Research Perch

Listen in to Research Perch as MTF President Adrienne F. Asta speaks with Spencer Pon, Gold Winner of MTF's 2023 Student Case Report Contest, about his winning case report, Massage Therapy for Ankle Mobility and Spasticity in an Adult with Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report. Pon’s research focused on the effectiveness of massage therapy in increasing ankle mobility and decreasing spasticity in an adult with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Individuals with spastic CP commonly experience challenges such as increased deep tendon reflexes, tremors, and muscular hypertonicity. Through five massage therapy treatments administered over six weeks, Pon saw significant improvements in ankle mobility and a decrease in spasticity, offering promising insights into the potential benefits of massage therapy for individuals with CP.

Research Perch continues—Case Series Guidelines Part 2. Listen in as Dr. Niki Munk and Robin Miccio speak with Dr. Michael Fleischmann from Victoria University, Melbourne, AU, about his recent paper, “A Clinician's Guide to Performing a Case Series Study,” and how such guidelines can impact the future of integrative care and working with allied health professionals. Part 2 discusses informed consent in retrospective studies and how case series fit into the research pyramid.

Listen in as Dr. Niki Munk and Robin Miccio speak with Dr. Michael Fleischmann from Victoria University, Melbourne, AU, about his recent paper, “A Clinician's Guide to Performing a Case Series Study,” and how such guidelines can impact the future of integrative care and working with allied health professionals. Part 1 discusses case series and case studies—the vital base of the research pyramid—and differences between prospective and retrospective approaches.

Learn more about the MTF Research Grant, Massage Service Integration in a Military Primary Care Clinic: Implementation and Impact Study, conducted by the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Rockville, MD. The study researches massage therapy’s promising evidence-based approach to reducing the burden of chronic pain within the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration. Listen in as MTF President Adrienne Asta, BA, LMT speaks with the Primary Investigator of the study, Dr. Tracy Rupp, and lead massage therapist, Kevin Johnson, LMT, NASM CPT. This grant was funded through MTF with generous financial support from the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA).

Learn more about the mechanisms of pain and the importance of pain validation in client care. Join us for Research Perch, as host MTF Vice President Lindsay Bodkin, BA, LMT, CPT, speaks with educators Whitney Lowe (Academy of Clinical Massage) and Douglas Nelson, LMT, BCTMB (Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars).

Listen in to Research Perch, as MTF President, Adrienne Asta, speaks with Dr. Amanda Baskwill, Executive Editor of International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, about the journal's writing mentorship program.

Learn more about Basics of Research Literacy (BRL), an online continuing education course for massage therapists and educators about incorporating principles of research literacy in your practice and teaching. MTF President Adrienne Asta speaks with author/educator Whitney Lowe (Academy of Clinical Massage) about the new and revised 3-hour NCBTMB-approved interactive skill-building experience, which was created as a fundraiser for the Foundation.

“How do we take a [randomized controlled trial] mind-body massage protocol and then actually access it—actually make it accessible to patients in the real world?’ What would that look like?” Hear from Kathryn Hansen, ANP-BC, who is the Principal Investigator of the 2022 MTF Research Grant-funded project, Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) for Chronic Pain: An Implementation Science Pilot Study., Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.. Learn more about implementation science and its real world implications for massage therapists and clients in this engaging episode of Research Perch.

Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) combines manual, mindfulness and psycho-educational approaches to teach interoceptive awareness and related self-care skills. Learn more about MABT and an NIH-funded study looking at how it can be used to combat the opioid epidemic, as MTF President Adrienne Asta interviews researcher Cynthia Price and Megan Sherman, one of the LMT research interventionists on the project.

Join us for Research Perch! Listen in as MTF Research Committee Chair, researcher Dr. Niki Munk, interviews doctoral student Sami Zabel, about her MassageNet study exploring massage therapists’ knowledge and attitudes about mental health and mental illness—and how you can participate!

Join us for Research Perch! In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Adrienne F. Asta welcomes Michele Kolakowski, LMT, CD & CPD (DONA), CLC, and Carole Osborne, BCTMB, two of the co-authors of the highly successful book, "Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy." The trio discuss recent research into the efficacy of massage and birth narrative storytelling for women immediately following unplanned cesarean birth. Additional links and materials at  https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/perinatal-massage-part-2/

Join us for Research Perch! In this two-part episode, host Adrienne F. Asta welcomes Michele Kolakowski, LMT, CD & CPD (DONA), CLC, and Carole Osborne, BCTMB, two of the co-authors of the highly successful book, “Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy.” The trio discuss recent research into the efficacy of massage and birth narrative storytelling for women immediately following unplanned cesarean birth.

Join us for Research Perch, as MTF Vice President and Community Service Grant Proposal Review Committee Chair, Adrienne Asta, BA, LMT, speaks with Jenny Harrow-Keeler, MA, of the California-based Integrative Healers Action Network (IHAN) about their work providing integrative health services during wildfire events and other crises. IHAN is the recipient of a 2021 MTF Community Service Grant for their project entitled, "Community Clinics for Disaster-Impacted Communities." To learn more about IHAN and how you can be a part, visit www.ihanclinics.org.

Starting in April of 2020, researchers from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, Prisma Health, Clemson University, and Indiana University (IUPUI) began conducting a survey to gather information about the experiences of all healthcare providers/professionals during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Join host Robin Anderson as she welcomes back Project COPE investigators Dr. Ann Blair Kennedy (USC Greenville) and Smith Heavner (Prisma Health), for a final update on the results and insights from Project COPE. To learn more about conclusions reached by this study, view Smith Heavner's Dissertation here: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2914/ View our previous Research Perch interviews with Project COPE investigators here: https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/project-cope-share-your-story-research-perch/ https://massagetherapyfoundation.org/update-on-project-cope-share-your-story-research-perch/ 

How does a massage therapist become a massage therapy researcher? Join us as MTF President Robin B. Anderson, MEd, LMT, BCTMB, CEAS, MTF Trustee Niki Munk, PhD, LMT, and Graduate Student Sami Zabel discuss the educational pathways to becoming a massage therapy researcher.

What is a Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN)? Join us as MTF President Robin B. Anderson, MEd, LMT, BCTMB, CEAS, MTF Trustee Niki Munk, PhD, LMT, and Graduate Student Sami Zabel discuss the purpose and benefits of PBRNs for massage therapists, students, researchers, and clients.

Learn more about how data was collected during Phase One of the MTF Ergonomics Project. Join us as host Robin Anderson speaks with Stefan Schulz and Paula Kalmeta from Briotix about this fascinating process.

Get excited to share your practical and creative knowledge by submitting an abstract to the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB)! Join host Doug Nelson, LMT, BCTMB, as he speaks with IJTMB Executive Editor Dr. Ann Blair Kennedy, LMT, BCTMB, DrPH, and IJTMB Practice & Education Section Editor Amanda Baskwill, PhD(c), MSc, BEd, RMT about the recent IJTMB article, “Trends of Publication in the Education and Practice Sections of the IJTMB: A Call to Action.” Learn about the types of information sought for publication and how you can contribute.

Listen in as MTF Community Service Grant Committee Chair Adrienne Asta interviews Chanda Santana from the DIVAS Who Win Freedom Center, Inc., Athens, Georgia. DIVAS is a 2020 MTF Community Grant recipient for their program, SHE Retreats: Trauma Informed Massage and Self-Care. Learn more about this innovative program to support women who are survivors of sex trafficking and/or overcoming addiction and trauma to aid them in successfully reentering society.

Join MTF President Robin Anderson and Stefan Shulz from Briotix as they discuss the fundamentals of ergonomics, and how ergonomic principles were studied in MTs over the course of Phase One of the MTF Ergonomics Project.