Volume 11, Issue 2 , Pages 146-150, April 2007
Massage therapy and restless legs syndrome☆
Summary
This paper reports the effect of 3 weeks of massage of a 35-year-old woman with restless legs syndrome (RLS). The treatment consisted of myofascial release, trigger point therapy, deep tissue, and sports massage techniques applied to the lower extremity, focusing on the piriformis and hamstring muscles. The subject received a 45-min massage treatment twice weekly with a space of 2 days. The subject kept a log during this time which recorded hours of sleep, nocturnal waking, intensity and type of RLS symptoms, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and medication intake as well as an estimate of stress level. In addition, the subject completed a Functional Rating Index, before, during and after the study, regarding frequency, intensity and duration of symptoms. Symptoms (tingling sensations, urgency to move the legs and sleeplessness), were decreased after two treatments and continued to improve throughout the 3 weeks.
Keywords: Restless legs syndrome, Insomnia, Massage, Bodywork, Myofascial release, Trigger point therapy
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☆ This Case Study was the runner up in the Case Study Competition, 2006, conducted annually by The Massage Therapy Foundation. http://www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/.
PII: S1360-8592(06)00148-3
doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2006.12.001
© 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Refers to corrigendum:
- Corrigendum to “Massage therapy and restless legs syndrome” [J Bodywork Movement Ther 11 (2007) 146–150]
Volume 11, Issue 2 , Pages 146-150, April 2007
