International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB)
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International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB): A First-Year Retrospective View Reflecting Google Analytics and Open Journal Systems Sources
No full textA Qualitative Investigation into Why Massage Therapy Students’ Motivation Changes over the Course of Their Professional Education
No full textAbstract
Purpose: Previous research(1) indicated that the motivation of massage therapy students changed between commencement of their professional studies and entry to practice. This paper reports on the influences underlying these changes.
Methods: The research was a qualitative design in which data were collected during a series of individual in-depth semi-structured interviews with massage therapy graduates, just after completion of a 2 year full-time program. After obtaining informed consent, interviews were taped, transcribed, and analyzed, resulting in identification of a number of themes and sub-themes.
Results: Previously noted changes in student motivation involved an increase in the influence of extrinsic rewards and a decrease in motivation related to helping and working with people. The findings of the present study suggest that these changes are explained by two themes, each with a number of sub-themes. The first theme, The Reality of Life in Practice, is associated with two sub-themes: Debt Load and Effectiveness in Achieving Positive Health Outcomes. The second theme, An Evolving Self-Image as a Health Care Professional, is associated with three sub-themes: Rigor / Intensity of the Educational Program, Developing Perspective of Massage Therapy as a Career, and Interaction with Faculty.
Conclusion: The data suggest that the change in motivation noted in previous work (increased extrinsic motivation and decreased intrinsic motivation) is influenced in different ways by each theme identified above. While schools must be vigilant in ensuring that programs support the humanistic mission of health care, the present study indicates that the change in motivation noted in earlier work is not sinister. Rather, it appears to be related to the development of a realistic perspective of life as a health care practitioner, which departs from the more naïve expectations of students when they commence their professional studies
The Integrated Taxonomy of Health Care: classifying both complementary & biomedical practices using a uniform classification protocol
No full textBACKGROUND: Several taxonomies have been developed over the last twenty years to help map out and describe the inter-relationships of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities. Several issues are often incompletely addressed in them: 1) having a simple categorization process that clearly isolates a modality to a single conceptual category; 2) clearly delineating verticality—that is, a differentiation of scale being observed from individually applied techniques, through modalities (therapies), to whole medical systems; and 3) recognition of CAM as part of the general field of health care. METHODS: Development of the Integrated Taxonomy of Health Care (ITHC) involved three stages: 1) development of a precise, uniform health glossary; 2) analysis of the extant taxonomies; 3) the use of an iterative process of classifying modalities and medical systems into categories until a failure to singularly classify a modality occurred, requiring a return to the glossary and adjustment of the classifying protocol. RESULTS: A full vertical taxonomy was developed that includes and clearly differentiates between techniques, modalities, domains (clusters of similar modalities), systems of health care (co-ordinated care system involving multiple modalities), and integrative health care. The domains are the classic primary focus of taxonomies. The ITHC has eleven domains: Chemical / substance-based work; Device-based work; Soft-tissue focused manipulation; Skeletal manipulation; Fitness / movement instruction; Mind-body integration / classic somatics work; Mental / emotional-based work; Bioenergy work based on physical manipulation; Bioenergy modulation; Spiritual-based Work; Unique Assessments. Modalities are assigned to the domains based on the primary mode of interaction with the client, according the literature of the practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: The ITHC has several strengths: there is little interpretation used while successfully assigning modalities to single domains; it fully resolves the issue of taxonomic verticality; and it is designed to fully integrate the complementary health care fields of biomedicine and CAM
The 2010 Highlighting Massage Therapy in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) Research Conference
Get PDFChildren with Cancer and Blood Diseases Experience Positive Physical and Psychological Effects from Massage Therapy
Get PDFBackground: Previous research has reported positive effects of massage therapy (MT) on premature infants, children with asthma, arthritis and other illnesses. Although significant effects have been demonstrated with the use of MT with children, research regarding children with cancer and blood disease is needed. Purpose: This study measured the physical and psychological effects of MT on pediatric oncology and hematology patients. The study hypotheses tested the effects MT for physical and psychological symptom relief. Setting: Cancer Center, Shands Hospital at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Research Design: Randomized non-blinded prospective study. Measures of physical health and mental wellbeing were completed before, during, and after four sessions were implemented. Descriptive statistics and 2 (treatment) X 2 (time) one-way ANOVAs were used to analyze data. Participants: Thirty children with cancer and blood disease, ages 6 months to 17 years old. Intervention: Treatment group received 20 minute sessions of Swedish MT once a day for approximately 4 days (inpatient) or once a week for approximately four weeks (outpatient) vs. no MT for the control group. Results: Treatment group showed significant improvement in both psychological stress [STAI-C: State (F [1, 28] = 24.63, p < .001), Trait (F [1, 28] = 12.83, p < .001) and emotional state (F [1, 28] = 157.79, p < .001)], physical measures [muscle soreness (F [1, 28] = 148.20,