Sefton receives $30,000 grant from Massage Therapy Foundation

June 2009    

A $30,000 grant from the Massage Therapy Foundation   will enable Dr. JoEllen Sefton to investigate the ways in which massage therapy influences the physical well being of the elderly.

Sefton's study is entitled, "Effect of Massage Therapy on Postural Control in Older Persons.''

Sefton, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and director of the Neuromechanics Research Laboratory and the Post-Certification Graduate Athletic Training Program, focuses much of her research on how the neuromuscular system responds to injury, rehabilitation and therapy. Sefton, a nationally certified massage therapist for 15 years, will investigate how massage therapy affects balance, heart rate, spinal responses and blood pressure in healthy, older individuals. Since falls often lead to severe injuries for elderly men and women, learning how massage therapy influences postural control and how it can be incorporated as a non-pharmacological treatment to improve balance and stability may help to prevent the occurrence of such accidents.

Her long-term research goals involve developing an understanding of the means by which massage therapy influences neuromuscular and physiological function, how the employment of such techniques contributes to improved quality of life through pain relief, and enhanced physiological and biomechanical and function.

The Massage Therapy Foundation works to broaden knowledge in the field of massage therapy by providing support for research, community service and education related to the practice.