TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN MASSAGE THERAPY IS FOCUS OF CONFERENCE “HIGHLIGHTING MASSAGE THERAPY IN COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE RESEARCH”

Hosted by the Massage Therapy Foundation, May 13–15, 2010 at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle, Washington

EVANSTON, IL (January 22, 2010) - Seven world-renowned researchers and clinicians in the field of integrative health care will give keynote presentations at “Highlighting Massage Therapy in Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research,” hosted by the Massage Therapy Foundation. The three-day agenda, which focuses on translational research and public health, also includes two panel discussions, sixty research presentations and posters, and innovative experiential workshops.

In combining practical applications with scientific research, the conference will further the progression toward what the National Institutes of Health promotes as a two-way flow between “bench to bedside” and “bedside to bench,” also known as translational research. The cyclical outcomes of translational research occur when knowledge gained through research is applied in practical ways, and additional questions raised through this practical application motivate further research.

Experiential workshops are a relative rarity in research meetings. An academic exchange between the respective editors of International Journal of therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Glenn M. Hymel, EdD, LMT, and Leon Chaitow, DO, ND proposed this unconventional mechanism for bringing together research and practice. The workshops will include practical demonstrations of a variety of methods of manual care, combined with discussions of evidence of efficacy, proposed mechanisms, scientific evidence, and the expression of needs for future exploration.

The timeliness of this conference, according to Diana L. Thompson, president of the Massage Therapy Foundation, is evidenced by the fact that the number of clinical research studies in the area of massage therapy and integrative medicine have more than doubled since 2004. Thompson says, “In addition to the greater number of studies, massage therapists seem to be more curious about research, educators are more inclined to cite research data in the classroom, and vendors are more visibly supportive of search with their dollars and in their advertisements.”

The conference presenters and topics include the following:


Keynote

Speakers

Josephine Briggs, MD - Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM): Areas of Promise in Research of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)

Dan Cherkin, PhD: Is Massage Effective for Back and Neck Pain? --- Applying the Research to Your Practice
Julie Ann Day, PT - First the Hypothesis: How a Biomechanical Model can influence Fascial Anatomy Research

Willem Fourie, PT - Is There a Place for Manual Therapy in Recovery from Breast Cancer Treatment?

Christine Goertz, DC, PhD - Translational Research and Manual Therapies - How Do We Get There from Here?

Helene M. Langevin, MD: Connective Tissue Physiology and Its Relevance to Manual Therapies

Whitney Lowe, LMT: Knowledge Translation: Key Skills for Highly Successful Clinicians



Panel Discussions

Glenn Hymel, EdD & Leon Chaitow, ND, DO – Moderators: Translating Research into Practice and Practice into Research

William Meeker, DC, MPH – Moderator: Manual Therapy and the Public Health



Experiential Workshops

Julie Ann Day, PT: The Assessment of Upper limb Dysfunctions: Indications for Superficial or Deep Fascia Work

Leon Chaitow, ND, DO: Four Functional Assessment Methods: Their Research Origins and Clinical Usefulness

Whitney Lowe, LMT: Creative Applications of Research in the Clinical Massage Environment

Masahiro Takakura, ND, DC, LAc, CKTI: Introduction of Kinesio Taping Application for Lymphatic Drainage and Inflammatory Condition

The Massage Therapy Foundation would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Presenting Sponsors and Publishing Co-Sponsors: American Massage Therapy Association and Massage Envy; International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.

For more information and to register online, go to www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/researchconference2010.html

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity, with a mission to advance the knowledge
and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.


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Contact:
Colleen Leeders, Foundation Manager
ckleeders@massagetherapyfoundation.org
847-905-1635

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