Analysis of the effects of deep mechanical massage in the porcine model

Deep mechanical massage has been advocated as an alternative or adjunctive therapy for the contouring of subcutaneous fat and as a treatment for cellu lite. We evaluated the effects of deep mechanical massage using two pig mod els. Yucatan pigs were divided into three groups (n = 4). One side of each body received 4, 10, or 20 treatments and the other side served as a contro l. Full-thickness tissue sections, including the underlying muscle, were ha rvested from identical treated and untreated regions. Examination of these regionally matched samples revealed an accumulation of dense, longitudinal collagen bands in the middle dermal and deep subdermal regions, which progr essively increased with the number of treatments. Distortion and disruption of adipocytes was noted. In Yorkshire pigs, force-transducing balloon cath eters were surgically placed between the deep subcutaneous tissue and muscl e fascia. Catheters were inserted into two regions with different skin and subcutaneous tissue characteristics, the midflank and the hip. Standardized maneuvers were performed at suction settings 3, 5, 7, and 9 to record base line tissue forces. Each maneuver carried a unique force signature. The mea surement of tissue forces was repeated on the opposite side after 10 standa rdized treatment sessions. Analysis showed a significant reduction of measu red forces at the midflank after the treatments. The actual force measured with each particular maneuver varied between different operators but not wi th different suction settings, suggesting that the technique of administeri ng the treatments is the primary factor in creating the force within the ti ssue. This leads to the conclusion that deep mechanical massage is highly d ependent on the individual operator of the device.