Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72312
PATHOLOGY PERSPECTIVES PATHOLOGY EXPERT RUTH WERNER SERVES AS CHAIR OF THE MASSAGE THERAPY FOUNDATION EDUCATION COMMITTEE. So what is next for massage in this context? I identify three major areas that need leadership and development: massage therapist- generated knowledge, accessibility of information, and the establishment of some best practices protocols. PROBLEM: MASSAGE THERAPIST-GENERATED KNOWLEDGE One concern is that the research being conducted is not always done by massage therapists, and the definition of massage is sometimes loosely used. Obviously, this can alter the results of any attempt to gather information. It is imperative that massage therapists participate in the research process. Even therapists who don't work in clinical settings still work with clients who are dealing with acute and chronic conditions. Most of us have seen our work inf luence headaches, or muscle strains, or recovery time for injuries. Our clients live with diabetes, depression, anxiety disorders, fibromyalgia, Parkinson's disease, and a host of other challenges, and they choose massage as part of their coping strategies. We should be the ones leading the way in testing and questioning the practice of massage. It is time for us to get serious about documenting our work in order to trigger large-scale research projects. PROBLEM: ACCESSIBILITY OF INFORMATION Any reader who wants a taste of the vast amount of research being compiled about massage can visit PubMed at www.pubmed.gov or the Massage Therapy Research Database at www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/ researchdb.html. Enter massage and whatever variable interests you, and you may generate a list of dozens, or maybe hundreds of highly-credible, peer- reviewed published articles that include your keywords. Many of the articles have available abstracts (brief overviews of the scope and conclusions of the project), but most full texts are only available through the publishing journals or medical school libraries. Most scholarly articles of this nature are unavailable to the general public. This can be a frustrating and ultimately defeating roadblock to anyone outside the academic world who wants to gather important information. PROBLEM: BEST PRACTICES Finally, while an avalanche of information is currently tumbling all around us, some key questions still await our attention. Most people now agree that massage therapy is an unusually positive intervention: when done with care and education the risks are relatively low, while the potential benefits are significant. This is important information, and as larger research projects are launched, we can all feel confident that carefully conducted studies will reinforce what we've known for generations: that loving, educated, nurturing touch supports health and improves the quality of life. The benefit of knowing the why and how of massage is that it gives us tools to make choices and adjustments to reap the best possible benefits that bodywork can offer. This process is called developing a "best practices" protocol: based on the accumulated body of knowledge we can make some predictions about what kinds of massage might be most effective under what circumstances. Then we can choose what modalities, frequency, and duration may have the most positive outcomes. GOOD NEWS: MASSAGE THERAPIST-GENERATED KNOWLEDGE By the time this issue of Massage & Bodywork publishes, the first annual Practitioner Case Report Contest will have concluded. This event is conducted under the auspices of the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) and follows three successful years of Student Case Report Contests. The winner's case report will first appear in print in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, and then will appear on the MTF website, www.massagetherapyfoundation.org. It is imperative that massage therapists participate in the research process. 120 massage & bodywork january/february 2008