Human Touch in Healthcare

ISBN-13: 9783662678596 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023 / 308 str.

Martin Grunwald

Spis treści

Table of contents

 

1. Perceptual dimensions of the haptic system

 

1.1 Sensitivity of the skin and perception of environmental stimuli (exteroception)

1.1.1 Tactile perception

1.1.2 Moving tactile stimuli

1.1.3 Haptic perception

1.1.4 Hair sensitivity

1.1.5 Interpersonal touch

1.1.6 Temperature perception of the body surface

1.1.7 Pain perception of the body surface

 

1.2 Sensory events inside the body (interoception)

1.2.1 Relevance of interoception

1.2.2 Organ activity and visceroception

1.2.3 Temperature perception inside the body

1.2.4 Pain perception inside the body

 

1.3 Position and motion perception (proprioception)

1.3.1 Weight and forces

1.3.2 Posture and fine motor skills 1.3.3 Role of the vestibular system

 

1.4. Body schema

1.4.1 Phantom limbs and body schema

1.4.2 Ontogenesis of the body schema

1.4.3 Body schema and growth processes

1.4.4 Disorders of the body schema

1.4.5 Cortical localization of the body schema                                

 

1.5 Body image

1.5.1 Positive body image

1.5.2 Negative body image and body image disturbance

1.5.3 Body schema influences body image, not vice versa

1.6 Summary

 

2. Anatomical and physiological basics

 

2.1. Types and Functions of Mechanoreceptors

2.1.1 Spatial resolution, receptive fields, and adaptation

2.1.2 Meissner corpuscles

2.1.3 Merkel cells

2.1.4 Vater Pacini corpuscles

2.1.5 Ruffini endings

2.1.6 Muscle spindles

2.1.7 Golgi tendon organs

2.1.8 Free nerve endings

2.1.9 Hair cells of the auditory and vestibular system

2.1.10 Summary

 

2.2. Neural processing of the haptic system

2.2.1 Peripheral sensory fibers

2.2.2 Spinal cord

2.2.3 Cortical processing

 

2.3. Connective tissue and fasciae

2.3.1 What are connective tissue and fascia?

2.3.2 Composition of connective tissue

2.3.3 Functions of the connective tissue

2.3.4 Densification and fibrosis of connective tissues: Influence of stress, pain, inflammation, and stretching

 

2.4. Physiological effects of pleasant touch (on hormones, neurotransmitters, and the immune system)

2.4.1 Oxytocin

2.4.2 Serotonin/dopamine

2.4.3 Stress hormones

2.4.4 Immune system

2.4.5 Relieving pain through touch

 

3. Perceptual thresholds and disorders of the haptic system

 

3.1. The haptic system over the life course

 

3.1.1 In utero

3.1.2 Neonatal period and first year of life

3.1.3 Childhood and youth

3.1.4 Adulthood and old age

 

3.2 Causes of interindividual differences in perceptual thresholds

3.2.1 Predisposition

3.2.2 Environmental factors

 

3.3. Disorders of the haptic system caused by lesions and nervous system degenerative diseases

3.3.1 Damage to the peripheral nervous system

3.3.2 Damage to the central nervous system

3.3.3 Advanced topic: Degenerative diseases of the CNS (using the example of Alzheimer's dementia and Parkinson's syndrome)

 

3.4. Disorders of the haptic system in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders

 

3.4.1 Impairments of proprioception, sensory integration, and body schema in psychiatric disorders

3.4.2 Tactile defensiveness and the haptic system in neurodevelopmental disorders

3.4.3 Interoception (Psychosomatics)

 

 

 

4. Testing, training and rehabilitation

 

4.1. Training and rehabilitation

4.1.1 Hands: training of manual perception thresholds (healthy adults to old age)

4.1.2 Upper limbs: sensory rehabilitation after stroke and other brain injuries

4.1.3 Lower limbs: balance and proprioception training in different diseases and old age

 

4.2. Neuropsychological tests and training

4.2.1 Clinical diagnostic test batteries for children and adults

4.2.2 Tactile threshold tests

4.2.3 Haptic threshold and perception tests

4.2.4 Proprioception tests

4.2.5 Training set for healthy adults

4.3. Propaedeutic course on active tactile performance (PakT) in the framework of education and training

 

4.3.1 Didactic preliminary considerations

4.3.2 Course planning

4.3.3 PakT

 

 

5. Social touch and touching patients

 

5.1. Ethical aspects

5.1.1 Touching patients

5.1.2 Acceptable body areas and situations

5.1.3 Cultural/ religious differences

 

5.2. Short touches and their consequences

5.2.1 Expectation and sex effects

5.2.2 Perception of emotions and intentions

5.2.3 Influencing attitudes: Evaluation of a person or the setting

5.2.4 Influencing behavior: Prosocial behavior & willingness to participate

 

5.3. Placebo effects, adherence, and competence

5.3.1 Nonverbal communication in the practitioner-patient relationship

5.3.2 Compliance, adherence, and self-healing processes

5.3.4 Tips for Teaching

 

5.4. Embodiment

5.4.1 Facial Feedback Hypothesis

5.4.2 Body posture

 

5.5. Emotional and social aspects

5.5.1 Health consequences of loneliness and social isolation

5.5.2 Benefits of social and emotional touch in nursing care

5.5.3 Touch from close persons influences well-being, stress, and pain

5.5.4 Pets, animal-assisted interventions, and social robotics

 

5.6 Summary

 

6. Relevance of touch during pregnancy and birth

 

6.1. Effects of manual techniques in the course of pregnancy

6.1.1 Background: Consequences of stress during pregnancy

 

6.1.2 In vitro fertilization

6.1.3 Prevention of pregnancy complications

6.1.4 Pregnancy-related pain

6.1.5 Massage for prenatal depression

6.1.6 Effects on the maturation of the fetus

6.1.7 Precautions for massage during pregnancy

 

6.2. Birth

6.2.1 Manual techniques such as acupressure and effleurage

6.2.2 Perineal massage

6.2.3 Cesarean section and vaginal birth

 

 

7. Relevance of touch for early childhood development

 

7.1. Premature infants

7.1.1 Premature infants and postnatal physical contact

7.1.2 Biological effect model of body contact in premature infants

 

7.2 Early childhood development and physical contact

7.2.1 Adequate versus inadequate touch stimuli

7.2.2 Growth processes through social touch

7.2.3 Stress regulation through social touch

7.2.4 Bonding and social attention through touch

7.2.5 Maldevelopment and pathologies due to a lack of contact

7.2.6 Language development through socially mediated tactile experiences

 

 

8. Effects of massages and other touch interventions on various diseases

8.1. Touch and its influence on physical and mental disorders

 

8.1.1 Diabetes mellitus

8.1.2 Cancer

8.1.3 Asthma

8.1.4 Dialysis for chronic kidney disease

8.1.5. HIV/ AIDS

8.1.6 Depression and anxiety disorders

8.1.7 Post-traumatic stress disorder

8.1.8 ADHD and autism

8.1.9 Special topic: Deep pressure stimulation/ Weighted vests and blankets

8.1.9 High blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases

8.1.10. Summary

 

8.2. Contraindications and side effects of massage

 

8.2.1 Adverse effects

8.2.2 Contraindications

 

8.3 Looking beyond the horizon: physical activity as medicine

O autorze

Dr. Stephanie Margarete Mueller is an experimental psychologist and Junior research group leader at the Haptic Research Lab at the University of Leipzig. Her work focuses on body-oriented and touch-based treatment approaches as well as on testing and training of human haptic perception.

Prof. Dr. Claudia Winkelmann is a physical therapist and board member of several journals, e.g. European Journal of Manual Medicine, and publishers in the field of health care system. For teaching, she conducts the propaedeutic of active touch performance (PakT) for health professions. Research activity on the subject of social touch in midwifery, musculoskeletal pain and geriatrics, etc.

Prof. Dr. Martin Grunwald, experimental psychologist, founded the world's first Haptic Research Lab in 1996 (University of Leipzig) and has worked at the Universities of Leipzig, Jena, Bonn and Boston (MIT). He is an internationally renowned scientist and author on the neurobiological and clinical aspects of haptic perception. Furthermore, he has developed diagnostic (haptic and proprioceptive) test systems and body-oriented therapeutic approaches (including for neonatology and psychiatry) and is editor of the anthology Human Haptic Perception - Basics and Applications (2008, Birkhaeuser).

Blurb

This textbook presents the essential research findings on human touch and haptic perception in a concise manner for students and health professionals. 

Focusing on anatomical, neural and physiological as well as psychological, social and clinical aspects, the scope of this book ranges from the fetus in the womb to the older adult in need of care. 

The chapters can be read individually or consecutively, and cross-chapter content is indicated by chapter references. Key learning points are highlighted at the end of each section, and figures, illustrations, and references facilitate the learning process. 

The quality of the presented study results has been critically analyzed and only randomized controlled studies are reported, which gives the reader a critical representation of the current state of knowledge. The textbook also provides valuable suggestions for future research by noting blind spots in existing research, and by pointing to methodological challenges in the implementation of high quality studies. Hence, this textbook is not only a representation of current knowledge, but also an epistemological analysis of the research process. There has been a surge of research about the sense of touch in the past ten years, which is incorporated in this book. 

This textbook will be an invaluable tool for physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and other health professionals in everyday professional life.