Latest Soft Tissue Therapy Poll

Archived Poll Results (sorted oldest to most recent)

1. What is your favorite technique used in soft tissue therapy?

• Frictions - 23.07%
• Tissue Tension - 38.46%
• Functional Fascial Taping ® - 7.69%
• Trigger Point Therapy - 30.77%

2. What do you believe frictions actually do?

• Break up scar tissue - 14.29%
• Mobilise scar tissue and adhesions - 61.90%
• Create an inflammatory response - 14.29%
• Desensitise a hyperirritable focal point - 9.52%

3. What is your preferred name for our industry (primary care rather than relaxation)?

• Remedial Massage - 14.29%
• Myotherapy - 3.57%
• Soft Tissue Therapy - 75%
• Body Worker - 0%
• Masseur - 3.57%
• Musculoskeletal Therapist - 3.57%

4. Our minimum education should go to a degree for what reason?

• Increase educational standards - 18.52%
• Increase professional reputation - 37.04%
• Increase research opportunities - 11.11%
• Shouldn?t go to a degree - 33.33%

5. Where do most of your professional referrals come from?

• General Practitioners - 25.93%
• Sports Physicians/Doctors - 18.52%
• Physiotherapists - 11.11%
• Gymnasiums/Fitness leaders - 22.22%
• Osteopaths - 0%
• Chiropractors - 11.11%
• Rehabilitation Consultants (third party insurance) - 11.11%

6. Should our association be clearly divided into the following three categories: Pain and injury management therapists; Energy workers; Relaxation therapists?

• Yes - 91.43%
• No - 8.57%

7. What should our associations focus on the most?

• Health Insurance Funds - 13.95%
• Medicare Rebates - 6.98%
• Education Standards - 69.77%
• GST Status - 9.30%

8. If registration was to come about (giving a policeable membership, one that you can be deregistered from and deemed unable to work by law, minimum education necessary to be registered), would you sit a practical and theoretical exam to gain entry?

• No, I have been in the industry for years and believe I have the necessary knowledge and skills - 9.30%
• Yes, I would do anything for a professional registration - 81.40%
• A registration isn't necessary - 9.30%

9. Do five day massage courses have any place in our industry?

• Yes. They meet a void for certain prospective therapists - 5.45%
• No. There is no place for therapists with this limited education - 83.64%
• Maybe. Only if they are in the ?relaxation? vocation of our industry - 10.91%

10. Do you believe that so-called third bedroom practices:

• Are a legitimate option for a professional practice and should be promoted - 35.29%
• Decrease our professional image and should be banned - 64.71%

11. What is your perception of the most valuable asset of our associations?

• Health insurance lobbying - 16.1%
• Policy development - 6.5%
• Educational development - 29%
• Vocational development - 16.1%
• I have no idea and just pay the money - 32.3%

12. When you finished your STT education, what do you believe you lacked in the most?

• Anatomy - 0%
• Pathology - 21.5%
• Assessment - 57%
• Technique Indication - 21.5%

13. What type of association would you prefer?

• Remedial and relaxation massage only - 13.6%
• Strictly remedial massage/soft tissue therapy only - 65.9%
• All encompassing (remedial, relaxation, eastern, shiatsu, energy) - 20.5%

14. Are Soft Tissue / Massage Therapists qualified enough to perform Dry Needling?

• No. Not enough baseline education to understand mechanisms, indications and contraindications - 25%
• Yes. They have enough anatomy and pathological knowledge to perform safely and successfully - 12.5%
• Only those with Diploma level education - 62.5%

15. Where does Bowen Therapy fit into our industry?

• It is a stand alone therapy and education process - 60.8%
• It should be a part of our undergrad process - 9.8%
• It should only be a post graduate course - 29.4%

16. Are we falling behind our peers?

• Yes, our education is not evolving to the level of our physical therapy peers - 26.5%
• No, we are advancing at the same speed as other industries - 22.4%
• Yes, we remain a cottage industry with little to no research, without professional growth - 44.9%
• We don't need to advance any further. Our skills and knowledge are adequate - 6.1%

17. Should Soft Tissue Therapists be prescribing foot orthotics?

• Why not. What could it hurt - 0%
• Definitely. We need to broaden our horizons - 6.6%
• Podiatrists do this. Why should we - 44.3%
• Maybe with adequate training 49.2%

18. Where do you work from?

• Home - 29.8%
• Remedial Massage Clinic (STT, Myo, Etc) - 46.8%
• Mobile - 8.5%
• Multidisciplinary Clinic (With Physio, Osteo, Chiro, Doctor, Other) -14.9%

19. Do you think a degree would enhance or hamper our industry?

• Enhance - 78.6%
• Hamper - 21.4%

20. Do the modalities of Kahuna, Thai and Lomi Lomi massage belong in our membership?

• Yes - 15.7%
• No - 84.3%

21. Are Australian Education Institutions producing competent Remedial Massage Therapists?

• They are doing a great job of meeting the competency standards and producing excellent students - 4.7%
• Only very few schools produce employable graduates - 39.1%
• The difference between schools teaching levels is vast and students differ immensely - 53.1%
• I don't know any school that produces a RMT that I would employ with confidence - 1.6%
• I don't know what a competent RMT is anyway - 1.6%

22. Are Australian associations adequately promoting massage therapy versus remedial massage therapy?

• No, they all ignore the difference - 50.0%
• Some try but are lost in the crowd of associations - 27.6%
• They wouldn?t know the difference - 15.5%
• They are doing a good job of promoting the difference - 6.9%