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Katie May’s Video Guide to Baby Massage KMTC Productions, Phoenix Business Centre, 170 Wells Road, BristolBS4 ZAG, 1995. Duration 23 minutes. €12.99 plus f 1 postage.

This video by Katie May, a health visitor, shows a parent and baby group being taught the essentials of baby massage. I t is a video for parents and has been produced in easy and simple language for all to understand.

It begins with Katie May explaining the benefits of massage for babies. She emphasises the caliiiing and soothing effects of massage to encourage bonding between parents and their baby, as well as the relaxing effects which encourage sleep. Details of preparing for the massage are explained in a simple and clear fashion.

She then demonstrates a massage on one of the babies in the class. She goes quite quickly

through a general body massage, demonstrating different techniques on various areas of the body. As she does this, she gives some reasons for massaging which as a physio- therapist I would want explained further. However, as a parent I might be happy with her simple statements, such a s tapping the chest with the fingertips ‘helps the lungs to clear’ and ‘is good for immunity’. She also touches briefly on reflexology when massaging the feet, stating which areas are related t o which parts of the body. Without further explanation, I would be unsure about the relevance of some of what she says to where I massaged.

The mothers follow on by demon- strating an extremely proficient massage which their babies clearly enjoy. This is one of the best parts of the video as it is less staged and shows a more natural, relaxed atmosphere, with mothers and babies communicating and enjoying

each other. The mothers demon- strate good massage techniques and reiterate the demonstration massage.

This is a simple introduction to baby massage which parents could easily watch once and try for them- selves. Katie May states some of the benefits of massage, but I feel this part could have been expanded and better explained. Physiothera- pists might find using a video a useful means of demonstrating massage to parents. If so, this would be a good one and it could be used in conjunction with activities to encourage motor development. Physiotherapists watching this video would be given confidence tha t there is no mystique to baby massage, and that they would be able to adapt their own massage skills to babies and be able to pass these on to parents.

Sarah Crombie MCSP

A Self-Help Guide to Back Pain by Anita Bamford MCSP HT, presented by Dave Kilner and Maggie Jarrold. Distrib- uted by Ericson Physiotherapy Video, Ericson House, 42 Kenwood Road, Sheffield 57 l N Q , 1995. Duration 30 minutes. €12.95 plus €1 p&p.

This video focuses on a self-manage- ment regime for the care of low back pain. I t systematically deals with various issues involved in back pain, starting with an overview of spinal anatomy and pathology and progressing to posture (with the demonstration of good and bad post,ure) and postural exercises, ergonomic issues, lifting techniques, the identification of risk areas in the home and how to avoid them. It also provides a routine of easy exer- cises to do a t home and a summary of dos arid don’ts.

To dat,c: the majority of self- management tools have been in the form of t)ooks. However, the author of‘this self-management guide has chosen to u s e a video. I ts advan- tagcs are that exercises can be demonstrated and examples given of‘ how, for example, to correct poor

posture. In books, exercises are usually only shown a t their starting and finishing positions and it is often easier t o demonstrate things than attempt to describe them in words. A video therefore leads to easier comprehension by low back pain sufferers.

The video deals with many preventive issues and how to avoid back pain in the future. Although a series of exercises is given, these exercises deal only with flexibility issues and a programme of muscle strengthening for both the erector spinae and abdominal muscles is not provided. Strengthening exer- cises that are bad for the back are demonstrated during the ‘dos and

don’ts’ section but there is no demonstration of how these exer- cises could be performed without damaging the spine. Pain is usually the main concern of patients with back problems, but no advice is given on simple ways of pain management.

However, this video is a useful tool to reinforce back school teaching and physiotherapy man- agement, which can be recom- mended or loaned out to patients. I t also has potential as a tool for avoiding back pain, and could thus easily be incorporated into preven- tive regimes.

A H McGregor MSc MCSP

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KA SELF-HELP GUIDE 1 A video produced by Anita Bamford MCSP

for both physiotherapists their patients. I ”An invaluahle aid to professionals to

show the lay erson the causes and the 1 prevention ofbuck ,at? - ergonomics, osture anatom lfting techniques,

ERICSON MARKETING LTD I 42 Kenwood Road, Sheffield S7 3 NQ I Tel: (0114) 258 0505 Fax: (01141 250 0213

1 L n d y hints an 2 exercises. ‘1

TO BACK PAIN” I 1 The 30 minute video costs only 1 Z12.95 (+ %1 p.p. UK only) I

Please send ............. coples to:- I I I I

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UCheque enclosed c] Credit card type

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Physiotherapy, March 1996, vol 82, no 3

video reviews