title: Analgesic effects of Chinese Tuina massage in a rat model of pain.
abstract: Previous clinical trials have suggested that the Chinese Tuina massage may exert transient analgesic effects. However, further investigation regarding the underlying mechanism has been hindered by the lack of a suitable animal model of pain. The present study established a rat model of hind leg pain by injecting 5.8% hypertonic saline solution (HSS) into the left gastrocnemius muscle. The effects of various Tuina massages on the pain thresholds of the rats were then measured. In addition, the effects of ipsilateral and contralateral Tuina massages on C-fiber-evoked field potentials following electrical stimulation of the left sciatic nerve were determined. Alterations in the gastrocnemius muscle tissues following various Tuina applications were investigated using hematoxylin and eosin, and desmin staining, as well as malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase assays. Heavy hand pressure transiently reduced the pain sensitivity of both posterior limbs, despite HSS only being injected into the left hind leg. Tuina massage treatments that lasted for 15 min were associated with the best results and an absence of local tissue changes. The results of electrical sciatic nerve stimulation demonstrated that ipsilateral and contralateral Tuina massage may decrease the level of peripheral nociceptive C-fiber activity. In the present study, the Chinese Tuina massage exerted analgesic effects in a rat model of pain, which did not involve tissue damage, following a 15 min massage. Therefore, the rat model of pain used in the present study may provide a novel approach for investigating the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Tuina massage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuina, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China; Research Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China; Institute of Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shichao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuina, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuina, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yuqui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science and State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuina, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China; Research Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qingguang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanbin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Tuina, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuina, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Tuina, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201210, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: College of Acumox and Tuina, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201210, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yao
keywords: C-fiber-evoked field potentials; Tuina massage; gastrocnemius muscle; sciatic nerve