Sep
5
2023
Neck pain is more common in women than men, irrespective of occupation or age. Stressed young women develop more neck pain than their male counterparts. Women also perceive everyday life to be more stressful, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
There is an ongoing debate amongst researchers as to why muscle and joint pain, such as neck pain, are so common, and why this seems to be more prevalent among women than men,” says Anna Grimby-Ekman, postdoctoral student and statistician at the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Department of Public Health and Community Medicine. “We know that physical work with heavy lifting or assembly work that involves a lot of arm-raising above shoulder height can lead to neck pain. By looking at a group whose work is less physically demanding, we can more readily identify other factors that could be implicated and perhaps explain the generally high incidence of neck pain.”
A questionnaire distributed to university students in Sweden — 627 women and 573 men — showed that neck pain is more common in women than men, and that more women than men developed neck pain during the four years of the study. These results were something of a surprise as the researchers had expected that roughly the same number of women as men would develop neck pain in a young group like this, where the majority had yet to start a family and studying meant that the women and men shared a similar working environment.
Questionnaires were distributed to a second group, this time 870 women and 834 men who constituted a representative selection of computer users from the Swedish workforce. Women reported more neck and upper back pain across the range of occupations covered. It was evident in both the computer users and the students that neck pain is affected by psychosocial factors, including the demands of work/studying.
“Perceived stress was more common among the women students than the men, and appeared to play more of a role in the development of neck pain in young women than in men,” says Anna Grimby-Ekman.
Although the results would suggest that more female university students develop neck pain as a result of the factors examined, the studies also indicate that when it comes to young men there may be other factors behind the huge variations in the incidence of neck pain over time.
The thesis has been successfully defended.
Sep
5
2023
Massage therapy services for healthcare: A telephone focus group study of drivers for clients’ continued use
Joanna M. Smith a, b, John Sullivan b and G. David Baxter b
a Massage Department, Southern Institute of Technology, Private Bag 90114, Invercargill 9840, New Zealand
b Centre for Physiotherapy Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Summary
Objective
To explore opinions of why clients use, value and continue to seek massage therapy as a healthcare option.
Design
Telephone focus group methodology was used. Current and repeat users (n = 19) of either relaxation, remedial or sports massage therapy services participated in three telephone focus groups. Audiotaped semi-structured interviews were conducted.
Setting
Telephone focus group with massage clients from provincial and urban localities in New Zealand.
Main outcome measures
Summary of reported themes of the massage experience and suggested drivers for return to, or continuing with massage therapy. Data were transcribed, categorised (NVivo7) and thematically analysed using the general inductive approach.
Results
Key drivers for return to, or continuing with, massage therapy were: positive outcomes, expectations of goals being met, a regular appointment and the massage therapy culture.
Conclusions
Massage therapy is perceived and valued as a personalised, holistic and hands-on approach to health management, which focuses on enhancing relaxation in conjunction with effective touch, within a positive client–therapist relationship and a pleasant non-rushed environment. Massage therapy as a health service is result and client driven but is reinforced by the culture of the experience.
Sep
5
2023
US medics have found the Bee Gees’ 1977 hit Stayin’ Alive is an ideal beat to follow to perform chest compressions on a victim of a cardiac arrest. Research says it contains 103 beats per minute, close to the recommended rate of 100 chest compressions per minute.
An author of the study said many people were put off performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)as they were not sure about keeping the correct rhythm. He said CPR could triple cardiac arrest survival rates when performed properly.
The study by the University of Illinois College of Medicine saw 15 doctors and students performing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on mannequins while listening to Stayin’ Alive. They were asked to time their chest compressions with the beat.
Five weeks later, they did the same drill without the music, but were told to think of the song while doing compressions. The average number of compressions the first time was 109 per minute; the second time it was 113 – more than recommended by the American Heart Association, but better than too few, according to Dr Matlock. “It drove them and motivated them to keep up the rate, which is the most important thing,” he told the Associated Press.
A spokesman for the American Heart Association, Dr Vinay Nadkarni, said it had been using Stayin’ Alive as a training tip for CPR instructors for about two years, although it was not aware of any previous studies that tested the song.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7678371.stm
