Last week Tammy Campbell and I attended the 2012 American Massage Therapy Association’s National Convention. I was amazed to see how far we had come as a profession in just three short years. From the 2009 convention where we were urged to participate in research and fast forward to 2012 where science research has demonstrated significant results supporting the use of massage therapy as a recommended treatment modality for pain associated with knee osteoarthritis. Not only did the study announce the significance in pain reduction and improved function, but it also determined an optimal dose – how often a person would need to receive massage therapy and still maintain cumulative and beneficial outcomes.
Read more here:
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/020812.htm
http://news.yale.edu/2006/12/11/swedish-massage-benefits-osteoarthritis-patients
What does this mean for us as massage therapists and for you as a consumer? Research findings helps guide us in not only applying our trade but doing so wisely and for your greater good. When we come across results that are this enlightening, we can deliver a powerful message to our health care providers that we expect them to employ the safest options available in health care. We expect these options to be accessible to to the masses and that it be delivered in a logical, legitimate, and affordable manner. For all those massage therapists who listened and rallied to be heard … the message is loud and clear … science is listening.
For more inspiration about what’s to come in our profession, visit: American Massage Therapy Association, Massage Therapy Foundation, and the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Get inspired.
We’ll see you at your next visit. Stay healthy, keep active. Live.