Massage Medical Applications Project (MMAP)

Comments and Input from Whitney Lowe

Whitney Lowe, Director
OMERI (Orthopedic Massage Education & Research Institute)
www.omeri.com

16 December 2005

[Whitney sent this in response to an initial query asking for medically-oriented massage treatment goals]

I am not sure if I understand exactly what you are looking for, but I'll take a stab at it. Of course the list would be dependent on the presenting complaint, but here is a partial start.

  1. Improvement in range of motion (specified as how much is appropriate for treatment outcome)
  2. Pain free movement throughout a range (passive as well as active)
  3. Decrease or cessation of pain (possibly using a visual analog scale to measure) in activities of daily living
  4. Decrease or cessation of presenting neurological symptoms such as pain, paresthesia, numbness, or muscle weakness
  5. Resumption of activities (occupational, recreational, or ADLs) previously prohibited by pain, fatigue, weakness or other impairment related to the presenting complaint
  6. Improvement in length and/or quality of sleep
  7. Ability to cope on a daily basis without the aid of pain medication

Perhaps that is a start.