Research
My intent as a researcher is to explore opportunities to meld emerging technologies and reduced technology cost with the Manual Therapy skill-set. I have identified three such opportunities:
Foot Loading Dynamics and Manual Therapy
The biggest challenge with research into Manual Therapy is that the techniques are difficult to standardize, and consequently analyse. Manual Therapy can essentially be reduced to the skill and talent of the practitioner. It is a complex skill that takes a lifetime to master, and requires innate talent to bridge that gap in the meantime. In touching hundreds of patients, it becomes easily apparent how tissue responds to stimulus, both locally and globally. With thousands of hours of experience, it is easy to guide the tissue to more functional relationships. Describing what is happening is often challenging, and there is no substitute for practice.
Background Information on Manual Therapy
When I started studying Deep Tissue Bodywork in 1983 the common perception in the U.S. was that it was not possible for therapeutic change to manifest through touch. Even Acupuncture at that time was commonly considered akin to witchcraft. (more)
