Massage and Medicine: An Interprofessional Approach to Learning Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Enhancing Personal Wellness

Abstract

Purpose To investigate the impact of a unique curriculum combining learning of surface anatomy and massage therapy for medical and physician assistant students. Method The authors conducted a randomized controlled trial in 2014 at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine with 20 first-year students who viewed 4 hours of educational videos and participated in 11 hours of hands-on massage practice and 20 first-year students who only viewed the educational videos. Participants completed pre- and postcourse assessments of knowledge, attitudes, and personal wellness and completed a validated assessment of four dimensions of personal wellness. Results Hands-on group participants outscored the online-only group in postcourse knowledge assessments of surface anatomy and massage therapy principles (P