Infant Massage USA Conference June 2024
The Infant Massage USA’s Annual Conference returns June 7–9, 2024, featuring speaker presentations and networking opportunities centered around the theme of “The Science of Nurturing Touch.” With a mission to promote nurturing touch and communication so parents, caregivers, and children are valued and respected throughout the world, Infant Massage USA presents a three-day conference of learning and networking.
Attendees will hear from medical and mental health providers, researchers, early interventionists, massage and occupational therapists, nurses, and more, including an ABMP-sponsored virtual panel. Certified educators of infant massage, researchers, neonatal intensive care unit professionals, and other experts will educate and empower attendees to enhance their ability to create positive impact when working with infants and families.
For more information about the conference, visit www.infantmassageusa.org/2024-annual-conference-event-preview.
Visceral Manipulation
ˈvi-sə-rə-lē mə-ˈni-pyə-ˈlā-shən
NOUN
Enhancing the normal mobility and tissue motion of the organs of the visceral system. Hypertonicity, displacement, and adhesions can all cause organs to work against each other, creating chronic irritation and fixed, abnormal points of tension. The visceral organs are dependent on their ability to move freely in the visceral cavity to work correctly and efficiently. When they are pulled out of their effective positions, they cease to function properly. By freeing each organ to work compatibly with the others, a therapist can potentially alter and improve the structure and functioning of the body.
Definition from MassageTherapy.com, an ABMP website.
Research Supports Adapatability, Personalization for Effective Massage
A recent study published in theInternational Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork sought to qualify “effective massage” by looking at factors that contribute to, or determine the effectiveness of, massage.
A small sample of orthopedic massage therapists based in Australia were interviewed about massage effectiveness. The six interviewees’ responses identified a central concept of “difference,” which was then categorized into three main themes: “everyone is different, so every treatment is different,” “how therapists cope with difference,” and “what makes a difference.”
For the theme “everyone is different, so every treatment is different,” respondents gave examples of where and how those differences appear, such as information gathered during an intake assessment, the result of seeing a client as a “whole person,” and the fact that therapists evolve over time with learned clinical experience.
For the themes “how therapists cope with difference” and “what makes a difference,” two key points rang true: Leaving preconceived notions or assumptions at the door and demonstrating a willingness to adapt and problem-solve ensure an effective massage.
For effective massage, researchers found that personalization or individualization of treatment is key; there is no one technique, protocol, or standard that can be applied to all clients to achieve a constant rate of success. In fact, the only constant that should be expected is a constant of difference—different clients with different histories presenting different concerns and therefore needing different treatments.
Read the full study at https://doi.org/10.3822/ijtmb.v17i1.935.
The ABMP Podcast Network
5 Words to Inspire Any Practitioner
Join Kristin Coverly, ABMP director of professional education, as she asks four leaders in the massage and bodywork profession, “What’s your five-word piece of advice for practitioners?”
abmp.com/podcasts/ep-426-5-words-inspire-any-practitioner-kristin-coverly
How Practice-Based Research Networks Can Elevate the Profession
There are plenty of contrasts to draw between massage therapy and health-care professions, but one of the most prominent is the difference in research environments. For many primary care and other health-care professions, research is conducted in “university or academic-linked health-care environments—environments in which it is rare for the massage therapy discipline to reside,” say the authors of “Use of Practice-Based Research Networks in Massage Therapy Research” published in the December 2023 International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. Though it should be acknowledged that massage therapy research continues to grow and improve, it often gets lumped in with other complementary and alternative health practices and usually fails to see research conducted where massage actually takes place.
A vaccine, for example, would likely be created and tested in a dedicated lab, perhaps on a research university campus, under controllable conditions. But to try and research the effects of massage therapy in a sterile lab under a mountain of variable restrictions simply wouldn’t yield informative or helpful results. Massage therapy happens in the real world with real people and real, ever-changing variables.
Ideally, that’s where practice-based research networks (PBRNs) come in, according to a recent article in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. This type of research is performed in the context of practice, which helps create a stronger connection between the two (research and practice). The stronger that connection, the more reliable the results and the more massage therapists can gain valuable and applicable insight for their work.
Of course, PBRNs aren’t perfect—by their nature, they can’t be. Given the room for variables and possibility for error, a consistent understanding of ethics and regulations, proper consent by all participants, carefully thought-out logistics, and adequate funding are just some of the major factors contributing to the success of practice-based research in massage therapy.
However, the return of MassageNet, “an entity in which massage practitioners, students, educators, and researchers could connect and contribute to massage research together,” the authors wrote, brings hope for massage therapy research. As MassageNet continues its recruitment for practitioners, students, educators, and researchers, the likelihood of more practice-based research for the profession grows.
Read the full study at https://doi.org/10.3822/ijtmb.v17i1.883.