Happy New Year!
As the year begins, we here at Hands on Health would like to let you know about some changes within our practice, and the massage industry as a whole. These changes will enhance our treatment planning skills and improve your ultimate well being. Over the last five years there has been an abundance of research studies looking at massage as a valid form of therapy in treatment of certain medical conditions. Research topics have ranged from massage as treatment for lower back pain, anxiety/depression, fibromyalgia, arthritis, injury related inflammation, and more.
As an industry massage is using this research to build an evidence based foundation. This means “making decisions about how to promote health or provide care by integrating the best available evidence with practitioner expertise and other resources, and with the characteristics, state, needs, values and preferences of those who will be affected. […] Evidence is comprised of research findings derived from the systematic collection of data through observation and experiment and the formulation of questions and testing of hypotheses”. This strengthens the massage industry’s credibility and validity to be viewed as a reliable treatment option, either alone, or in conjunction with other therapy options. Modifying our practice to these standards allows for treatment to be more consistent across the medical massage industry and for the identification of specific modalities/techniques that are most effective for the individual. The individual therapist will not only be guided by their immediate education and experience, but also be able to pull from a larger pool of knowledge on how to tailor massage sessions to the individual client. (www.ebbp.org)
As a practice and individual therapists, it is important to develop an evidence-based practice so we may cater to the individual’s specific needs. As massage therapists, we may be able to read the body, but maintaining verbal communication is essential as we do not know what the client is experiencing immediately on the table, or what has happened off the table between sessions. Feedback we receive from the client becomes essential for tracking progress, and is not possible with out it. Our documentation becomes a story of the individual’s physical experience and the treatment received; we can then track what treatments were most effective for each person and their unique conditions. Since there are so many variables that make up an individuals physical state, it is vital we have as many details as possible to keep accurate progress notes. With this information treatment planning will be more effective as we are better able to consider and meet long and short-term goals.
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Hands On Health Massage Therapy And Wellness
7980 Chapel Hill Road, Ste 125
Cary NC 27513
919.854.9555