A survey of musculoskeletal injuries amongst Canadian massage therapists

Albert, Wayne J.; Currie-Jackson, Nadine; Duncan, Carolyn A.

doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2007.03.003

Cited by 24 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The massage, that in previous studies was considered to be strongly associated with thumb pain [25,34], showed no significant association in this investigation.…”

Section: Manual Techniques and Paincontrasting

confidence: 71%

Prevalence and risk factors of thumb pain in Italian manual therapists: An observational cross-sectional study

Rossettini

Rondoni

Schiavetti³

et al. 2016

WOR

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“…The massage, that in previous studies was considered to be strongly associated with thumb pain [25,34], showed no significant association in this investigation.…”

Section: Manual Techniques and Paincontrasting

confidence: 71%

Prevalence and risk factors of thumb pain in Italian manual therapists: An observational cross-sectional study

Rossettini

Rondoni

Schiavetti³

et al. 2016

WOR

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“…However, the present survey does indicate a likelihood of occupational injury in massage therapists (for example, musculoskeletal pain and discomfort) associated with the practice of MT. Despite injury rates being much lower than those reported by Canadian massage therapists (44) and physiotherapists (45) , this area needs monitoring for the sustainability of the profession and the health of the massage professional.…”

Section: Massage Therapy As An Occupationmentioning

confidence: 96%

A Descriptive Study of the Practice Patterns of Massage New Zealand Massage Therapists

Smith

Sullivan²,

Baxter³

2011

IJTMB

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Background: Massage therapy has grown in popularity, yet little is known globally or in New Zealand about massage therapists and their practices.Purpose and Setting: The aims of this study were to describe the practice patterns of trained Massage New Zealand massage therapists in New Zealand private practice, with regard to therapist characteristics; practice modes and settings, and therapy characteristics; referral patterns; and massage therapy as an occupation.Research Design and Participants: A survey questionnaire was mailed to 66 trained massage therapist members of Massage New Zealand who were recruiting massage clients for a concurrent study of massage therapy culture.Results: Most massage therapists were women (83%), NZ European (76%), and holders of a massage diploma qualification (89%). Massage therapy was both a full-(58%) and part-time (42%) occupation, with the practice of massage therapy being the only source of employment for 70% of therapists. Nearly all therapists (94%) practiced massage for more than 40 weeks in the year, providing a median of 16 -20 hours of direct client care per week. Most massage therapists worked in a "solo practice" (58%) and used a wide and active referral network. Almost all therapists treated musculoskeletal symptoms: the most common client issues or conditions treated were back pain/problem (99%), neck/shoulder pain/problem (99%), headache or migraine (99%), relaxation and stress reduction (96%), and regular recovery or maintenance massage (89%). The most frequent client fee per treatment was NZ$60 per hour in a clinic and NZ$1 per minute at a sports event or in the workplace. Therapeutic massage, relaxation massage, sports massage, and trigger-point therapy were the most common styles of massage therapy offered. Nearly all massage therapists (99%) undertook client assessment; 95% typically provided self-care recommendations; and 32% combined other complementary and alternative medicine therapies with their massage consultations.Conclusions: This study provides new information about the practice of massage therapy by trained massage therapists. It will help to inform the massage industry and other health care providers, potential funders, and policymakers about the provision of massage therapy in the NZ health care system.

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“…The demographic questions were almost the same as the survey conducted by Albert et al (2008). Two questions asking about the height and weight of respondents were removed as they were not relevant to this study's goals.…”

Section: Online Survey Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Licensed Massage Therapist Strain Index Scores

Page

2012

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual

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Massage Therapists (MT) are almost exclusively self-employed and lose income if they are unable to perform massage treatments. This study investigated MT workplace pain via survey and assessed musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk by video recording MT massage treatments then calculating the Strain Index (SI) scores. First, randomly contacted MTs (16 respondents of 100 cold calls) completed an online survey about their work practices. Despite 87% of MTs reporting self care regimes, 83% reported workrelated pain in the wrist or thumb over their careers with 57% experiencing pain in the last 30 days. SI scores were calculated for a 60 minute, naturalistic massage performed by seven licensed MTs (six female and one male reflecting the MT population sex proportions). There was suggestive evidence that the average and maximum hands-on day mean peak right hand SI scores (M = 5.6 and 7.7, SD = 4.30 and 5.73, and p = 0.08 and 0.04, respectively) were greater than an SI of 3.0 (moderate risk for MSD). There was no evidence of MSD risk for the left hand (M = 3.2 and 4.3, SD = 2.93 and 3.91, and p = 0.42 and 0.20, respectively). MTs may be at moderate risk of incurring work-related upper extremity disorders.

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A survey of musculoskeletal injuries amongst Canadian massage therapists

Cited by 24 publications

References 9 publications

Prevalence and risk factors of thumb pain in Italian manual therapists: An observational cross-sectional study

Prevalence and risk factors of thumb pain in Italian manual therapists: An observational cross-sectional study

A Descriptive Study of the Practice Patterns of Massage New Zealand Massage Therapists

Licensed Massage Therapist Strain Index Scores

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