Massage Therapies—From Lab Bench Top to the Patient

Thomas Best, M.D., Ph.D., is professor and Pomerene Chair in primary care in the Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, and professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, at The Ohio State University.

During a therapeutic massage session, clinicians rely primarily on patient feedback to determine the amount of force and the length of time a force should be applied to a patient’s muscles. Research has shown that biologic tissues are mechanotransductive. As a result, through their work, Dr. Best’s lab is highlighting the importance of measuring the force applied during massage in order to best optimize clinical treatment. In this lecture, Dr. Best will provide an overview of the concept of mechanotransduction and how it applies to massage-based therapies, the basic science findings that support the use of massage-based therapies, and the clinical problems for which massage is a common treatment.