Differences in practitioners’ proficiency affect the effectiveness of massage therapy on physical and psychological states

Summary 

Objective

An examination was made of how differences in the proficiency of massage practitioners had different physical and psychological effects on clients.

Method

Eight healthy 50-year-old females, suffering from chronic neck and shoulder stiffness, were recruited and four interventions were conducted: three 40-minute massage therapy interventions, one each by a freshman and a sophomore student studying massage therapy, and one by their instructor, and one rest on the massage table. Visual analogue scale score for muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder, state anxiety score, and salivary cortisol concentration levels and secretory immunoglobulin A, were measured pre- and post- interventions.

Results

Visual analogue scale of neck and shoulder stiffness after massage by the instructor was significantly lower than that after the other interventions, and the score of state anxiety was lower than that after resting.

Keywords: Massage therapy, Proficiency, Practical training, Muscle stiffness in the neck and shoulder, Visual analogue scale (VAS), State anxiety, Salivary cortisol, Secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA)