Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72312
THE FUTURE OF MASSAGE RESEARCH AND THE FRONTIERS OF THE FIELD The growth of any healthcare discipline is related to its ability to demonstrate beneficial therapeutic outcomes. Due to funding challenges and the fact that so few massage therapists possess PhDs, there has not been anywhere near as much focus on research in the massage profession as there has been in other healthcare disciplines. The groundbreaking work of Tiffany Field and her colleagues at the Touch Research Institute in Miami has paved the way for those interested in massage research. These practitioners and researchers help us look for ways to validate and better understand the outcomes we see in the treatment room. In the next few decades massage therapy will be increasingly integrated into research protocols as effective treatments are researched and evaluated. A healthcare profession must determine the most effective means for addressing key complaints presented to that profession. These approaches are called best practices. The massage profession, along with researchers from other healthcare disciplines, is looking to establish best practices for massage as well. Best practices guidelines are not rules or recipes, they simply provide guidance about what are the most effective treatments. A SNAPSHOT The future of massage therapy in the United States is promising. Yet, numerous issues face the profession, and it is premature to know how they will affect it in years to come. The divergence in practice of massage as health or personal care is one of the largest issues facing the profession. This division affects education, licensure, and professional advancement. Developments in educational options, practice settings, and business options present both opportunities and challenges to the profession. The divergence in practice of massage as health or personal care is one of the largest issues facing the profession. The increasing popularity of massage as a personal service and health option present a positive financial future for those in the field. There is continually greater acceptance of massage by other healthcare professionals as a viable and valuable healthcare modality. Concurrently, those with ailments wanting other healthcare options are increasingly looking to massage. The number of consumers seeking massage as a personal care service is expanding. The options and potentials for those wanting to practice massage are extremely high. Given the advancement to date of massage as a therapy, it is to everyone's benefit to continue striving for the highest quality in education, industry reputation, and professional stature. As an educator, I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet and work with some of our profession's most influential colleagues. These visionaries have worked hard to help shape and promote our profession in the last twenty years. While many of these people are well known, some of the most inspirational people I have met are those who are not well known, but are out there in the trenches doing great work every day. Looking at a snapshot of our field is like watching a river that passes before us moving from the past to the future. The water is different from day to day, but it remains the same river. While tomorrow's massage therapy field will be filled with different individuals and experiences, it will remain the same magnificent field we are all so fortunate to be a part of today. 40 massage & bodywork january/february 2008 on pain and injury treatment with massage therapy. His contributions to the massage field are wide ranging and include extensive research, professional publications, teaching, clinical work, consulting, and participation in national boards and committees. He is the author of the books Orthopedic Assessment in Massage Therapy (Daviau-Scott, 2006) and Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique (Mosby, 2003), which are used in training programs and schools nationally and internationally. In 1994 he founded the Orthopedic Massage Education & Research Institute (OMERI) to provide massage therapists the advanced education they would need for treating orthopedic soft-tissue disorders. He can be contacted at omeri@omeri.com. Whitney Lowe is a recognized authority NOTES 1. D. C. Cherkin, R. A. Deyo, K. J. Sherman, et al., "Characteristics of Licensed Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, and Naturopathic Physicians," J Am Board Fam Pract. 15, no. 5 (2002): 378–90. 2. D. M. Eisenberg, R. B. Davis, S. L., et al., "Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United States, 1990–1997: Results of a Follow-Up National Survey," JAMA 280, no 18 (1990): 1569–75. 3. ABMP, 2007 National Consumer Survey, Evergreen, CO; 2007. 4. K. J. Sherman, D. C. Cherkin, J. Kahn, et al., "A Survey of Training and Practice Patterns of Massage Therapists in Two US States," BMC Complement Altern Med. 5 (2005): 13. 5. ABMP, 2007 National Consumer Survey. 6. ISPA, Spa Industry Update, Lexington, KY: International Spa Association; 2006. 7. ABMP, "A Changing Environment: Has the Popularity of Massage School Peaked?" The ABMP School Connection, vol. 5; 2007 (Spring). 8. ISPA, Spa Industry Update. 9. ABMP, 2007 National Consumer Survey.