Massage Research: Ways to GET INVOLVED!!

A gentleman on facebook asked me today (Aug 8, 2011) how he can get involved with massage therapy research. This is a great question that many therapists have.

Below is an excerpt from Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice, p 86.

"HOW CAN MASSAGE THERAPISTS SUPPORT RESEARCH EFFORTS?

The easiest way is to become involved with an organization that supports research. Will include a list of organizations and resources in a later post. You can become a member, donate money or donate your time through volunteering. One easy way to support an organization financially is to donate the price of one massage each year to an organization that funds massage therapy research.

Additionally, researchers are often looking for qualified massage therapists to assist with providing treatments for studies. That is, many studies collate data from multiple “sites” where massage therapists from across a region or country submit data from their practices. This research participation can be volunteer or paid work, and advances the profession.

Encouraging clients, family, or friends to participate is another way to support massage therapy research.

Finally, supporting the continuing need for quality research through your professional organization, to other therapists and medical professionals, and to your political representatives (National Institutes of Health [NIH] is funded through Congress so get in touch with your representatives and tell them how important National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM] is to your profession. There are those in Congress who wish to eliminate NCCAM from the NIH). Even seemingly small efforts when combined with those of other therapists can make a tremendous difference to the overall goal of establishing an outstanding research knowledge base for massage therapy."

~ JoEllen M. Sefton , PhD, ATC, CMT