Open Educational Resources for Massage Therapy Students

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The RMT Education Project: Educational Resources for Massage Therapy Sudents

The RMT Education Project: Educational Resources for Massage Therapy Sudents

The RMT Education Project is an initiative that is working to promote the benefits of massage therapy to an international audience. In this post I have to put together an open educational resource page for massage therapy students.

I invite you to explore some of these resources then take the information and share it with your personal learning network to promote the benefits of massage therapy.

Web Resources

Anatomy
• Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy - Stanford Libraries
• Dream Anatomy - US National Library of Medicine
• Historical Anatomies on the web - US National Library of Medicine
• Wiki Images - Scientific Animations

Physiology
• Open Osmosis - an initiative committed to developing & disseminating health education resources

The Conversation - A selection of popular articles from The Conversation that upend conventional wisdom about rehabilitation and pain.
• Pain really is in the mind, but not in the way you think - Lorimer Moseley
• What is pain and what is happening when we feel it? - Lorimer Moseley
• Fixing pain management could help us solve the opioid crisis - Meredith Craigie
• What is brain plasticity and why is it so important? - Duncan Banks
• Exercise more in 2018 – it really is good for your heart - Scott Lear
• How to avoid, recognize and treat concussion in sports - Kathryn Schneider
• What is traumatic brain injury? - Travis Wearne
• What’s happening when our joints crack and is it bad? - Andrew Lavender
• Thinking of taking opioids for low back pain? - Christine Lin
• Touch in infancy is important for healthy brain development - Harriet Dempsey-Jones
• Rub on pain products - Andrew Moore
• How to fix Canada’s opioid crisis - Andrea Furlan
• Nerves of endearment: how a gentle touch affects emotions - Marcello Costa
• Why do my muscles ache the day after exercise? - Ken Nosaka
• Emergency doctors are using acupuncture to treat pain - Marc Cohen
• The science of pain - Benjamin Ansell

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• Holding your partner’s hand can ease their pain - Pavel Goldstein
• Does acupuncture work by re-mapping the brain? - Vitaly Napadow

Videos

Here is a selection of educational videos that students can use to supplement in class lessons.

TED Talks
• Why you should define your fears instead of your goals | Tim Ferriss
• How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek
• Why good leaders make you feel safe | Simon Sinek
• Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | Tim Urban
• How to make stress your friend | Kelly McGonigal
• The mystery of chronic pain | Elliot Krane
• A doctor's touch | Abraham Verghese
• Why do we sleep? | Russell Foster
• Grit: The power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth
• The brain-changing benefits of exercise | Wendy Suzuki
• How to make stress your friend | Kelly McGonigal

TED-Ed - TED-Ed’s mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of students around the world.
• The benefits of a good night's sleep - Shai Marcu
• What happens when you have a concussion? - Clifford Robbins
• Oxygen’s surprisingly complex journey through your body - Enda Butler
• What makes muscles grow? - Jeffrey Siegel
• How blood pressure works - Wilfred Manzano
• How to grow a bone - Nina Tandon
• How your muscular system works - Emma Bryce
• How does the immune system work? - Emma Bryce
• How your digestive system works - Emma Bryce
• How do your kidneys work? - Emma Bryce
• The power of the placebo effect - Emma Bryce
• Why do your knuckles pop? - Eleanor Nelsen
• How does your brain respond to pain? - Karen D. Davis
• How do scars form? - Sarthak Sinha
• How do nerves work? - Elliot Krane
• The mystery of chronic pain - Elliot Krane

Khan Academy - A non-profit educational organization providing online tools that help educate students.
• Health & Medicine 
• Entrepreneurship

Open Michigan - Educational videos on musculoskeletal assessments from the University of Michigan
• Exam of the Elbow 
• Exam of the Hand and Wrist 
• Exam of the Hip 
• Exam of the Knee
• Exam of the Foot and Ankle 

Research Literacy

• The Learning Portal - a one-stop-shop for students and faculty seeking information on research assistance, writing and study skills, and OERs.

• A Rough Guide to Types of Scientific Evidence - Compound Interest
• A Rough Guide to Spotting Bad Science - Compound Interest

Research Journal
• The International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork - An open access peer-reviewed journal that publishes research on massage therapy.

Open Access Research Articles

A list of ten open access research papers that are of use for massage therapy students

Allen, L. (2016). Case Study: The Use of Massage Therapy to Relieve Chronic Low-Back Pain. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27648110

Ardern, C.L., Ekås, G.R., ... Engebretsen, L. (2018). 2018 International Olympic Committee consensus statement on prevention, diagnosis and management of paediatric anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Br J Sports Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29478021

Kania-Richmond, A., Reece, B.F., Suter, E., Verhoef, M.J. (2015). The professional role of massage therapists in patient care in Canadian urban hospitals--a mixed methods study. BMC Complement Altern Med.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25887029

Kennedy, A.B., Patil, N., Trilk, J.L. (2018). ‘Recover quicker, train harder, and increase flexibility’: massage therapy for elite paracyclists, a mixedmethods study. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29387449

Kennedy, A.B., Munk, N. (2017). Experienced Practitioners' Beliefs Utilized to Create a Successful Massage Therapist Conceptual Model: a Qualitative Investigation. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28690704

Lewis, P.A., & Cunningham, J.E. (2016). Dynamic Angular Petrissage as Treatment for Axillary Web Syndrome Occurring after Surgery for Breast Cancer: A Case Report. Int J Ther Massage Bodywork. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27257446

Nunes, G.S., Bender, P.U., ... Wageck, B. (2016). Massage therapy decreases pain and perceived fatigue after long-distance Ironman triathlon: a randomised trial. J Physiother.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27025688

Pelletier, R., Higgins, J., & Bourbonnais, D. (2015). Is neuroplasticity in the central nervous system the missing link to our understanding of chronic musculoskeletal disorders? BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25887644

Rossettini, G., Carlino, E., Testa, M. (2018). Clinical relevance of contextual factors as triggers of placebo and nocebo effects in musculoskeletal pain. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29357856

Vigotsky, A. D., & Bruhns, R. P. (2015). The Role of Descending Modulation in Manual Therapy and Its Analgesic Implications. Pain Research and Treatment. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26788367