massage therapy journal

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LIVING WELL

MTJ PEOPLE

As the president of the Massage Therapy Foundation, 46-year-old Diana Thompson will support the organization’s mission of advancing massage therapy through supporting scientific research, education and community service. Chief among her goals is fund raising, through which the foundation grants scientific research.

WHAT IS RESEARCH LITERACY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

It’s the ability to find research, read it, understand it and apply it. It’s important because in massage therapy, we often operate on assumptions. For example, in the late 1980s, people thought massage was contraindicated for cancer patients because massage would spread cancer through the lymphatic system. Researchers put it to the test and proved that assumption false. Today, massage therapists work with cancer patients to provide relief for issues such as anxiety, nausea and depression.

WHY DID YOU BECOME A MASSAGE THERAPIST?

I played sports and started working with athletes at Grinnell College in Iowa—taping and icing was always needed in sports like rugby. But it was after my car accident in 1983 when I discovered that massage could be beneficial for all people, not just athletes. I personally got better quicker with massage.

DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER

In 1985 I opened my first office, which turned into a clinic with 15 massage therapists. We were known as the injury clinic. We primarily saw people by referral from physical therapists and physicians. I sold my  clinic in 1991 to write a book and teach more. I still practice and have about 12 clients a week. My book, Hands Heal: Communication, Documentation, and Insurance Billing for Manual Therapists, is in its third edition.

WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR NEW PEOPLE ENTERING THE FIELD??

Be curious. Test your theories and beliefs and don’t hold too tightly to what you learned in school. The world is constantly changing and our body of knowledge is continuing to be defined.To learn more about research literacy, check out www.massagetherapyfoundation.org. The practitioner case study contest is a great way to learn useful documentation skills and become eligible for cash prizes.

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