NCBTMB Bodywork Application and Physiology 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The two primary divisions of the autonomic nervous system that are directly influenced by massage therapy are the:
- Somatic and enteric nervous systems
- Central and peripheral nervous systems
- Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems (Correct answer)
- Afferent and efferent nervous systems
Correct answer: Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
Massage primarily modulates the autonomic nervous system by decreasing sympathetic (fight-or-flight) activity and increasing parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) tone.
Question 2: Which massage stroke is MOST effective at stimulating the nervous system and is typically used at the END of a session to invigorate the client?
- Effleurage
- Petrissage
- Vibration
- Tapotement (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Tapotement
Tapotement — including hacking, cupping, and tapping — provides percussive stimulation that activates the nervous system and is often applied to invigorate clients before they rise from the table.
Question 3: The anatomical term 'prone' describes a client lying:
- On their back, face up
- On their side with knees flexed
- Face down, on their stomach (Correct answer)
- In a semi-reclined seated position
Correct answer: Face down, on their stomach
Prone position means lying face down on the massage table, allowing access to the posterior body surfaces.
Question 4: A client presents with numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers that worsens at night. This pattern is MOST consistent with:
- Ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve compression) (Correct answer)
- Thoracic outlet syndrome involving the brachial plexus
- Cervical radiculopathy at C8
Correct answer: Carpal tunnel syndrome (median nerve compression)
Carpal tunnel syndrome compresses the median nerve, producing paresthesia in the thumb, index, middle, and radial half of the ring finger, often worsening at night.
Question 5: When assessing postural deviations, an excessive anterior curve of the lumbar spine is called:
- Kyphosis
- Scoliosis
- Lordosis (Correct answer)
- Flat back
Correct answer: Lordosis
Lumbar lordosis is an exaggerated inward curve of the lower back, often associated with tight hip flexors and weak abdominals.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the 'visceral-somatic reflex' that massage therapists may utilize when working with organ-related dysfunction?
- Organ dysfunction triggers referred pain and muscle guarding in related spinal segments (Correct answer)
- Massaging visceral organs directly restores peristalsis
- Somatic muscle contractions stimulate adjacent organ secretion
- Autonomic reflexes bypass the spinal cord during massage
Correct answer: Organ dysfunction triggers referred pain and muscle guarding in related spinal segments
The visceral-somatic reflex causes organ pathology to create hypertonicity and tenderness in spinal and paraspinal muscles at the corresponding dermatomal level.
Question 7: The endocrine response to massage therapy that has been most consistently documented in research, supporting its use for stress and anxiety reduction, is a decrease in:
- Insulin
- Melatonin
- Cortisol (Correct answer)
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
Correct answer: Cortisol
Multiple studies demonstrate that massage therapy significantly reduces salivary and urinary cortisol levels, reflecting reduced HPA axis stress response.
NCBTMB Bodywork Application and Physiology 5
The two primary divisions of the autonomic nervous system that are directly influenced by massage therapy are the: