Congratulations To Our Research Board Advisory Member Rosemary Chunco

MASSAGE THERAPY FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES

2010 PRACTITIONER CASE REPORT CONTEST WINNERS

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Practitioner Case Report Contest. This year’s Grand Prize Gold Award has been awarded to Rosemary Chunco, LMT, BA, MSc, of Plano , Texas . Her winning case report was titled “The Effects of Massage on Pain, Stiffness and Fatigue Levels Associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case Study.” As the first place winner, Chunco will receive a $2,500 cash award contingent upon undergoing the peer review process with a scientific publication, an invitation to present her paper and poster at the 2011 AMTA National convention and a $1,000 stipend to be used toward travel to the Convention.

Chunco said of the process of creating a case report, "Planning, implementing and completing a case study in my own practice had an unforeseen positive impact in many ways, including a noticeable increase in my level of analytical thinking, increased confidence in an ability to find pertinent information on a problem, and a significant increase in my knowledge on a specific condition. Moreover, being able to contribute to the profession by the provision of information also gave me a feeling of satisfaction that I have not encountered before... I hope that others will decide to complete case reports and experience the benefits that can result from such a venture."

Chunco’s report focused on a 47-year old female patient with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a disease that causes inflammation of the joints between the spinal bones, and the joints between the spine and pelvis. With massage, the patient reported a reduction in the intensity of her stiffness, pain and fatigue, and Chunco observed increases in forward and lateral flexion. Chunco concluded that massage shows promise as a treatment for symptoms associated with AS. The full abstract can be found on the MTF website.

An Honorable Mention was awarded to Rosalyn A. Smarr, LMT, of Dayville , Oregon , for her case report titled “The Effects of Specific Injury Treatment and Facilitated Stretching on Acromial Clavicular Joint Pain with a Possible Separated Shoulder.” This report focused on the effect of massage at aiding in full recovery after a shoulder joint injury with positive results. The abstract is available here.

Information about all previous MTF Case Report Contest winners, as well as details regarding how to enter the 2011 contest can be found on the MTF website.

The Massage Therapy Foundation has chosen to encourage the writing of case reports to provide an opportunity for massage therapists and bodyworkers to develop research skills and enhance their ability to provide knowledge-based massage to the public.

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity, with a mission to advance the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.