Free Educational Resources for Massage Therapists

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The RMT Education Project: Educational Resources for Massage Therapists

The global health burden associated with musculoskeletal conditions continues to increase in both developing and developed countries. This is why my latest project has been to put together a series of resources that will help support the professional growth of massage therapists around the world.

If you find these resources helpful I invite you to share it online.

Anatomy Review (Open Educational Resource) 

• UBC Functional Neuroanatomy
• UBC Clinical Anatomy
• UBC Medicine - Sketchfab

Videos

TED-Ed Lessons

Anatomy and Physiology
• The fascinating science of phantom limbs - Joshua W. Pate
• The mysterious science of pain - Joshua W. Pate
• What happens when you have a concussion? - Clifford Robbins
• The science of skin - Emma Bryce
• The power of the placebo effect - Emma Bryce
• How your muscular system works - Emma Bryce
• How does the immune system work? - Emma Bryce
• Why do your knuckles pop? - Eleanor Nelsen
• How does your brain respond to pain? - Karen D. Davis
• How do nerves work? - Elliot Krane
• The mystery of chronic pain - Elliot Krane
• What causes headaches? - Dan Kwartler

YouTube Channels for Massage Therapists

Crash Course - Tons of courses in one channel (anatomy, physiology & science, statistics, business...)
• Anatomy & Physiology 
• Organic Chemistry
• History of Science
• Business Entrepreneurship
• Statistics
• Media Literacy
• Study Skills

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

Anatomy & Physiology Review
• Biology with the Amoeba Sisters - Animated overview of biological systems
• Dr. Mike & Dr. Matt - Anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology
• Institute of Human Anatomy - A private human cadaver lab that teaches various healthcare professionals with the use of real human cadavers.
• Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell - New videos are released once a month with the goal of make science look beautiful.
• Osmosis - Videos to educate the public about important medical concepts
• Rev Med - Short videos for anatomy & physiology review
• Seeker Health - This miniseries takes a dive into the cellular structures, human systems, and overall anatomy
• Teachme A&P - Anatomy & physiology
• TED-Ed - Short animated videos exploring a wide variety of topics

Clinical Skills (Treatment & Assessment)
• Canadian Chiropractic Guideline Initiative - Video library of rehabilitation exercises
• Clinical Physio - Review of orthopedic assessment
• E3 Rehab - Video library of rehabilitation exercises
• Health Care Triage - Commentary on evidence based medicine
• Massage With Mike - Massage techniques
• Massage Sloth - Massage techniques
• Massage Therapist Development Centre - Resources to educate and elevate the profession
• Massage Therapeutics - Massage techniques
• MSK Medicine - Assessment techniques
• Physiotutors - Assessment techniques
• Prohealthsys - Massage techniques & assessments
• Shoulder Doc (Lennard Funk) - Orthopedic tests and remedial exercises for the shoulder

Online Articles (Creative Commons License) 

Pain Science
• 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
• Thinking of taking opioids for low back pain? - Christine Lin
• Three reasons you have neck pain – and why ‘bad posture’ probably isn’t one of them - Christian Worsfold
• Rub on pain products - Andrew Moore
• How to fix Canada’s opioid crisis - Andrea Furlan
• The science of pain - Benjamin Ansell
• Best way to avoid back pain? - Fiona Wilson
• The Cold, Hard Truth About Icing Your Injuries - Lindsay Berra

Exercise Science
• Why do my muscles ache the day after exercise? - Ken Nosaka
• Can exercise help tackle the opioid crisis? - Nancy Gyurcsik
• If your knee hurts, keep exercising, says expert - Ewa M Roos
• To stretch or not to stretch before exercise: What you need to know about warm-ups -David Behm
• It’s not just athletes who get Achilles tendon pain, but exercising is the answer - Sean Docking, Ebonie Rio, Jill Cook

Anatomy & Physiology
• What’s happening when our joints crack and is it bad? - Andrew Lavender
• The skin is a very important (and our largest) organ - Cara McDonald
• Why do we get muscle cramps? - Alan Hayes

Neuroplasticity and The Science of Touch
• The Brain and Nervous System - Robert Biswas-Diener
• What is brain plasticity and why is it so important? - Duncan Banks
• Touch in infancy is important for healthy brain development - Harriet Dempsey-Jones
• Nerves of endearment: how a gentle touch affects emotions - Marcello Costa

Concussions
• How to avoid, recognize and treat concussion in sports - Kathryn Schneider
• What is traumatic brain injury? - Travis Wearne
• How concussion stresses the heart to protect the brain - J. Patrick Neary

A list of books about neuroscience, pain and the human body. Check your local library, they should have access to a number of these books.

Cervero, F. (2012). Understanding Pain: Exploring The Perception Of Pain. The MIT Press.

Doidge, N. (2007). The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. Penguin Books.

Hargrove, T. (2014). A Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain. Better Movement.

Hargrove, T. (2019). Playing With Movement: How to Explore the Many Dimensions of Physical Health and Performance. Better Movement.

Hayes, B. (2022). Sweat: A History of Exercise. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lieberman, D. (2014). The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. Vintage.

Lieberman, D. (2021). Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding. Pantheon.

Linden, D. (2015). Touch: The Science of the Hand, Heart, and Mind. Penguin Books.

Marchant, J. (2016). Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body. Broadway Books.

Mlodinow, L. (2015). The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos. Pantheon.

Mlodinow, L. (2022). Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking. Pantheon

Murthy, V. (2020). Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. Harper Wave.

Mukherjee, S. (2022). The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human. Scribner.

Nester, J. (2020). Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. Riverhead Books.

Seth, A. (2021). Being You: A New Science of Consciousness. Dutton.

Open Access Research Journals for Massage Therapists

There are a number of scientific journals that publish open access research.
• BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
• BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine
• Canadian Medical Association Journal
• Canadian Journal of Pain
• Chiropractic & Manual Therapies
• International Journal of Massage & Bodywork 
• Journal of Physiotherapy
• Non-Pharmacological Treatment of Pain
• PAIN Reports 

Research Articles

After 10+ years of reading massage therapy research is a list of open access papers to help bridge the gap between research and the clinical application of massage therapy.

  • Bialosky, J. E., Cleland, J. A., Mintken, P., Beneciuk, J. M., & Bishop, M. D. (2022). The healthcare buffet: preferences in the clinical decision-making process for patients with musculoskeletal pain. The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 30(2), 68–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/10669817.2021.1989754

  • Coninx, S., & Stilwell, P. (2021). Pain and the field of affordances: an enactive approach to acute and chronic pain. Synthese, 199(3), 7835-7863. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03142-3

  • Dowell, D., Ragan, K. R., Jones, C. M., Baldwin, G. T., & Chou, R. (2022). CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain - United States, 2022. MMWR. Recommendations and reports: Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Recommendations and reports, 71(3), 1–95. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr7103a1

  • Eyles, J. P., Sharma, S., Telles, R. W., Namane, M., Hunter, D. J., & Bowden, J. L. (2022). Implementation of Best-Evidence Osteoarthritis Care: Perspectives on Challenges for, and Opportunities From, Low and Middle-Income Countries. Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences, 2, 826765. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2021.826765

  • George, S. Z., Lentz, T. A., & Goertz, C. M. (2021). Back and neck pain: in support of routine delivery of non-pharmacologic treatments as a way to improve individual and population health. Translational research: the journal of laboratory and clinical medicine, 234, 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trsl.2021.04.006

  • Hartvigsen, J., Kamper, S. J., & French, S. D. (2022). Low-value care in musculoskeletal health care: Is there a way forward?. Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain, 22 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), 65–70. https://doi.org/10.1111/papr.13142

  • Hohenschurz-Schmidt, D., Thomson, O. P., Rossettini, G., Miciak, M., Newell, D., Roberts, L., Vase, L., & Draper-Rodi, J. (2022). Avoiding nocebo and other undesirable effects in chiropractic, osteopathy and physiotherapy: An invitation to reflect. Musculoskeletal science & practice, 62, 102677. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2022.102677

  • Hutting, N., Caneiro, J. P., Ong'wen, O. M., Miciak, M., & Roberts, L. (2022). Patient-centered care in musculoskeletal practice: Key elements to support clinicians to focus on the person. Musculoskeletal science & practice, 57, 102434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2021.102434

  • Hutting, N., Caneiro, J. P., Ong'wen, O. M., Miciak, M., & Roberts, L. (2022). Person-centered care for musculoskeletal pain: Putting principles into practice. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 102663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2022.102663

  • Johnson, M. I., & Woodall, J. (2022). A healthy settings approach to addressing painogenic environments: New perspectives from health promotion. Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 3, 1000170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.1000170

  • Kerns, R. D., Burgess, D. J., Coleman, B. C., Cook, C. E., Farrokhi, S., Fritz, J. M., Goertz, C., Heapy, A., Lisi, A. J., Rhon, D. I., & Vining, R. (2022). Chronic Pain Self-Management: Psychologically Guided Core Competencies for Providers. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), pnac083. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnac083

  • Kim, J., Esteves, J. E., Cerritelli, F., & Friston, K. (2022). An Active Inference Account of Touch and Verbal Communication in Therapy. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 828952. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.828952

  • Kiverstein, J., Kirchhoff, M. D., & Thacker, M. (2022). An Embodied Predictive Processing Theory of Pain Experience. Review of Philosophy and Psychology, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13164-022-00616-2

  • Klyne, D. M., Barbe, M. F., James, G., & Hodges, P. W. (2021). Does the Interaction between Local and Systemic Inflammation Provide a Link from Psychology and Lifestyle to Tissue Health in Musculoskeletal Conditions?. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(14), 7299. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147299

  • Kongsted, A., Ris, I., Kjaer, P., & Hartvigsen, J. (2021). Self-management at the core of back pain care: 10 key points for clinicians. Brazilian journal of physical therapy, 25(4), 396–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2021.05.002

  • Lebert, R., Noy, M., Purves, E., & Tibbett, J. (2022). Massage Therapy: A Person-Centred Approach to Chronic Pain. International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork, 15(3), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.3822/ijtmb.v15i3.713

  • Lin, I., Wiles, L., Waller, R., Goucke, R., Nagree, Y., Gibberd, M., Straker, L., Maher, C. G., & O'Sullivan, P. (2020). What does best practice care for musculoskeletal pain look like? Eleven consistent recommendations from high-quality clinical practice guidelines: systematic review. British journal of sports medicine, 54(2), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2018-099878

  • Mao, J. J., Ismaila, N., Bao, T., Barton, D., Ben-Arye, E., Garland, E. L., Greenlee, H., Leblanc, T., Lee, R. T., Lopez, A. M., Loprinzi, C., Lyman, G. H., MacLeod, J., Master, V. A., Ramchandran, K., Wagner, L. I., Walker, E. M., Bruner, D. W., Witt, C. M., & Bruera, E. (2022). Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology: Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO Guideline. Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, JCO2201357. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.22.01357

  • McParlin, Z., Cerritelli, F., Rossettini, G., Friston, K. J., & Esteves, J. E. (2022). Therapeutic Alliance as Active Inference: The Role of Therapeutic Touch and Biobehavioural Synchrony in Musculoskeletal Care. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 16, 897247. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.897247

  • Reid, H., Ridout, A. J., Tomaz, S. A., Kelly, P., Jones, N., & Physical Activity Risk Consensus group (2022). Benefits outweigh the risks: a consensus statement on the risks of physical activity for people living with long-term conditions. British journal of sports medicine, 56(8), 427–438. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-104281

  • Rossettini, G., Camerone, E. M., Carlino, E., Benedetti, F., & Testa, M. (2020). Context matters: the psychoneurobiological determinants of placebo, nocebo and context-related effects in physiotherapy. Archives of physiotherapy, 10, 11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40945-020-00082-y

  • Skelly, A.C., Chou, R., Dettori, J.R., Turner, J.A., Friedly, J.L., Rundell, S.D., … Ferguson, A.J.R. (2020). Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review Update. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US). DOI: https://doi.org/10.23970/AHRQEPCCER227

  • Sørvoll, M., Øberg, G. K., & Girolami, G. L. (2022). The Significance of Touch in Pediatric Physiotherapy. Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences, 3, 893551. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2022.893551

  • Traeger, A. C., Buchbinder, R., Elshaug, A. G., Croft, P. R., & Maher, C. G. (2019). Care for low back pain: can health systems deliver?. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 97(6), 423–433. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.18.226050

  • Whittaker, J. L., Culvenor, A. G., Juhl, C. B., Berg, B., Bricca, A., Filbay, S. R., Holm, P., Macri, E., Urhausen, A. P., Ardern, C. L., Bruder, A. M., Bullock, G. S., Ezzat, A. M., Girdwood, M., Haberfield, M., Hughes, M., Ingelsrud, L. H., Khan, K. M., Le, C. Y., Losciale, J. M., … Crossley, K. M. (2022). OPTIKNEE 2022: consensus recommendations to optimise knee health after traumatic knee injury to prevent osteoarthritis. British journal of sports medicine, bjsports-2022-106299. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106299

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

If you are interested in open educational resources I invite you to explore this list of online courses from Ed-X & Coursera. Feel free to share it with your personal learning network to promote the benefits of online learning.

Health Science

University of Alberta (Science Literacy) - Science Literacy will teach you about the process of science, how to think critically, how to differentiate science from pseudoscience, how indigenous wisdom can inform science, how to understand and design a scientific study, and how to critically evaluate scientific communication in the media.

McMaster University (Hacking Exercise For Health) - Learn the basics about the way your body boosts its fitness and strength.

University of Toronto (Managing Your Health) - This course will introduce learners to the concepts and benefits of physical therapy and exercise.

University of Toronto (Introduction to Psychology) - This course highlights the most interesting experiments within the field of psychology, discussing the implications of those studies for our understanding of the human mind and human behavior.

The University of Michigan (Four Part Anatomy Certificate) - Learn the foundations of human anatomy by understanding the major organ systems, their functions.
• Course 1: Musculoskeletal and Integumentary Systems
• Course 2: Cardiovascular, Urinary, and Respiratory Systems
• Course 3: Human Neuroanatomy
• Course 4: Gastrointestinal, Reproductive, and Endocrine Systems

University of Minnesota (Preventing Chronic Pain) - This course uses evidence-based science to better understand chronic pain conditions and how they can be prevented through self-management.

University of Michigan (Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society) - The objective of this course is to give students the most up-to-date information on the biological, personal, and societal relevance of sleep.

Harvard University (The Opioid Crisis in America) - Learn about opioid use and addiction and how it has evolved over time, leading to the current public health crisis.

Harvard University (Health & Society) - This course is designed to introduce students to the major social variables that affect population health.

Harvard University (Three Part Fundamentals of Neuroscience Certificate) - This introduction to neuroscience covers everything from the function of individual neurons to the structure of brains.
• Course 1: The Electrical Properties of the Neuron
• Course 2: Neurons and Networks
• Course 3: The Brain

Yale University (The Science of Well-Being) - The purpose of the course is to not only learn what psychological research says about what makes us happy but also to put those strategies into practice.

Université Laval & University of Calgary (Concussion: prevention, detection and management) - This course demystifies concussion and explains how everyone can play a role in the prevention, identification, and management of this type of traumatic brain injury.

Stanford (Stanford Introduction to Food and Health) - This course will shift the focus away from reductionist discussions about nutrients and move, instead, towards practical discussions about real food and the environment in which we consume it.

University of Colorado (Palliative Care: It's Not Just Hospice Anymore Specialization) - This series of four course covers core concepts on the nature of suffering and demonstrates how to evaluate suffering and illustrates this in realistic patient scenarios.
• Course 1: What is Palliative Care?
• Course 2: Pain Management
• Course 3: Easing Physical Symptoms
• Course 4: Psychosocial and Spiritual Aspects of Palliative Care

Research

University of Amsterdam (Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization) - There are 5 Courses in this Specialization that covers research methods, design and statistical analysis for social science research questions.
• Course 1: Quantitative Methods
• Course 2: Qualitative Research Methods 
• Course 3: Basic Statistics
• Course 4: Inferential Statistics
• Course 5: Methods and Statistics in Social Science

Business

The University of British Columbia (Introduction to Marketing) - A Self-paced course where you can learn the fundamentals of marketing, including strategies and tools used across industries.

University of Pennsylvania (Entrepreneurship) - This is a four-course series is designed to take you from opportunity identification through launch, growth, financing and profitability.
• Entrepreneurship 1: Developing the Opportunity
• Entrepreneurship 2: Launching your Start-Up
• Entrepreneurship 3: Growth Strategies
• Entrepreneurship 4: Financing and Profitability

University of Michigan (How to Start Your Own Business) - This is a six course specialization that will cover a progression of topics necessary for successful business creation including: mindset, ideation, planning, action and strategy. 

Rochester Institute of Technology (Soft Skills) - This is a professional certificate that will cover essential soft skills employers’ value most, from communication fundamentals and teamwork to advancing critical thinking.

University of Virginia (Design Thinking for Innovation) - This course will provide an overview of design thinking and work with a model containing four key questions and several tools to help you understand design thinking as a problem solving approach.

University of Illinois (Innovation: From Creativity to Entrepreneurship Specialization) - This four course specialization will be of value to both aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs as well as employees in established firms who are interested in becoming innovative leaders in an interconnected world.
• Course 1: Strategic Innovation: Building and Sustaining Innovative Organizations
• Course 2: Strategic Innovation: Managing Innovation Initiatives
• Course 3: Creativity Toolkit I: Changing Perspectives
• Course 4: Creativity Toolkit II: Creative Collaboration

Education

University of Michigan (Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age) - This course presents basic concepts from statistics, probability, scientific methodology, cognitive psychology and cost-benefit theory and shows how they can be applied to everything from picking one product over another to critiquing media accounts of scientific research.

McMaster University & University of California (Learning How to Learn) - This course gives you access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines.