International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB)
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Upcoming IJTMB Initiatives from the Interim Executive Editor
Get PDFIt is an honor and a privilege to be appointed the Interim Executive Editor for the IJTMB; I am lucky to have some initiatives that were already in development by the previous editorial team that I hope to bring to fruition over the next few months. First, I hope to increase the Journal’s Internet presence through social media to expand readership and encourage new submitters. The second initiative is a mentoring program to assist writers with their submissions to the Journal. Finally, I, and the rest of the editorial staff, will continue to evaluate the process, procedures, and forms used in peer review. I hope to move these initiatives forward and by doing so, bring in new readers, submitters, and reviewers to the Journal
Erratum: Oral & Poster Abstracts from the 2016 International Massage Therapy Research Conference
Get PDFIntradialytic Massage for Leg Cramps Among Hemodialysis Patients: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Get PDFBackground: Patients on hemodialysis often experience muscle cramps that result in discomfort, shortened treatment times, and inadequate dialysis dose. Cramps have been associated with adversely affecting sleep and health-related quality of life, depression and anxiety. There is limited evidence available about massage in dialysis; however, massage in cancer patients has demonstrated decreases in pain, inflammation, and feelings of anxiety. These correlations indicate massage may be an effective treatment modality for hemodialysis-related lower extremity cramping.Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of intradialytic massage on the frequency of cramping among hemodialysis patients prone to lower extremity cramping.Participants: 26 maintenance hemodialysis patients with frequent lower extremity cramps.Setting: three outpatient hemodialysis centers in Northeast Ohio.Research Design: randomized controlled trial.Intervention: The intervention group received a 20-minute massage of the lower extremities during each treatment (three times per week) for two weeks. The control group received usual care by dialysis center staff.Main Outcome Measure: change in frequency of lower leg cramping.Results: Patient reported cramping at home decreased by 1.3 episodes per week in the intervention group compared to 0.2 episodes per week in the control group (p=.005). Patient reported cramping during dialysis decreased by 0.8 episodesin the intervention group compared to 0.4 episodes in the control group (p=0.44).Conclusion: Intradialytic massage appears to be an effective way to address muscle cramping. Larger studies with longer duration should be conducted to further examine this approach
Clarifying Definitions for the Massage Therapy Profession: the Results of the Best Practices Symposium†
Get PDFBackground: Massage therapists are at times unclear about the definition of massage therapy, which creates challenges for the profession. It is important to investigate the current definitions and to consider the field as a whole in order to move toward clarity on what constitutes the constructs within the profession.Purpose: To determine how a sample of experts understand and describe the field of massage therapy as a step toward clarifying definitions for massage and massage therapy, and framing the process of massage therapy practice.Setting: A two-day symposium held in 2010 with the purpose of gathering knowledge to inform and aid in the creation of massage therapy best practice guidelines for stress and low back pain.Participants: Thirty-two experts in the field of massage therapy from the United States, Europe, and Canada.Design: Qualitative analysis of secondary crosssectional data using a grounded theory approach.Results: Three over-arching themes were identified: 1) What is massage?; 2) The multidimensional nature of massage therapy; and 3) The influencing factors on massage therapy practice.Discussion: The data offered clarifying definitions for massage and massage therapy, as well as a framework for the context for massage therapy practice. These clarifications can serve as initial steps toward the ultimate goal of creating new theory for the field of massage therapy, which can then be applied in practice, education, research, and policy.Conclusions: Foundational research into how experts in the profession understand and describe the field of massage therapy is limited. Understanding the potential differences between the terms massage and massage therapy could contribute to a transformation in the profession in the areas of education, practice, research, policy and/or regulation. Additionally, framing the context for massage therapy practice invites future discussions to further clarify practice issues
Departing Thoughts from IJTMB’s Practice & Education Section Editor: Critical Inquiry, Dichotomy vs. Continuum, and Improving TMB Discourse
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Does a Journal Have an Ethical Monitoring Duty?
Get PDFResearch and ethics are inseparable. Based on abhorrent research abuses under the cloak of scientific enquiry, development of the process for the ethical overview of research on/with humans was undertaken. By the end of the twentieth century, sufficient and extensive local and international principles, guidelines, legislations, and treaties about research on humans were in place, with all human-based research requiring review by independent research ethics committees (RECs). With so much established knowledge and legislation about the ethical management of the research process and REC oversight, is there a role for journal editorial boards in ethical oversight? Recommendations from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the basis of the editorial policies of the IJTMB, include the requirement that research must be approved by an REC, and documentation of that review shouldbe included in each article. Thus, as a minimum, journals must ensure that any research submitted for publication has had appropriate ethical review. But journals receive manuscripts afterresearch is done. Journals, therefore, have a duty to ensure that received manuscripts meet expected standards for the publication of research and, for nonresearch situations, that appropriate protections of the research participants were in place even though REC review was not involved
Abstracts from the Poster Session of the 2016 American Massage Therapy Association National Convention
Get PDFIdentifying Inconsistencies and Reporting Deficits in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (TMB) Case Reports Authored by TMB Practitioners: a TMB-Adapted CAse REport (CARE) Guidelines Audit Through 2014†
Get PDFIntroduction: Case reports are a fundamental tool through which therapeutic massage and bodywork (TMB) practitioners can inform research and impact their field by detailing the presentation, treatment, and follow-up of a single individual encountered in practice. Inconsistencies in case reporting limit their impact as fundamental sources of clinical evidence. Using the TMB-adapted CAse REport (CARE) guidelines, the current study sought to provide a rich description regarding the reporting quality of TMB practitioner authored TMB case reports in the literature.Methods: 1) Systematic identification of published, peer-reviewed TMB case reports authored by TMB practitioners following PRISMA recommendations; 2) audit development based on TMB-adapted CARE guidelines; 3) audit implementation; and 4) descriptive analysis of audit scores.Results: Our search identified 977 articles and 35 met study inclusion criteria. On average, TMB case reports included approximately 58% of the total items identified as necessary by the TMB-adapted CARE guidelines. Introduction sections of case reports had the best item reporting (80% on average), while Case Presentation (54%) and Results (52%) sections scored moderately overall, with only 20% of necessary Practitioner Description items included on average. Audit scores revealed inconsistent abstract reporting and few audited case reports including client race (20%), perspective (26%), and occupation/ activities (40%); practitioner practice setting (12%), training (12%), scope-of-practice (29%), and credentialing (20%); adverse events or lack thereof (17%); and some aspect of informed consent (34%). Treatment descriptor item reporting varied from high to low. Various implications of concern are discussed.Conclusion: The current audit and descriptive analysis highlight several reporting inconsistencies in TMB case reports prior to 2015. Reporting guidelines for case reports are important if standards for, and impact of, TMB case reports are desired. Adherence to reporting specifications outlined by the TMB-adapted CARE guidelines could improve the impact and usability of TMB case reports in research, education, and practice
Case Study: The Use of Massage Therapy to Relieve Chronic Low-Back Pain
Get PDFObjectives: To study the effects of massage on chronic low-back pain in a patient with four different diagnoses: osteoarthritis, scoliosis, spinal stenosis, and degenerative disc disease. The patient’s goal was to cut down on the amount of pain medication he takes.Methods: A 63-year-old man with chronic back pain received four massages across a twenty-day period. Progress was recorded using the Oswestry Low Back Pain Scale, as he self-reported on levels of pain and interference with his activities of daily living.Results: Improvement was noted in 9 out of 10 measurements of self-reported pain and activities of daily living, with the only exception being his ability to lift heavy objects, which remainedunchanged. The most dramatic differences were improvements in his ability to walk, and in the changing degrees of pain. The client also self-reported being able to decrease his pain medication and the ability to ride his bicycle for the first time in years.Conclusions: Massage therapy is a promising treatment for chronic low-back pain for patients who may have multiple pathologies, any one of which could be responsible for the condition. Further study is encouraged to determine the efficacy of massage therapy as a readily accessible, lower-cost alternative to more invasive therapies and as an adjunct to regular medical care, when appropriate