Research at The Shiatsu Clinic and School

Overview
The Shiatsu Clinic & School is committed to documenting the effectiveness of Focused Touch Shiatsu and reporting the research results in peer reviewed journals. Pain reduction, range of motion increases, flexibility increases, physiological changes, and function improvement on a wide variety of conditions after Shiatsu treatments are being measured in an ongoing series of studies at The Shiatsu Clinic & School.

Replication studies are planned at two Venezuelan institutions: The Latin American Foundation of Shiatsu and Alternative Medical Therapies in Tabay, and The University of the Andes in Merida. The Shiatsu Clinic & School's research team includes Dr. Linda Brady, R.N., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Nursing and an Associate Dean at Drake University.

Drake University Awards Research Grant
Drake University awarded a grant to support "Shiatsu: A Local Descriptive Study." Through this study we sought to identify and describe the various complaints of the Clinic's clients, and document the extent to which Shiatsu decreases these clients' anxiety and pain. If you'd like to receive information about the results of our studies, let us know and we'll add your name to our mailing list.

Effectiveness of Shiatsu on Lower Back Pain
Results were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Holistic Nursing . March 2001, Volume 19, No.1.

Overview of a Research Study conducted by Linda H. Brady, RN, Ph.D. (Drake University, Des Moines), Kathryn Henry, Ph.D., L.M.T., O.B.T. (Shiatsu by Kathryn Henry and The Shiatsu Clinic & School , Iowa City), James F. Luth II, L.M.T., 0.B.T., E.M.T. (The Shiatsu Clinic & School , Iowa City) and Kimberly Casper-Bruett, M.S.N. ( Winterset Iowa Community School System)

Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is at epidemic levels in the United States . Up to 80% of all adults suffer from it at some time. Back pain is the leading reason for physician office visits, for hospitalization and surgery, and for work disability in the U.S. However, conventional medical practice is unable to “cure” a large percentage of adults complaining of lower back pain.

Our Study
In 1999 we conducted a research study on the effects of Shiatsu on lower back pain. Sixty-six people with lower back pain participated in the study - 39 women and 27 men. The participants in the study ranged in age from 18 to 68. Each of them received four full-body Shiatsu treatments – one every one or two weeks from either Kathryn Henry or James Luth. Before and after each of the treatments, they filled out questionnaires about the level of pain and anxiety they were experiencing, so that we could analyze the changes that occurred before and after each treatment, and also over the course of the four sessions.

Research Questions and Results

1) Does Shiatsu decrease pain in individuals complaining of lower back pain?	YES. Pain scores decreased significantly after each treatment. In addition, pain scores decreased significantly from treatment to treatment. (Repeated measures Anova, VAS scores, F=12.890, p<0.0001)
2) Does Shiatsu decrease anxiety in individuals complaining of lower back pain?	YES. Anxiety scores decreased significantly after each treatment. Repeated measures Anova, State Anxiety scores, F=5.397, p<0.0001)
3) Does Shiatsu decrease the major inconviences caused by lower back pain?	YES. Study participants named up to 5 major inconveniences of their lower back pain at the beginning of the study. At the end, they indicated that on average these inconveniences were bothering them less than before.
4) Would people who received four Shiatsu treatments for lower back pain recommend it to friends or relatives with a similar condition?	YES. 65 of the 66 participants said they would.
5) Do differences among people cause them to respond to Shiatsu differently?	NO. Differences were found in the factors we considered: gender, age, physical impact of hobbies or employment, other illness of conditions identified, medications taken. (Repeated measured Anova)