A Research Agenda for the Massage Therapy Profession: a Report from the Massage Therapy Foundation


JoEllen M. Sefton, PhD, LAT, ATC1*, Jennifer Dexheimer, BSc, LMT2,3, Niki Munk, PhD, LMT4, Robin Miccio, MS, LMT5, Ann Blair Kennedy, DrPH, LMT6, Jerrilyn Cambron, PhD, LMT2, Gordon MacDonald, BSc7, Rob Hemsworth, BPE, RMT7

1Warrior Research Center, School of Kinesiology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
2National University of Health Sciences, Lombard, IL, USA
3Journey to Wellness, Inc., Perth Amboy, NJ, USA
4School of Health and Human Sciences, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA
5Integrative Health Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
6University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Columbia, SC, USA
7Registered Massage Therapists’ Association of British Colombia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

INTRODUCTION

Massage therapists are a part of a broad community of allied health-care providers. Member groups within this community develop and maintain specific research agendas and strategic plans to guide the development of the knowledge base that serves as the foundation of practice for their profession.(13)

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) is a primary steward of massage therapy research, funding studies to advance the science and art of massage therapy over the past 30 years. The first massage therapy research agenda was developed by the MTF in 1991 and outlined five key goals: 1) Build a research infrastructure within the massage therapy profession; 2) Fund research into the safety and efficacy of massage therapy; 3) Fund studies on physiological and other mechanisms by which massage therapy achieves its effects; 4) Fund studies stemming from a wellness paradigm; and 5) Fund studies on the profession of therapeutic massage. This effort, combined with the efforts of international massage organizations(2) facilitated the growth and development of the massage therapy profession in each of the goal areas, and greatly expanded the knowledge base that now supports the science-informed practice of therapeutic massage.

The MTF evaluated the extensive progress and remaining knowledge gaps, then put together a team to develop a new research agenda to guide and advance the therapeutic massage knowledge base into the future.

Process Description

The MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda was developed by a team of experienced researchers, massage therapists, business owners, administrators, educators, and other allied health-care providers. The agenda was also developed to align with the United States National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Strategic Framework,(3) presenting a unified strategy for advancing the profession.

The MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda

The MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda has four key objectives, each with specific goals (Figure 1). The agenda aspires to support the work of every member of the massage therapy community. Following each objective is a section called “Moving the Agenda Forward”, with a few ideas on how researchers, practitioners, educators, students, and organizations can become involved in progressing the agenda and the profession.

 


 

Figure 1 Summary of the MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda.

Objective 1: Advance Fundamental Science and Methods Development

Goals

  1. Advance understanding of basic biological mechanisms of action of therapeutic massage and bodywork in the management of chronic and acute conditions.

  2. Advance understanding of the mechanisms through which therapeutic massage and bodywork affect health, resiliency, healing, and well-being.

    Note: Special interest in mechanisms of action of therapeutic massage and bodywork for patients on long-term medications, including adverse and beneficial interactions.

  3. Develop new and improved research methods and tools for conducting rigorous studies of therapeutic massage and bodywork approaches and their integration into health care as part of comprehensive treatment plans.

  4. Facilitate the transition of generated research knowledge into clinical practice.

Moving the MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda Forward

Objective 2: Improve Care for Health-Related Symptoms and Conditions

Goals

  1. Develop, improve, and advance understanding of therapeutic massage and bodywork approaches and treatment strategies alone and as an adjunct therapy.

    Note: Special interest in studies focusing on hard-to-manage and complex health conditions.

  2. Develop and advance understanding of therapeutic massage and bodywork’s impact on acute to chronic transition.

  3. Develop and advance understanding of therapeutic massage and bodywork’s impact on quality of life during treatment and management of acute and chronic conditions.

  4. Conduct studies in “real world” multi-disciplinary clinical settings to test the safety and effectiveness of therapeutic massage and body-work approaches, including integration with health care and health-care systems.

Moving the MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda Forward

Objective 3: Foster Health Promotion, Cultivate Well-Being, and Support Disease Prevention

Goals

  1. Investigate safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and mechanisms of action of therapeutic massage and bodywork compared to, and in conjunction with, standard clinical practice, in supporting health resilience and physical and mental well-being across the lifespan.

  2. Investigate the effects of inclusion of therapeutic massage and bodywork into interdisciplinary health-care settings on improving health-care resource management and patient outcomes.

  3. Study the effectiveness of therapeutic massage and bodywork in promoting health and wellness among diverse populations over the short-term and across the lifespan.

  4. Support the enhancement of health equity and access to care in marginalized populations.

  5. Engage in studies to assess the effects of regular therapeutic massage and bodywork sessions on a “healthy” population.

  6. Explore research opportunities to study and assess the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of therapeutic massage and bodywork in nonclinical settings such as community and employer-based wellness programs.

  7. a. Examine the potential for regular therapeutic massage and bodywork sessions to impact the frequency, duration, and associated cost of injury and illness.

  8. b. Examine the impact of therapeutic massage and bodywork on worker satisfaction, mental health, and satisfaction at home.

Moving the MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda Forward

Objective 4: Support the Establishment and Continuation of Educational Research Focused on Massage Therapy Pedagogy/ Andragogy

Goals

  1. Determine best practices to convey information to learners of diverse cultures and educational backgrounds.

  2. Assess best practices for delivery of therapeutic massage and bodywork to support career longevity and wellness.

  3. Identify educational approaches from other disciplines applicable to the field of therapeutic massage and bodywork.

  4. Develop and evaluate the most effective methods for facilitation and acquisition of information and resources on therapeutic massage and bodywork for evidence-informed practice.

  5. Determine the best methods to foster career development and leadership in the field of therapeutic massage and bodywork.

Moving the MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda Forward

As the primary steward of massage therapy research, the MTF believes that together these four objectives will guide the future development and expansion of the knowledge base needed to move the profession forward and improve patient/ client care, health and well-being of therapists and patients/clients, massage therapy education, and professional practice for the massage therapy profession.

CONCLUSIONS

The MTF 2020 Massage Therapy Research Agenda can serve as a guide to ensure research efforts in the area of massage therapy and bodywork benefit the massage profession. The massage community is called upon to take up this effort and participate in the expansion and sharing of the knowledge base that supports the valuable care massage clinicians provide to patients and clients.

REFERENCES

1 Kahn JR, Menard MB. Massage Therapy Research Agenda 2015 and Beyond: a report for the Massage Therapy Foundation. Evanston, IL: Massage Therapy Foundation; 2014.

2 Porcino AJ. Advancing the therapeutic massage research agenda(s). Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 2013;6(3):1–2.
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3 US Department of Health & Human Services. National Institutes of Health. NCCIH’s Strategic Framework. Bethesda, MD: NIH; 2019. Accessed 2019. Available from: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/about/nccihs-strategic-framework


Corresponding author: JoEllen M. Sefton, PhD, LAT, ATC, School of Kinesiology, Auburn University, 301 Wire Rd., Auburn, AL 36849, USA, E-mail: jmsefton@auburn.edu

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COPYRIGHT

Published under the CreativeCommons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.


INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OF THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE AND BODYWORK, VOLUME 13, NUMBER 4, December 2020