Medical massage, Volume 1, ed 2.

Turchaninov R. Phoenix, AZ 85028, Aesculapius Books, 2006, paperback, 560 pp, illus, ISBN: 0-9675868-0-1, $50.

The second edition of Medical Massage presents the Western view of medical massage and its place in modern medicine. As the author states in the introduction, the purpose of this text is to introduce to the "American medical and massage communities the discipline of scientifically-based, result-producing therapies whose proven medical benefits are not fully appreciated." The intended audience includes physicians, physical therapists, and massage practitioners; however, other practitioners, such as nurse practitioners, holistic health practitioners, and occupational therapists, would most likely appreciate this book.

The format is easy to follow. Underlying principles of massage techniques, diagnostic evaluations and how they are used to choose appropriate techniques, general rules for providing massage, and specific protocols for the different types of massage are covered. The text is organized into 4 parts: (1) "Theory of Medical Massage," (2) "Methods of Medical Massage," (3) "Medical Massage for Disorders of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems," and (4) "Trauma and Chronic Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System." The illustrations, both drawings and black-and-white photographs, help clarify direction of pull or stretch and massage strokes; however, some illustrations would benefit from orientation descriptors. Most illustrations are depictions of massage procedures. Others depict connective tissue zones, somatic abnormalities, muscle trigger points, and areas of sensory deprivation.

The first part focuses on the theory of medical massage and is applicable to all the remaining chapters. The subsection on pain patterns is well organized--the most common pain patterns are presented on diagrams and correlated with treatment protocols. The second part presents an overview of the different types of medical massage and how each type is applicable to the different types of soft tissues. Each chapter covers the structure and the function of the soft tissue addressed, the history of the massage technique and its therapeutic applications, techniques for diagnostic evaluation, and general rules and specific protocols for the technique. The use of lines and arrows in the illustrations to demonstrate direction of pressure and pull enhances the reader's understanding of the techniques.

The third part focuses on disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Each disorder's etiology and clinical symptoms are presented, followed by specific techniques for treatment and a protocol for each technique. The final part is devoted to trauma and musculoskeletal disorders and their rehabilitation. Parts III and IV follow a similar format.

All chapters refer the reader to study questions located in a separate section at the back of the text. An answer section, which follows the study questions, lists a page reference for each answer, enabling the reader to clarify these answers as needed. The author supports the use of massage through references to the literature, including current studies from a variety of scientific journals as well as classic studies.

The first volume of Medical Massage is a valuable reference for health care practitioners in several disciplines, including physical therapists, physicians, massage therapists, and occupational therapists, as well as students in these respective fields.

EL Bukowski, PT, DPT, is Professor of Physical Therapy, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, NJ.

[DOI: 10.2522/ptj.2007.87.2.231.1]