Early research shows promise on health benefits of massage

April 21, 2014

Ann Blair Kennedy

Ann Blair Kennedy, a doctoral student in HPEB, was selected to receive the Dean's Award for Excellence in Leadership from
The Graduate School.

(Graduate students from the Arnold School of Public Health garnered a number of awards at Graduate Student Day. A complete article on award recipients will be posted later this week.)

Can a professional massage benefit health and health behaviors?

Ann Blair Kennedy, a licensed massage therapist and doctoral student at the Arnold School of Public Health, believes it can. And her preliminary research shows promise.

Kennedy's longtime leadership with two national associations for massage research and the massage profession were a foundation for her receiving the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Leadership during the 2014 Graduate Student Day, held April 18.

An annual celebration, competition and award ceremony, Graduate Student Day is USC's most comprehensive showcase of graduate scholarly and creative work. Sponsored by The Graduate School and held each spring, the event provides students an opportunity to present their work to the university and the larger community.

If the name "Blair" rings a bell, it is because Kennedy is the daughter of Arnold School professor Dr. Steve Blair, the internationally recognized scholar in the field of physical activity and health. Kennedy says it was the influence of her father's scholarly work that led her to pursue a Dr PH in the Arnold School's Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, particularly as she began seeing the health benefits of massage in her practice.

"The field of research has been ingrained in me," she said.

Kennedy's interest in massage therapy began when she received her first professional massage. "It was the best that I had ever felt in my entire life. Then, I started looking for schools, and I was in school six months later."

She had a thriving practice for more than 14 years when the mother of two children decided to pursue graduate school. Even before enrolling at USC, Kennedy had a keen interest in the health benefits of massage. She was the author or co-author on 11 of 13 position statements for the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and realized the lack of research on the efficacy of massage.

"I firmly believe that massage can help with health disparities and other health problems, if given the chance," she said, noting that people who feel better, in general, could potentially make better lifestyle choices and changes.

Massage therapy could benefit women suffering from post-partum depression, among other health benefits.

A poster that Kennedy will present at the International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health in May examines the Community Service Granting program of the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) and she found some surprising results pointing to the potential benefits of massage in relation individuals sense of  self  and self control.

"Massage therapy to enhance health has the potential to improve public health," she said. "We are a long way from knowing the benefits because little long-term research exists. But hopefully we can get there."

The mother of two children, Kennedy already has published a paper with her Dad. The article, "Motivating People to Exercise," appeared in the Feb. 21 issue of the Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. The article discusses theories and methods of behavior change to help physicians motivate their patients to become more physically active.

Kennedy believes that the long-term health benefits of massage are much like those of physical activity. "If you aren't active on a sustained basis, you won't have the benefits of physical activity. Massage therapy is much like that, I believe. Integrating massage into your lifestyle may yield many benefits."

Kennedy's research will be among the first efforts to scientifically prove that valuable link!

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