Manual Therapy & Bodywork Survey

Of its own, the term "manual therapy" is generic, and simply refers to any kind of physical manipulation of the body. It usually implies techniques in which external pressure is applied to muscles, bones, or joints as in massage or chiropractic, and may include exercise.

These surveys are focused on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) manual therapies. This is a very difficult concept to define precisely, both because CAM is not well defined and because manual therapies cross many professional borders.

Thus, some distinctions must be made. Several mainstream health care modalities such as physiotherapy make extensive use of manual techniques. Some CAM systems such as chiropractic and acupuncture do also. However, these methods are now by-and-large accepted as part of modern health care, in part because of their extensive bodies of research indicating effectiveness.

There are many other CAM manual therapies (click here for a brief list) that are also used by the public, but for a number of reasons do not have sufficient research, a peer-reviewed body of knowledge, or medical acceptance (the reasons have been studied elsewhere). Some, like massage therapy, have reached "critical mass" and are in the process of moving from the non-accepted to the standard care category. Most others do not have the organization or research yet in place to reach standard care status. It is these CAM manual therapies that are not yet extensively researched or part of Western health care that are the focus of this survey work.

While many services may include CAM manual techniques, these surveys are meant to collect practice demographic information specific to those that are therapeutic in nature and intent, and that constitute the primary purpose and time commitment of a patient/client visit.




	Of its own, the term "manual therapy" is generic, and simply refers to any kind of physical manipulation of the body. It usually implies techniques in which external pressure is applied to muscles, bones, or joints as in massage or chiropractic, and may include exercise. These surveys are focused on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) manual therapies. This is a very difficult concept to define precisely, both because CAM is not well defined and because manual therapies cross many professional borders. Thus, some distinctions must be made. Several mainstream health care modalities such as physiotherapy make extensive use of manual techniques. Some CAM systems such as chiropractic and acupuncture do also. However, these methods are now by-and-large accepted as part of modern health care, in part because of their extensive bodies of research indicating effectiveness. There are many other CAM manual therapies (click here for a brief list) that are also used by the public, but for a number of reasons do not have sufficient research, a peer-reviewed body of knowledge, or medical acceptance (the reasons have been studied elsewhere). Some, like massage therapy, have reached "critical mass" and are in the process of moving from the non-accepted to the standard care category. Most others do not have the organization or research yet in place to reach standard care status. It is these CAM manual therapies that are not yet extensively researched or part of Western health care that are the focus of this survey work. While many services may include CAM manual techniques, these surveys are meant to collect practice demographic information specific to those that are therapeutic in nature and intent, and that constitute the primary purpose and time commitment of a patient/client visit.

	These surveys are part of the PhD thesis work of Antony Porcino Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary