Session 37: '⁠A Modern Way To Teach And Practice Manual Therapy' with Roger Kerry and Ken Young⁠

After a couple of years of sabbatical, Massage Matters is back, although we are now called TOUCH MATTERS – why? Because we have decided to expand to a wider audience, with more content, more education, and more irreverence to the status quo of our industry!

In this episode of Touch Matters Podcast, part of the Physio Matters group, your hosts Anna Maria Mazzieri and Matt Phillips of Runchatlive.com are joined by special guests Roger Kerry and Kenneth Young, two of the lead authors on the recently published paper "⁠A Modern Way To Teach And Practice Manual Therapy⁠" (free to access, click link to view).

The paper was a collaboration between 16 authors from different professions (one of which was our very own Anna Maria Mazzieri), with other lead authors including Steve Vogel and Vasilis Georgopoulos.

In this episode, you will hear how traditional systems of manual therapy, including physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, and soft tissue therapy have been built on principles such as clinician-centred assessment, patho-anatomical reasoning, and technique specificity.

It is discussed how although these historical principles are not supported by current evidence, data from clinical trials does support the clinical and cost effectiveness of manual therapy as an intervention for musculoskeletal conditions, when used as part of a package of care.

In conclusion, it is proposed that a modern evidence-guided framework for the teaching and practice of manual therapy is needed, which avoids reference to and reliance on the outdated principles of traditional manual therapy. Instead, the framework should be based on three fundamental humanistic dimensions common in all aspects of healthcare: safety, comfort, and efficiency, elements that are contextualised by positive communication, a collaborative context, and person-centred care.

As always, we would love to hear what you think of the episode, so feel free to leave a comment and do please remember to click subscribe for Touch Matters Podcast, and leave us a review!