Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal complaint that can impede physical function and mobility. Current management often involves pain medication, but there is a need for non-pharmacological and non-invasive interventions. Soft tissue manipulation (STM) such as massage has been shown to be effective in human subjects, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these findings are not well understood. In this paper, we evaluated potential changes in soft tissue levels of more than thirty pro- or anti-inflammatory cytokines following instrument-assisted STM (IASTM) in rats with chronic, induced LBP using Complete Freund’s Adjuvant. Our results indicate that IASTM is associated with reduced soft tissue levels of RANTES/CCL5 and increased soft tissue levels of IL-4, which are pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors, respectively, by 120 minutes post-treatment. IASTM was not associated with tissue-level changes in CXCL5/LIX (the murine homologue of IL-8), CXCL7, GM-CSF ICAM-1, IL1-ra, IL-6, IP-10/CXCL10, L-selectin, TNF-α, or VEGF at either 30- or 120 minutes post-treatment. Combined, our findings suggest that IASTM exerts tissue-level effects that are associated with improved clinical outcomes and potentially beneficial changes in pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines in circulation and at the tissue level.
Involvement in research is regarded as a high-impact educational practice, which, for medical professionals, is associated with sharpened critical thinking and life-long learning skills, greater appreciation for evidence-based medicine, and better clinical competence scores. However, there are limited data regarding the research experience and/or interest among osteopathic medical students in the United States despite a rapidly increasing enrollment and expansion of the number of osteopathic medical schools. Thus, we administered an electronic survey examining prior research experience, interests, and perceptions about research participation during medical school to four successive classes of incoming first-year osteopathic medical students. We also performed focus groups with rising third-year osteopathic medical students around the topic of perceived barriers to and potential enablers of promoting research participation. This yielded a survey addendum where first-year osteopathic medical students provided feedback on the likelihood of specific incentives/enablers to encourage participation in research during medical school. Overall, osteopathic medical students are interested in research, view research experience as valuable, and perceive research experience as beneficial to future career development. Students perceive that the primary barrier to involvement in research is a potential negative impact upon performance in coursework. Feedback on the likelihood of specific enablers/incentives was also garnered. Our findings from a single institution may have important implications in defining the prior experiences and perceptions held by first-year osteopathic medical students. Specifically, our study indicates that research experiences intentionally designed with (1) a strong likelihood of gaining a publication, (2) financial compensation, and (3) the opportunity for short-term involvement, a flexible time commitment, and/or a dedicated time period are most likely to encourage research participation by osteopathic medical students.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.