Massage Therapy: The Evidence for Practice

Massage therapy is in many ways a neglected area with considerable potential. Thus, any book that promises ‘evidence for practice’ is more than welcome. This volume covers four main areas: research methodology, massage for specific medical conditions and the evidence for this, massage across the lifespan (i.e. preterm infants and elderly) and massage in the workplace. The chapters have been written by 16 experts (mostly from the USA) of diverse backgrounds, and a high degree of heterogeneity is notable. On the plus side, this book provides an informative, often well-referenced introduction to the areas listed above. On the minus side, it is very USA-centred, which is particularly regrettable because other countries have a richer history and sounder research base in this area. Moreover, the chapters are an odd compilation of reviews and original research. Having said that, I found the book much better than the average text on massage and recommend it to all who look for an informative text on this therapy.