Still wondering how a PBRN works? Here’s a study done through a PBRN similar to ours!

Australian Massage Therapists’ Views and Practices Related to Preconception, Pregnancy and the Early Postpartum Period

Study Authors: Sarah Fogarty, Amie Steel, Helen Hall, and Phillipa Hay

PRACI is a PBRN working out of Australia. Its membership includes all kinds of Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) clinicians, but over half are massage therapists. PRACI has produced several studies, but Fogarty et al. (2020) specifically looks at the massage therapist members and their training and experience in pregnancy massage.

A survey of 99 Australian massage therapist members of PRACI asked questions about training in pregnancy massage, confidence in their ability to provide pregnancy massage, as well as their beliefs about massage before, during and after pregnancy. Most respondents provided massage during and after pregnancy, and some also provided massage for fertility, labor, and partner education. Many of these massage therapists had training specifically to provide pregnancy massage, and these massage therapists tended to have more confidence in their ability to provide treatment. Respondents had generally neutral to positive beliefs about the effectiveness of massage for fertility, and overall positive beliefs on the effectiveness of massage during pregnancy, during labor, and after birth. A variety of body focus areas were reported, mostly shoulder muscle tightness and back/pelvic pain.

This study points out that education and confidence in one’s skills affects whether the pregnancy population is treated by massage therapists. There is a gap in training, however, and many of the massage therapists in this study practiced some type of pregnancy massage without any specific training. Like in the United States, Australian massage training can be inconsistent, and not all massage therapists have the same education about the same things. Learning more about pregnancy massage from qualified sources can help massage therapists build their skills and confidence.

One of the takeaways of this study for our MassageNet members is that studies like this using PBRN members can help us learn more about massage therapists’ education and how this translates into how they practice massage. Survey studies like this are launching through MassageNet now, and you can be a part of expanding the knowledge about massage therapy practice. Take a look at the Current MassageNet Activities section to learn more about current and upcoming research opportunities!

Read the full study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1744388120303704

Fogarty S, Steel A, Hall H, Hay P. Australian massage therapists’ views and practices related to preconception, pregnancy and the early postpartum period. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2020;40:101222. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101222