Assess & Address: Lumbar Muscle Strains by Whitney Lowe

Pathology Assessment & Evaluation Treatment Massage Techniques

References
Cherkin, D.C. (1998). "Primary care research on low-back pain. The state of the science." Spine, 23(18), 1997-2002.

Cherkin, D.C.; Eisenberg, D.; Sherman, K.J.; Barlow, W.; Kaptchuk, T.J.; Street, J.; et al. (2001). "Randomized trial comparing traditional Chinese medical acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and self-care education for chronic low-back pain." Arch Intern Med, 161(8), 1081-1088.

Eisenberg, D.; Davis, R.B.; Ettner, S.L.; Appel, S.; Wilkey, S.; Van Rompay, M.; et al. (1998). "Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey." Journal of the American Medical Association, 280(18), 1569-1575. 

Eisenberg, D.; Kessler, R.C.; Foster, C.; Norlock, F.E.; Calkins, D.R.; and Delbanco, T.L. (1993). "Unconventional medicine in the United States. Prevalence, costs, and patterns of use." New England Journal of Medicine, 328(4), 246-252.

Ernst, E. (1999). "Massage therapy for low-back pain: A systematic review." J Pain Symptom Manage, 17(1), 65-69.

Faulkner, J.A.; Brooks, S.V.; and Opiteck, J.A. (1993). "Injury to skeletal muscle fibers during contractions: conditions of occurrence and prevention." Phys Ther, 73(12), 911-921.

McPhillips-Tangum, C.A.; Cherkin, D.C.; Rhodes, L.A.; and Markham, C. (1998). "Reasons for repeated medical visits among patients with chronic back pain." J Gen Intern Med, 13(5), 289-295.

White, A.; and Panjabi, M. (1990). Clinical Biomechanics of the Spine (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Whitney Lowe is the director of the Orthopedic Massage Education & Research Institute (OMERI) in Bend, Oregon. He is the author of Functional Assessment in Massage Therapy and Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique. He researches and authors articles on using massage to treat pain and injury conditions in national journals and in his bimonthly research newsletter, Orthopedic & Sports Massage Reviews. He has written for MASSAGE Magazine on the topic of "Thoracic Outlet Syndrome"