PATHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES
Resources
"A History of Opiate Laws in the United States." Accessed January 2019.
www.naabt.org/laws.cfm.
"Declaration of Montréal—IASP." Accessed January 2019. www.iasp-pain.org/
DeclarationofMontreal.
Durkin, Erin. "US Drug Overdose Deaths Rose to Record 72,000 Last Year, Data Reveals." The
Guardian. August 16, 2018. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/16/us-drug-overdose-
deaths-opioids-fentanyl-cdc.
Jones, Mark R. et al. "A Brief History of the Opioid Epidemic and Strategies for Pain Medicine."
Pain and Therapy 7, no. 1 (June 2018): 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-018-0097-6.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Opioid Overdose Crisis." Last updated March 6, 2018.
Accessed January 2019. www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/opioids/opioid-overdose-crisis.
"Overdose Death Rates." Last updated August 9, 2018. Accessed January 2019.
www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates.
"The Impact of Massage Therapy on Function in Pain Populations—A Systematic Review and
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Part I, Patients Experiencing Pain in the
General Population." Pain Medicine 17, no. 7 (July 2016). Accessed January 2019.
https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/17/7/1353/2223191.
"The Impact of Massage Therapy on Function in Pain Populations—A Systematic Review
and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Part II, Cancer Pain Populations." Pain
Medicine 17, no. 8 (August 2016). Accessed January 2019. https://academic.oup.com/
painmedicine/article/17/8/1553/2223186.
"The Impact of Massage Therapy on Function in Pain Populations—A Systematic Review and
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: Part III, Surgical Pain Populations." Pain
Medicine 17, no. 9 (September 2016). Accessed January 2019. https://academic.oup.com/
painmedicine/article/17/9/1757/2399356.
The Joint Commission. "New Joint Commission Advisory on Non-Pharmacologic and Non-
Opioid Solutions for Pain Management." August 28, 2018. Accessed January 2019.
www.jointcommission.org/new_joint_commission_advisory_on_non-pharmacologic_and_
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"The Science of Drug Use and Addiction: The Basics." Accessed January 2019.
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may lack. With that in mind, here are
some steps each person can take to help
us all rise to the challenge at hand:
Know the research. The position papers
on pain management rely on published,
credible, and accessible research findings.
I am personally proud to see that among
the studies frequently cited are the three
systematic reviews and meta-analyses
commissioned by the Massage Therapy
Foundation (MTF) that looked at massage
therapy, pain, and function in general
populations, in surgery patients, and in
people with cancer. These articles are
included in the reference list for this piece.
Articles from the International Journal
of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, the
MTF's academic peer-reviewed, open-
sourced journal, are also frequently cited.
Massage therapy research is being used
to influence public health policy. Get
familiar with it, so you can use it too.
Be educated about pain and pain
research.
The research on pain and how
to manage it has revealed some important
discoveries. The chances are good that
what you were taught in massage school
is no longer considered accurate, and the
differences may influence how you work
with clients who live in pain. Seek out
current information on pain in the context
of manual therapies. You may be surprised.
Work with pain management specialists.
If working with clients who have
pain—especially chronic pain—is your
passion, then this is a great time to build
relationships with pain management
specialists. Do you live in a place
with hospitals or pain management
facilities? Take your knowledge, the
research, and the recommendations of
policy-makers to craft some messages
that could create opportunities for
you to work in those settings.
Yo u r M & B i s w o r t h 2 C E s ! G o t o w w w. a b m p . c o m / c e t o l e a r n m o r e . 41
Pay attention to legislative activity. Keep
an eye on what is happening in your
area regarding your license and scope
of practice. If the massage laws in your
area don't reflect the research and policy
recommendations from the government,
communicate with your legislators to raise
awareness of the power of your work.
This article barely scratches the surface
of what the opioid crisis means to our
country and our loved ones. There is so
much more to say about the human cost
of this problem and the ways massage
therapy might be able to help. Clients
who live with pain need our skills. They
need us to be well informed, highly
educated, and willing to be part of an
integrated health-care team. Are you
ready to rise to that challenge?
Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist,
a writer, and an NCBTMB-approved continuing
education provider. She wrote A Massage
Therapist's Guide to Pathology, (available at
BooksofDiscovery.com), now in its sixth edition,
which is used in massage schools worldwide.
Werner is available at www.ruthwerner.com or
wernerworkshops@ruthwerner.com.
