TNMU Hosted Presentation of Susan G. Salvo’s Book “Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice”

The team of the Department of Physiology, Bioethics and Biosafety presented the translation of the 7th edition of Susan G. Salvo’s book “Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice” edited by Professor Stepan Vadzyuk.

The presentation was attended by teachers of the Department of Physiology, Bioethics and Biosafety and the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Education, as well as students majoring in “Therapy and Rehabilitation”. As noted by the scientific editor in the foreword, this translation is informative and useful for anyone interested in therapeutic massage and health care in general.

Professor Stepan Vadzyuk presents the printed edition of the book.

This book is intended for a wide audience, from students and teachers to medical professionals, especially for specialists in physical rehabilitation. The presence of images and extensive information on disease control and prevention protocols makes this book more accessible and useful for practicing physicians, and additionally, the presence of discussion questions encourages critical thinking, which is an important aspect of learning and development in the medical field. Stepan Vadzyuk concluded that this book will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone working in the field of health care and medicine, as well as for those interested in the basics of therapeutic massage and its practical use.

The book consists of two parts and contains 30 chapters, illustrated with figures, tables and photos, at the end of each chapter you can find an extended list of literature, as well as test questions to assess the acquired knowledge.

The senior lecturer of the department, Liudmyla Horban, was the first from the team of translators. In her address to the guests, she noted that she worked on 7 chapters of the book, giving a short but meaningful description of each. The first chapter examines the history of massage from prehistoric times to the present, highlights key figures and important events in chronological order, and outlines the professional perspective for practicing massage therapists in the future. Liudmyla Horban also worked on chapter 12: “Hydrotherapy: clinical application and spa procedures”, where you can find a description of the use of water for health and self-care. The translator also provided a detailed description of the 13th chapter, devoted to foot reflexology, provided examples of images from the book, and the listeners also got acquainted with the basic principles of sitting massage, which is devoted to the chapter 15. Special attention was focused on the 17th chapter “Business practice: the beginning of work, marketing, professional development, accounting, and planning,” which discusses the steps most massage school graduates must complete to enter the profession, such as obtaining state licensure, professional insurance, and other requirements. This section also contains information on employment opportunities, types of employment, various business entities, zoning, start-up costs and taxes, describes the development of a resume, autobiography and business plan, and provides basic examples of masseur marketing.

Chapter 18, “Introduction to the Study of the Human Body: Medical Terminology, Cells, Tissues, and the Body’s Compass,” as Liudmyla Horban noted, included definitions of the science of anatomy and physiology, homeostasis and allostasis, as well as a discussion of medical terminology, with the addition of construction dictionaries. A brief description of Chapter 19, “The Skeletal System, Pathologies, Disorders, and Injuries,” was also presented, which discusses anatomical structures and physiological processes related to the skeletal system.

Liudmyla Horban tells about her experience of working on the book

Those present listened to Professor Natalia Volkova’s report on the translation of the next part of the book. In particular, she worked on the second chapter of the book – “Therapeutic Relationships: Ethics, Cultural Competences and Boundaries”, which discussed the main issues of ethics, professionalism, cultural competencies, described the definition of professional boundaries and types of restrictions, and also outlined sexual misconduct, sexual harassment and risk management. What is no less important for a practicing massage therapist and rehabilitator, the third chapter, on which the translator worked, provides a description of professional equipment: tables, accessories, massage linen, lubricants, essential oils, and massage medium. According to Natalia Volkova, chapter 4 “Career longevity: good health, well-being and self-help” was quite interesting, which outlines the professional, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of good health, well-being and self-service As predicted by the translator, chapter 6 contained information on research on therapeutic massage, its effects on connective tissue, skin, nervous and endocrine systems, other body systems, internal organs, and neuropsychological condition. How to make massage safe, energy efficient, and reduce stress and strain on the body is detailed in Body Mechanics, Client Positioning, and Draping. According to Natalia Volkova, valuable information on professional standards, scope of practice, standards of care, assessment, documentation, informed consent, and treatment planning and referral can be found in Chapter 10, translated by her.

Natalia Volkova delivers her speech.

Associate Professor of the Department Sofia Nakonechna told the audience about her scope of work on the translation, providing multimedia examples of chapter illustrations. Working on a section titled “Illness Concepts, Standard Precautions, Infection Control Precautions, Disinfection Procedures, and Emergency Preparedness,” the translator emphasized that it discussed an infection control system to protect the massage therapist and clients, and as well as mechanisms for minimizing disease transmission in order to reduce the risk of infection. This system includes hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment and disinfection procedures. Sofia Nakonechna worked on the translation of the chapters that include descriptions of body systems, typical pathologies, disorders, and traumas along with their massage modifications. This included the muscular, integumentary, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. The translator noted that each chapter of the book is supplemented with the latest sources of literature, links to electronic resources and a quiz.

Part of Sofia Nakonechna’s report.

Associate Professor Ihor Pankiv clearly demonstrated the hierarchy of evidence, which is described in the fifth chapter of the book, and also noted the main aspects of the relationship between practicing doctors and clients/patients.

In chapter 11 “Special categories of the population”, which describes common diseases and conditions affecting the elderly, features of massage during pregnancy, modification of the main techniques that are used. The translator also brought to the attention of the listeners information about the main features of the lymphatic, respiratory, digestive and urinary systems, their pathologies and disorders, as well as the features of massage techniques that are allowed to be used for certain diseases of the described systems.

Part of Ihor Pankiv’s report

Professor, Head of the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Education Daria Popovych gave a high assessment of the work of the team of translators. The professor emphasized the important role of this work in the education and professional development of students, since in today’s conditions there is a great need for specialists in physical therapy majoring in Therapy and Rehabilitation.

Professor Daria Popovych is invited to speak

Donating books to the library is an ancient form of charity, the purpose of which is to increase interest in reading. Therefore, on the occasion of the International Book Donation Day, Professor Stepan Vadzyuk donated a printed copy of Susan G. Salvo’s book “Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice”, translation of the 7th edition, to the library of Ternopil National Medical University.

Donating the book “Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice” by Susan G. Salvo.

The information was provided by Ihor Papinko, Associate Professor of the Department of Physiology, Bioethics and Biosafety.