Executive Summary
This project is intended to provide low- or no-cost therapeutic massage to returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI) and/or spinal-cord injury (SCI), in order to address some of their treatment needs, as well as to assess the usefulness, effectiveness, and practicality of implementing a similar service program on a larger scale.
By providing therapeutic massage treatment for military veterans living with the physical and psychological after-effects of SCI, TBI, and PTSD, it serves people living with the after-effects of the tremendous sacrifices they were called upon to make. Additionally, by educating local massage therapists about the therapeutic needs of the veteran population, the effects of the service are magnified by training more providers who are able to deliver those services. Finally, by conducting research into what treatments these veterans find most effective in addressing their conditions, as well as into how this information can be most effectively relayed to other veterans and their care providers, it lays a foundation for lasting change in the way these services could be provided in the future.
Contact:
Massage for Injured Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
c/o Ravensara S. Travillian, PhD, LMP
PO Box 70523
Seattle, WA 98127
massage.for.injured.vets@gmail.com
Project Overview
Problem Statement
Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are living with the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal-cord injury (SCI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face a number of obstacles to receiving clinically appropriate, timely, and cost-effective treatment for their conditions. These obstacles include financial and bureaucratic hurdles, lack of available services, and the perceived stigma of dealing with mental-health professionals, among others.
Massage therapy has clear potential for addressing these problems. As therapeutic massage continues to become more integrated into mainstream medical practice, evidence is accumulating for its clinical effectiveness. It has been demonstrated to provide symptomatic relief for pain, anxiety, depression, muscle atrophy, and paralysis in other patients. For example, massage therapy has been used for treatment of PTSD in refugees in the Seattle area at Harborview Medical Center for years. While the therapeutic effects of massage cannot completely fill the gap between needs and treatment resources, results from other populations indicate that it may nevertheless provide significant benefits for returning injured veterans—especially if they suffer from any sort of chronic pain due to muscle or nerve trauma.
The project proposed in this document is intended to provide low- or no-cost therapeutic massage to returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with PTSD and/or TBI and/or SCI, in order to address some of their treatment needs, as well as to assess the usefulness, effectiveness, and practicality of implementing a similar service program on a larger scale.
Project Description
This project addresses the problem of the treatment gap for returning veterans with PTSD and TBI on three fronts: service, education, and research.
By providing therapeutic massage treatment for military veterans living with the physical and psychological after-effects of TBI, and PTSD, it serves people living with the after-effects of the tremendous sacrifices they were called upon to make. Additionally, by educating local massage therapists about the therapeutic needs of the veteran population, the effects of the service are magnified by training more providers who are able to deliver those services. Finally, by conducting research into what treatments these veterans find most effective in addressing their conditions, as well as into how this information can be most effectively relayed to other veterans and their care providers, it lays a foundation for lasting change in the way these services could be provided in the future.
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