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Rigorously controlled and replicated research is a key to the
professionalization of any health care field. Reliable research findings are a
prerequisite for access to many contexts in which massage therapists practice or
would like to practice. For these reasons, the Massage Therapy Foundation convened a
three-day working conference of research scientists and massage therapists/bodyworkers
in March 1999 to frame a research agenda for the field of therapeutic massage
and bodywork. Without the active participation of members of the massage
profession in deciding what research should be done, there is every possibility
that knowledge generated from future research will not be relevant or of value
to massage therapists or to their clients.
In preparation for the meeting, the Foundation recognized that various
constituencies already held agendas, which would need to be articulated and
addressed. Prior to the meeting, a web site survey and focus groups conducted by
the Foundation revealed that massage therapists had three key goals that needed
to inform the research agenda.
- Massage therapists want more people to seek regular massage for health
maintenance and well-being. What is the research agenda that might lead to
this?
- Massage therapists want to understand more clearly how and why their work
is effective or ineffective. What is the research agenda that will lead to
this understanding?
- Some massage therapists want to be reimbursed by third party payers for
their work. What is the research agenda most likely to lead to this?
Other health care professionals also have concerns and questions that would
drive their agenda for our field. For example, physicians and health care
administrators want to know when to refer for massage and which kind of massage
to recommend for which conditions. What is the research agenda that will help
these health care professionals?
Thus the Massage Therapy Foundation convened a Massage Research Agenda Workgroup (MRAW)
which included physicians, clinical and experimental scientists, social
scientists and massage therapists and bodyworkers all selected to represent a
relatively broad spectrum of expertise in their fields. It included Americans,
Canadians and Europeans.
All workgroups of the MRAW included at least one massage therapist, one
clinical or survey research scientist, and one bench or biological scientist.
Members of the MRAW were struck by how valuable these multi-disciplinary groups
were. The MRAW cautioned against the all too frequent practice of research in
CAM in general, and therapeutic massage specifically, being designed and
conducted without the benefit of any practitioners involved in conceptual roles.
They highly recommend the creation of multi-disciplinary teams at least during the
design phase.
In preparation for the meeting, the Massage Therapy Foundation commissioned a background
paper looking at issues of fit between the realities of massage treatment and
the requirements of currently accepted research methodologies; examined claims
made in major massage texts about the effects of massage and found many claims
and little research cited; reviewed the existing massage research literature;
and circulated to participants two recent reviews of the literature, noticing
shortcomings and areas of promise.
Click here for: FINDINGS
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