Research Perch
Research Perch is a podcast designed to help you learn how to use massage therapy research in your practice. Each episode digs into a specific article from the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and unpacks it so you know how it applies to you. Grow your massage therapy practice and serve your clients better with the power of research!
Episodes
Tune in to Research Perch, as host Annie LaCroix speaks with Dr. Cynthia Price and Dr. Niki Munk about how massage therapists can meaningfully contribute to the emerging body of research. This episode addresses common questions about how to begin getting involved in massage therapy research, whether to investigate a specific subtopic of interest, or enter the field with research as a primary occupational focus.
Listen in as Ruth Werner and Dr. Niki Munk discuss three Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-related case reports from the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (IJTMB) September 2025 Special Issue on Massage Therapy and Mental Health:
Listen in for Research Perch, as host Annie LaCroix, MTF Associate Director of Operations, speaks with MTF Research Director, Dr. Niki Munk, and special guest Rachel Romanelli, an experienced massage therapist, educator, clinic owner, and healthcare advocate. The three discuss data collection methods within massage therapy practice, and their utilization in the upcoming Case Series Study being conducted within ...
The 2026 MTF Community Service Awards application process opens January 1, 2026—with an exciting update! The maximum award amount has increased to $20,000, up from a previous maximum award of $5,000. In this episode, MTF Research Director, Dr. Niki Munk, speaks with Community Service Award Committee Chair, Dolly Wallace, about reasons for the change, history of the Award program, and how your organization can apply.
Enjoy a lively and informative discussion as MTF Case Report Contest Chair, Robin Miccio, speaks with 2025 Silver Award winner Hailey Robertson about her report, "Massage Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis."
Join us for Research Perch, as International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB) Associate Editor, Dr. Sarah Fogarty, speaks with Dr. Cynthia Price about the upcoming September 2025 Special Issue of IJTMB concerning massage therapy and mental health.
Listen in to Research Perch as we speak with Dr. Niki Munk and Sami Zabel about the MassageNet Special Session and activity held at the 2025 International Massage Therapy Research Conference in Alexandria, VA. The session provided the opportunity for MassageNet Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) member massage therapists to share their ideas about research topics, and to decide on the topic of the first res...
Listen in to Research Perch as MTF President Adrienne F. Asta, BA, LMT, speaks with author and educator Ruth Werner, BCTMB, about the upcoming 2025 International Massage Therapy Research Conference (IMTRC) in Alexandria, VA. Learn how attending can benefit you and your clients, explore speakers and topics, and find out how IMTRC impacts research in the field.
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Listen in to Research Perch as MTF President Adrienne F. Asta speaks with Spencer Pon, Gold Winner of MTF's 2023 Student Case Report Contest, about his winning case report, Massage Therapy for Ankle Mobility and Spasticity in an Adult with Cerebral Palsy: A Case Report.
Pon's research focused on the effectiveness of massage therapy in increasing ankle mobility and decreasing spasticity in an adult with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). ...
Research Perch continues—Case Series Guidelines Part 2. Listen in as Dr. Niki Munk and Robin Miccio speak with Dr. Michael Fleischmann from Victoria University, Melbourne, AU, about his recent paper, "A Clinician's Guide to Performing a Case Series Study," and how such guidelines can impact the future of integrative care and working with allied health professionals. Part 2 discusses informed consent in retrospe...
Listen in as Dr. Niki Munk and Robin Miccio speak with Dr. Michael Fleischmann from Victoria University, Melbourne, AU, about his recent paper, "A Clinician's Guide to Performing a Case Series Study," and how such guidelines can impact the future of integrative care and working with allied health professionals. Part 1 discusses case series and case studies—the vital base of the research pyramid—and differences between prospective a...
Learn more about the MTF Research Grant, Massage Service Integration in a Military Primary Care Clinic: Implementation and Impact Study, conducted by the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM), Rockville, MD. The study researches massage therapy's promising evidence-based approach to reducing the burden of chronic pain within the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration. Listen in as MTF Presi...
Learn more about the mechanisms of pain and the importance of pain validation in client care. Join us for Research Perch, as host MTF Vice President Lindsay Bodkin, BA, LMT, CPT, speaks with educators Whitney Lowe (Academy of Clinical Massage) and Douglas Nelson, LMT, BCTMB (Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars).
Listen in to Research Perch, as MTF President, Adrienne Asta, speaks with Dr. Amanda Baskwill, Executive Editor of International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, about the journal's writing mentorship program.
Learn more about Basics of Research Literacy (BRL), an online continuing education course for massage therapists and educators about incorporating principles of research literacy in your practice and teaching. MTF President Adrienne Asta speaks with author/educator Whitney Lowe (Academy of Clinical Massage) about the new and revised 3-hour NCBTMB-approved interactive skill-building experience, which was created as a fundraiser for ...
"How do we take a [randomized controlled trial] mind-body massage protocol and then actually access it—actually make it accessible to patients in the real world?' What would that look like?" Hear from Kathryn Hansen, ANP-BC, who is the Principal Investigator of the 2022 MTF Research Grant-funded project, Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) for Chronic Pain: An Implementation Science Pilot Study., Vanderbilt University...
Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT) combines manual, mindfulness and psycho-educational approaches to teach interoceptive awareness and related self-care skills. Learn more about MABT and an NIH-funded study looking at how it can be used to combat the opioid epidemic, as MTF President Adrienne Asta interviews researcher Cynthia Price and Megan Sherman, one of the LMT research interventionists on the project.
Join us for Research Perch! Listen in as MTF Research Committee Chair, researcher Dr. Niki Munk, interviews doctoral student Sami Zabel, about her MassageNet study exploring massage therapists' knowledge and attitudes about mental health and mental illness—and how you can participate!
Join us for Research Perch! In Part 2 of this two-part episode, host Adrienne F. Asta welcomes Michele Kolakowski, LMT, CD & CPD (DONA), CLC, and Carole Osborne, BCTMB, two of the co-authors of the highly successful book, "Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy." The trio discuss recent research into the efficacy of massage and birth narrative storytelling for women immediately following unplanned cesarean birth. Additional links and m...
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