Heat Therapy Widely Recommended for Low-Back Pain
What is the prevalence of heat therapies being recommended to patients with significant pain issues? According to the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, health-care professionals in Europe are recommending heat therapy to approximately 92 percent of their patients complaining of low-back pain.
In a study published in January 2024, researchers analyzed the regularity of experts recommending heat therapy for musculoskeletal pain, particularly in patients with low-back and neck pain. Between November 2021 and January 2022, a 13-question survey was distributed to vetted health-care professionals spread widely across Europe. The results, according to the 282 responses, indicate that heat therapy is recommended by 86.5 percent of experts surveyed and administered to approximately 50 percent of their patients, with a significantly higher percentage administered to those complaining of low-back pain—about 92 percent. Patients with neck pain (approximately 84 percent) were given similar recommendations.
The survey also conveys that heat therapy is most often chosen for “its relaxation effect, high safety profile, and enhancement of tissue perfusion.” As a nonpharmacological approach, heat therapy is highly recommended and validated as a therapeutic treatment for low-back pain, both in a clinical setting as well as in at-home use.
bodyworkmovementtherapies.com/article/S1360-8592(24)00029-9/fulltext
Did You Know?
While original Medicare does not cover any massage therapy sessions (meaning 100 percent of the cost is on the client), certain Medicare Advantage plans may provide extra benefits that are not available in traditional Medicare. These special plans allow clients to use rebate dollars for “primarily health related” benefits, though in some cases, the benefits are limited to certain subgroups of beneficiaries, like those with diabetes or congestive heart failure.
kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/medicare-advantage-2023-spotlight-first-look/
Job Stability for Massage Therapists
According to a recent ranking and analysis by U.S. News and World Report, massage therapy is one of the top 20 careers with the most job security right now. The report lists a median massage therapy salary of $49,860, and the expected growth in job opportunities over the next decade is 18.3 percent.
But that’s not the only high rank that the massage therapy profession received; massage therapists earned the sixth spot on the list for Best Jobs Without a College Degree and the ninth spot for Best Health Care Support Jobs, and landed well in the top 100 Best Jobs for 2024.
money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/massage-therapist
The Importance of a Regulated Nervous System
Host Darren Buford is joined by Amy Andrews McMaster on The ABMP Podcast to talk about how a regulated nervous system is essential to having an authentic conversation, some of the causes of a dysregulated nervous system, and how self-regulation plays an important role in a massage therapist’s career.
abmp.com/podcasts/ep-408-importance-regulated-nervous-system-amy-andrews-mcmaster
Physiohelanics
fi-zē-ō-he-la-nikz
NOUN
Energy work designed to address the total person, Physiohelanics uses the body’s energy systems to enhance healing. Treatment begins with cleansing, balancing, and repairing the etheric energy field that surrounds the body and is followed by treatment focusing on connecting major and minor energy points (chakras) in the body. Touch from the practitioner is very light and usually targeted toward areas that require cleansing and clearing. Throughout the 35–40-minute session, the practitioner channels energy rather than using their own. Physiohelanics was developed by C. Diane Ealy.
Definition from massagetherapy.com, an ABMP-sponsored site.