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R
E S E A R C H
Massage
Reduces Dancers' Stress, Helps Range of Motion
Massage lowers anxiety, improves
mood and increases range of motion among dance students, according
to a recent study.
Researchers at the Touch
Research Institute showed that twice-weekly massage lowered the
stress hormone cortisol, eased neck, shoulder and back pain, and
helped range of motion, including neck extension and shoulder abduction.
Thirty female dance students
were randomly assigned to a massage or relaxation therapy group.
Both groups otherwise continued the same daily dance and school
regime.
Those in the massage
group received 30-minute sessions twice weekly for five weeks. The
massage was focused on the upper body and consisted of moderate
to firm pressure, stroking, stretching and rocking. With a prone
dancer, the therapist began the session with firm strokes to stretch
and warm the neck, back and shoulders. Next, friction and then squeezing
were applied to both sides of the spine and then along the sides
of the body.
This was followed with
a sequence of up-and-down and side-to-side strokes along the collar
bone and scapula. Firm pressure was applied, moving muscles away
from vertebral column. Firm gliding motions were made down the neck,
shoulder and upper back, finishing at the bottom of the scapula.
Continuing with the dancer lying on her
side, massage was applied with firm pressure on the muscles along
the rib cage, releasing tension before continuing. The chest muscles
were then lifted, squeezed and stretched. The arms were circled up
by the head and behind the back and down again while applying gentle
pressure to the chest and side. The lateral neck muscles were then
pressed. Lastly, the arm was circled in reverse, using its own weight
to stretch the middle back and chest muscles.
In the relaxation group,
dancers listened via earphones to instructions on a series of guided
muscle relaxation exercises while lying on a mat. Sessions lasted
30 minutes and consisted of tensing and relaxing muscles, starting
with the feet and moving up the body, ending at the face. These
sessions also occurred twice weekly for five weeks.
To assess the effects
of the massage and relaxation sessions, researchers used five measurements:
a State Anxiety Inventory (a questionnaire that assesses anxiety
levels), a Profile of Mood States questionnaire; pre- and post-session
pain scales to measure perception of pain in the neck, shoulders
and back; pre- and post session saliva samples to measure cortisol
levels; and measurements of range of motion, including neck extension
and shoulder abduction.
Results showed that both
groups had less anxiety, better mood, and less pain in the neck,
shoulder and back. Only the massage group experienced a decrease
in cortisol and an improvement in range of motion, including neck
extension and shoulder abduction.
"Perhaps massage
therapy stretched the dancers more than relaxation therapy, thus
leading to the improved range of motion for the massage therapy
group," the study authors wrote.
The authors stated that
further study should be devoted to the effects of massage therapy
for preventing and treating dance injuries.
- Source:
Touch Research Institute. Originally reported in the Journal
of Dance Medicine & Science, 1999, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 108-112.
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