From clinical questions to research others can examine
We are developing a research program around an openly described massage approach. The purpose is to find out whether it offers useful benefit, for whom, and under what conditions.
The methods and questions are available for discussion before there are strong conclusions. Clinical observations can motivate research. Establishing efficacy requires a suitable design, reliable measurement, and a clear account of alternative explanations.
Start with the opening observation
An early individual experience helped shape the approach. Its role is to explain where the research question came from. A single observation cannot establish a success rate or predict the response of a broader population.
Read the opening observation →
Examine the methods
Our fibromyalgia case report, Detailed Methodology, and developing Migraine Informed Massage instructor guide describe successive stages of the work: an observation, a broad framework, and a narrower teaching pilot. We are using them to clarify what should be delivered, what needs clinical review, and what a fair evaluation would need to measure.
The methods page describes intake, pressure adjustment, broad-to-specific sequencing, optional components, reassessment, and follow-up. It also identifies the decisions that need to be standardized before a controlled evaluation.
Current project status
Migraine: planning and seeking clinical and research input. The proposed work concerns adjunctive massage, appropriate exercise, and usual care. Design, oversight, and recruitment arrangements are not finalized.
Scoliosis: planning and seeking clinical and research input. The immediate question concerns comfort and function. Any structural outcome would require a separate, appropriately qualified assessment process.
Fibromyalgia and persistent pain: methodology development and questions for future evaluation. Individual experience should not be presented as a controlled result.
Athletic recovery and plateau: proposed area of investigation. Outcomes would need to distinguish comfort and soreness from measurable performance or recovery.
There is no open recruitment notice on this page. Research participation, if offered later, will have its own eligibility information, consent process, and verified oversight details.
Research materials
The current Methods and Opening observation pages explain the approach and the questions behind it. Detailed materials need clear versions, review status and appropriate permissions before they are presented as part of a research record. For a professional discussion of the methods or proposed evaluation, contact Jason.Read the methods →Read the opening observation →Discuss research collaboration →
What useful progress would look like
The next milestones are a clear research question, an independently reviewed protocol, appropriate ethics and regulatory review, a feasible measurement plan, and a transparent process for recording all outcomes.
The aim is to report results in enough detail for others to challenge or reproduce them. A finding of little or no benefit would still answer an important question and guide how the method should change.
Collaborators sought
We welcome conversations with clinicians, massage researchers, physical therapists, research-methods specialists, and potential institutional partners. Helpful contributions include safety review, outcome selection, study design, and critique of the proposed mechanisms.
Please email a brief description of your area of interest. Do not send identifiable patient records with an initial inquiry.
Discuss a research collaboration →
Other research interests
Separate conceptual and theoretical writing explores broader questions outside the clinical massage program. Those materials should be read according to their stated level of development. They do not establish evidence for the massage method.