Issue link: http://www.bodysensemagazinedigital.com/i/693903
Published for ABMP members by Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Body Sense magazine is published for the purpose of educating the general public about the benefits of massage and bodywork, along with additional well-being topics. The information contained in this magazine is not intended for the purpose of diagnosing or prescribing. Please consult your physician before under taking any form of medical treatment and/or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. No par t of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without specific written permission from ABMP. Publisher cannot be held responsible for content of adver tisements. The information contained herein is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for a licensed health-care professional. Volume #18, Issue #2, Summer 2016 © 2016 All rights reserved. Body Sense massage, bodywork & healthy living Beyond "Touch Feels Good" Massage offers such valuable benefits to so many individuals that it's possible to take it for granted. For many of us, the power of bodywork seems like a given or that it's simply understood that it yields positive results because it feels good or because you feel relief. "Of course massage helps with my low-back pain!" "Of course massage prepares me for my pre- and postsports event!" So why is massage research important? For the answer to that question, I went to the source—Ruth Werner. Ruth is the past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation, an organization whose mission is to advance "the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, E D I T O R ' S N O T E D A R R E N B U F O R D , E D I T O R D A R R E N @ A B M P . C O M , @ D A R R E N B U F O R D DARREN BUFORD, Editor darren@abmp.com LESLIE A. YOUNG, Contributing Editor leslie@abmp.com K ARRIE OSBORN, Senior Editor karrie@abmp.com BR ANDON TWYFORD, Associate Editor brandon@abmp.com MARY BARTHELME ABEL, Contributing Editor marya@abmp.com TR ACY DONLEY, Advertising Manager tracyd@abmp.com ANDREA BROWN, Advertising Coordinator andrea@abmp.com AMY KLEIN, Art Director amy@abmp.com JAMES SUTHERLIN, Senior Designer james@abmp.com TAMR A MCILVAIN, Graphic Designer tamra@abmp.com staff Body Sense Editor Darren Buford and community service." Ruth is also the author of several textbooks on pathology used worldwide for massage education. Q: Darren Buford Why is research for massage and bodywork so important? A: Ruth Werner A lot of massage and bodywork has evolved out of ancient traditions that build on our experience that touch feels good. It might seem redundant or unnecessary to do high-level research to confirm this basic truth. But research that looks carefully at massage therapy can help us understand how it works, and for whom, and what circumstances are likely to give the best results. Research can help massage therapists be more effective and more accurate—if we know the evidence shows that massage for an hour once a week helps people with knee pain from osteoarthritis (and a study has indeed determined that this is the optimal dose), then we can make that claim and know that research backs it up. Research allows us to question some traditions that have not served us well. For instance, we used to assume that massage would speed up the process of cancer development, so we were taught, "Massage and cancer don't go in the same sentence." When some brave researchers challenged that assumption, we learned that massage therapy has many benefits to offer cancer patients, and many people find that their journey through this condition is made easier because they can receive appropriate, safe, educated massage in this context—something that would have been impossible without research. Research can also help us avoid making mistakes or making false claims. And finally, research helps massage therapists and bodywork practitioners build working relationships with other health-care providers; it is the language every person in the medical field uses. When we are able to integrate with your health-care team, you get the best possible outcomes massage therapy can offer. We hope you enjoy this issue of Body Sense magazine dedicated to the value of massage therapy research.