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Massage therapy may reduce chronic pain For information on massage therapy for chronic pain, visit the Wellness Wednesday booth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 31 in the Children’s Hospital lobby. Steve Jurch, owner/director of the Center for Therapeutic Massage will be offering free chair massages and information on massage therapy.  by Steve Jurch Center for Therapeutic Massage Pain is a fact of life. As young children, pain teaches us about dangers in our surroundings but as we age, we try and do all that we can to avoid it. Unfortunately, existing without experiencing some type of pain is something few of us can relate to. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite pain as the number one cause of disability in America.   There are two basic forms of physical pain—acute and chronic. Acute pain is immediate, usually of a short duration and for the most part, results from disease, inflammation, or injury to the tissues and is a normal response to injury. Chronic pain is continuous pain that persists beyond the time of normal healing. It ranges from mild to severe, and can last weeks, months, and years, to a lifetime.   When looking at the body and its sources for pain, the musculoskeletal system is the main target for the wear and tear of daily activity. The skeletal muscles account for nearly 50 percent of body weight and depending on how its divided out, consist of 200 paired muscles, any of which can cause significant pain and dysfunction in the body.   Muscles can be the direct cause of pain or can contribute to the symptoms created by other underlying conditions. Either way, treatment of the musculoskeletal system can significantly reduce chronic pain.   Massage therapy is an effective method to treat chronic pain associated with the musculoskeletal system. When applied skillfully, massage can remove restrictions in the muscle, changes in movement patterns, and referred pain from the tissues.   Don’t forget to address any underlying causes with your medical care practitioner. When seeking out massage therapy for chronic pain, here are some tips to help make the right decision. Match your needs to the therapy. While every therapist has a similar basic set of skills, many have received additional training or may have a specialization in working with certain types of clients. Be an informed consumer. Treat your search for a massage therapist the same way you would find any other health care provider. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to your therapist such as: How long have you been practicing? What was your schooling like? Do you have experience working with my condition or situation? There are many different techniques that a therapist can utilize for treatment and a combination of several should be utilized depending on the situation. A few that should be included are connective tissue massage, trigger point therapy, deep tissue techniques, and flexibility exercises.   With the evidence growing on the effectiveness of massage therapy for chronic pain, more and more people are seeking out massage as a first line of treatment rather than as a last resort. Weekly tips from the Healthy S.C. Challenge Healthy S.C. Challenge is a results-oriented initiative created by Gov. Mark Sanford and first lady Jenny Sanford to motivate people to start making choices that can improve health and well-being. Visit http://www.healthysc.gov. Nutrition When putting sauce on a sandwich, go light. There are many hidden calories in sour cream, salad dressings and other sauces. Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.