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SOMATIC RESEARCH repetition-high force. While rats subjected to low repetitions and low force adapted and recovered without injury, the others did not fare as well. After 12 weeks, the rats were dissected. Inflammation and the fibrosis of repair were found to be full-body response, not confined to the limb subjected to the repetitive stress. While the dominant limb had the most fibrotic tissue, fibrotic tissue was found in the opposite limb and both hips. These same findings were not present in the control group. The inflammatory process caused an increase in fibrotic tissue—a thickening of collagen—not only in the arm that performed the repetitive movement, but also in the opposing arm and in both hips. This response became chronic as the epitendons and paratendons merged and could no longer slide over each other. Nerve compression resulted due to the thickening tissues, and myelin of the nerves degraded and frayed due to the lack of gliding, driving further inflammatory reactions. Peripheral nociceptor endings were sensitized, and spinal cord inflammation was found, potentially contributing to an increased pain response. Translation: address inflammation, even in chronic cases, and treat the whole body. It was also shown that intervening early in the pain cycle of potential repetitive movement injuries, or soon after a traumatic injury, can lessen the chronic inflammatory response, making the fibrotic repair response more functional and the chemical response less prolonged. Also, ibuprofen, while limiting the inflammation, caused the tissue to be less strong and more prone to reinjury. Translation: treat early, as soon as the pain begins, or treat preventatively when engaging in repetitive activities. LIVING THE PARADIGM SHIFT Science is challenging. It can be frustrating when years of research and millions of taxpayer dollars are used to fund a study that tells us what we already know about the benefits of massage. But it is all worth it when the light bulb goes off and you hear something for the first time that shifts your paradigm and changes your clinical practice. I encourage you to purchase the videos of past fascia congresses, view them in groups, and discuss the findings.6 Despite the grooves in our nervous system formed by years of massage doctrine, we can adapt to new information. Notes 1. L. Chaitow, T.W. Findley, R. Schleip, eds., Fascia Research III: Basic Science and Implications for Conventional and Complementary Health Care (Munich: Elsevier GmbH, 2012). 2. T.W. Findley, R. Schleip, eds., Fascia Research: Basic Science and Implications for Conventional and Complementary Health Care (Munich: Elsevier GmbH, 2007). 3. P.A. Huijing, P. Hollander, T.W. Findley, R. Schleip, eds., Fascia Research II: Basic Science and Implications for Conventional and Complementary Health Care (Munich: Elsevier GmbH, 2009). 4. J. van der Wal, "The Architecture of the Connective Tissue in the Musculo-skeletal System—An Often Overlooked Functional Parameter as to Proprioception in the Locomotor Apparatus," in Fascia Research II: Basic Science and Implications for Conventional and Complementary Health Care, eds. P.A. Huijing, P. Hollander, T.W. Findley, R. Schleip (Munich: Elsevier GmbH, 2009). 5. J.B. Driban, A.E. Barr, M. Amin, M.R. Sitler, and M.F. Barbe, "Joint Inflammation and Early Degeneration Induced by High Force Reaching Are Attenuated by Ibuprofen in an Animal Model of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorder," Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology (2011), doi:10.1155/2011/691412. 6. International Fascia Research Congress, "Purchase DVD Recordings/Proceedings Books," accessed June 2012, http:// fasciacongress.org/dvd-book-purchase.htm. A licensed massage practitioner since 1984, Diana L. Thompson has created a varied and interesting career out of massage: from specializing in pre- and postsurgical lymph drainage to teaching, writing, consulting, and volunteering. Her consulting includes assisting insurance carriers on integrating massage into insurance plans and educating researchers on massage therapy theory and practice to ensure research projects and protocols are designed to match how we practice. Contact her at soapsage@comcast.net. Celebrate ABMP's 25th anniversary and you may win a refund on your membership. ABMP.com. 55