The Massage Therapy Foundation has announced the release of its latest Massage Therapy Research Agenda, to guide the massage field into the future.
The agenda has four key objectives:
• Objective 1: Advance Fundamental Science and Methods Development
• Objective 2: Improve Care for Health-Related Symptoms and Conditions
• Objective 3: Foster Health Promotion, Cultivate Well-Being, and Support Disease Prevention
• Objective 4: Support the Establishment and Continuation of Educational Research Focused on Massage Therapy Pedagogy/Andragogy
[Learn more about the MTF’s Research Agenda here.]
From the agenda published in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: MTF “is a primary steward of massage therapy research, funding studies to advance the science and art of massage therapy over the past 30 years.
“The first massage therapy research agenda was developed by the MTF in 1991 and outlined five key goals: 1) Build a research infrastructure within the massage therapy profession; 2) Fund research into the safety and efficacy of massage therapy; 3) Fund studies on physiological and other mechanisms by which massage therapy achieves its effects; 4) Fund studies stemming from a wellness paradigm; and 5) Fund studies on the profession of therapeutic massage.”
The 1991 agenda, combined with the work of international massage organizations, helped the massage profession grow in each of the above-mentioned goal areas, the article noted, and augmented the knowledge base that today underpins the practice of massage therapy.
“The MTF evaluated the extensive progress and remaining knowledge gaps, then put together a team to develop a new research agenda to guide and advance the therapeutic massage knowledge base into the future.”
To learn how you can become involved in progressing the agenda and the profession, visit the Massage Therapy Foundation.
—Sefton, PhD, LAT, ATC, JM, Dexheimer, BSc, LMT, J, Munk, PhD, LMT, N, Miccio, MS, LMT, R, Kennedy, DrPH, LMT, AB, Cambron, PhD, LMT, J, MacDonald, BSc, G, & Hemsworth, BPE, RMT, R (2020). A Research Agenda for the Massage Therapy Profession: a Report from the Massage Therapy Foundation. International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice, 13(4), 42-46. https://doi.org/10.3822/ijtmb.v13i4.595.