primary concern as indicated by the patient. Typically requested areas were the back, neck, and shoulders. There were no contraindications for patients to receive massage, but the therapist did not massage within 2 inches of any surgical wound. Depth and pressure of massage was light to moderate. Two therapists used the following techniques: Swedish, craniosacral, myofascial release, reflexology, and diaphragmatic breathing. The therapists focused on using and adjusting massage techniques to help patients release tension and pain, increase relaxation, and promote deeper breathing. Massage techniques were selected by the therapist and tailored on the basis of the patient's symptoms, symptom location, medical status, and positioning tolerance. The therapist modified massage techniques to avoid bruising, to avoid a negative impact on low or high blood pressure and heart rate, and to not pull on the incision site. Therefore, the angle of the massage stroke, pace, and amount of pressure were administered carefully. Massage was provided to head, neck, shoulders, back, hands, or feet, depending on patient preference. Supportive positioning was used at the end of each session to maintain the patient's level of relaxation. A 2010 study conducted in Brazil focused on the effects of massage for improving sleep in patients following cardiopulmonary artery bypass graft surgery.13 Poor sleep and fatigue are common following thoracic surgery and can compromise treatment and recovery. Poor sleep quality in the postoperative period may be due to several factors, including pain from surgical incision, presence of a thoracic drain, pain caused by prolonged time in bed, and high anxiety levels. In addition, muscle pain, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and back, may make it difficult for patients to breath, cough, move, and sleep. Following discharge from the ICU to the ward during the postoperative period, the participants were randomized into control and massage therapy groups. Massage therapy was performed by the same physiotherapist during the protocol and consisted of back, neck, and shoulder massages. The massages were initiated with light compression by the inner regions of the fingers and progressed to hard compression. Manual kneading, friction (i.e., digital compression with the thumb) on trigger points, cervical traction, and mobilization in all planes (e.g., the front, back, and sides) followed. The massage was finished with light manual compression. This intervention was performed around 7:00 p.m., 2–3 hours before sleep. The control participants sat in comfortable chairs for three consecutive nights and were not subjected to massage therapy. The results indicate that massage therapy improved the comfort level of the massage therapy group participants in comparison with those patients in the control group. Recovery from fatigue was significantly faster in the massage therapy group, reaching statistically significant differences by Day 1 and 54 massage & bodywork november/december 2012