Description
This third edition of Massage for Therapists is a follow – up to the first and second editions conceived and written by Margaret Hollis, MBE, MSc, FCSP, who was founding Principal of the Bradford School of Physiotherapy, and published by Blackwell Science, Oxford, in 1987 and 1998 respectively. Sadly Margaret died some years ago and I was invited by Amy Brown, Commissioning Editor, Physiotherapy Professional Division, to edit and write in this edition.
The new, enlarged book is aimed at providing students and therapists in the orthodox, integrated and complementary sectors with a textbook that describes, in detail, techniques that offer models of good practice for the reader to follow. The chapters are written by different authors because of the need to be scientifi cally based and also in the interests of accuracy and validity of the techniques. The new chapters expand on, and are relevant to, the practice of massage as follows:
Chapter 2 outlines the systems of the body that may be affected.
Chapter 3 further reviews literature on the evidence base in relation to effects achieved, as well as awareness of risk and contraindications.
Chapter 4 shows how to gather information, vital to the proper application of techniques.
Chapter 12 revises some of the uses for classical massage techniques.
Chapter 13 outlines some different techniques.
Chapters 16 and 17 offer insight into two more specialised techniques.
There has been huge renewed interest in massage, partly due to further evidence – based research into its effectiveness and partly due to public awareness of its therapeutic value and therefore demand for treatment.
The contributors to this book are all health – care professionals and experts in their fi eld. The majority are Members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, UK, (MCSP) and in their curriculum of study one of the core subjects is massage. (Physiotherapists are often termed Physical Therapists in other parts of the world.) I am extremely grateful to them all.
I hope Margaret Hollis would have been proud of this third edition. It is dedicated to her memory.
Elisabeth Jones