Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1013756
this study provides an excellent foundation for the "massage for postsurgery pediatric patients" house to build on. IF FINDINGS ARE ONLY PRELIMINARY, WHAT ASPECTS OF THIS STUDY CAN BE APPLIED TO PRACTICE? Even though these results are preliminary, there are several aspects that can be gleaned from this study and applied to practice. Things that may make research problematic or "lesser" on the evidence hierarchy pyramid may not produce the same limitations in practice and have meaningful application. For example, study researchers had to figure out what to do when intervention sessions were interrupted for various reasons (e.g., medical care necessities, housekeeping, etc.). When faced with interruption in practice, therapist and treatment recipient need only consider how to resume or conclude the treatment for the most therapeutic benefit within given restraints (time, scheduling, etc.); they do not have to concern themselves with protocol integrity or whether the treatment will "count" per research parameters. However, as a therapist, knowing and considering the potential for interruptions such as these provides the opportunity to think of how such situations could be handled beforehand. This may be of particular benefit for therapists new to work with those who are inpatient or with ongoing or continuous medical need. The information provided about the techniques and areas addressed also provide a starting place for a therapist either new to a hospital setting or asked to provide care for a person following cardiac surgery. One thing this study highlighted was the choice to provide some light touch when possible to the child's chest. While there is nothing specific in the article reporting how the children responded to that particular technique, just seeing that it can be done and was done in half of the study's massages with no adverse events provides a framework for therapists to consider how to bring comforting, physical touch to surgically traumatized areas. The procedural massage session protocol is provided as a supplementary item to the article and outlines appropriate steps and approach for delivering a massage session for children postcardiac surgery. The protocol provides an excellent framework for therapists to implement into practice for any inpatient treatment or those receiving a lot of in-home medical care. Administrators, policy makers, and families can point to the article when discussing the safety and feasibility of providing meaningful massage benefit for children postsurgery and while in intensive and acute inpatient care. It is reasonable for those not familiar with or knowledgeable of massage therapy to have concerns when considering application for such vulnerable and delicate patients. Concerned massage skeptics may also have prior experiences or expectations that reflect negatively on the massage field. This study's demonstration of safety and established treatment framework beyond an anecdotal or single-experience account has more potential to inform decisions about including massage as part of postsurgical care. The description of the study's massage therapists' experience and inclusion as part of the overall health-care team provides additional positive context for massage skeptics' consideration. The article highlights various medical procedures and necessities for these pediatric patients that would apply to various other patient populations but are not covered in entry-level massage therapy training. These procedures include sedation protocols, sternotomies, and patient monitoring and medical care application devices. Studious massage therapists may take it upon themselves to look up and learn about unknown terms and procedures to apply critical consideration as to how and why they might approach such things in a treatment session. Such critical-thinking exercises broaden a therapist's intellectual prowess, especially Even though the research presented in the article is primarily a feasibility study, several practice- informing information nuggets exist. 50 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k s e p t e m b e r / o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8