Shiatsu and Pregnancy

Shiatsu is a Japanese term meaning"finger pressure" and describes the treatment of aches and pains with the hands, thumbs and fingers. "Shiatsu" also translates as "finger massage." Shiatsu is used in the identification of a variety of internal, muscular, and psychological conditions.

In a paper released by the American Journal of Alternative Medicine, ten studies were compared between chiropractors and health care providers who used a"sham" or"competitor" care. The research found that chiropractic patients were three times as likely to report being hurt during a chiropractic treatment. The three studies compared shiatsu with other forms of care such as acupuncture, acupressure and reflexology. Acupuncture was found to be less effective than shiatsu.

The ten studies included studies of pregnant women, stroke survivors, cancer patients, and patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Chiropractors and acupuncturists commonly treat back pain, but not all body discomfort. Additionally, many health conditions may result from a problem in the musculoskeletal system and for that reason require manipulation of the spine. Some research showed that patients who were treated with shiatsu had more rapid improvement or relapse of the health condition than those who underwent traditional treatments. However, most the studies showed no significant difference in the treatment efficacy of shiatsu and other forms of alternative therapy.

The study used a sub-study comparing instances of shiatsu for treating neck pain with that of one rct. Chiropractors experienced significantly fewer injuries (one injury/month) and completed procedures/minor more quickly when using shiatsu for neck pain compared to when they used one rct alone. Chiropractic office visits increased by almost 29% when patients were treated with shiatsu.

The ten studies which compare shiatsu to traditional chiropractic care show that it is as effective as chiropractic when used to treat a specific health condition. When these studies are combined with the systematic review of all of the data from the various studies, the conclusion is that shiatsu is as effective as chiropractic in the management of a specific health condition. Shiatsu seems to be more effective than chiropractic for many reasons.

All of the studies showed significant improvements in both pain and soreness. When comparing acute and chronic cases, the results were comparable between the two control groups. Moreover, all the studies showed statistically significant differences in satisfaction with shiatsu care, but the differences in satisfaction were only important for the acute health condition.

There is one study that compares shiatsu massage treatment for pregnant women with childbirth classes. Although women who've childbirth classes report feeling less pain during and following their labor, they also report higher levels of stress and anxiety. When comparing both of these groups, there is no significant difference between the control group and the group receiving massage therapy. Of course, there are many other variables involved in determining the most appropriate course of action. Therefore, this study has no merit at all.

When utilizing Chiropractic treatments, a patient can rest assured that her pain has been controlled by her Chiropractor. However, no study used controlled measurements to determine whether her pain was being controlled, or if her pain was really worse than it would have been with regular massage. Furthermore, this one study used a very small number of subjects, which limited its validity. Therefore, shiatsu shouldn't be considered as being an effective treatment method for chronic pain conditions in pregnant women.

Another way in which shiatsu is beneficial for pregnant women is in the reduction of pain from the feet. Chiropractors often use pressure points in the hands and feet to assist patients with lower back pain and sciatica. Because the feet are one of the main areas where there's a whole lot of pressure, a fantastic massage can help to relax these pressure points and reduce pain.

Finally, there are a number of studies that have reported that shiatsu may actually help cure a pregnancy condition known as stricta. Stricta is a health condition where a woman experiences labor without having given birth. Typically, this happens because of a previous ectopic pregnancy, where the fetus has lodged beyond the uterus. While it's unclear how shiatsu helps in stricta, it appears to help alleviate the pain a woman feels during labour. Therefore, it seems that in addition to the advantages mentioned above, a massage might actually be beneficial to a pregnant woman suffering from stricta.

While there's still much more research to be done on the field of shiatsu, the positive advantages have started to become apparent. Shiatsu practitioners have the ability to detect and identify problems with your meridians, which are the energy pathways involving organs or tissues. By treating these meridians, Shiatsu practitioners feel that the flow of energy can be improved, allowing organs to function better and relieve pain. This can only be beneficial for anyone who suffers from pain.