Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice

Covering massage fundamentals, techniques, and anatomy and physiology, Susan Salvo’s Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice, 5th Edition brings a whole new meaning to the word ‘comprehensive.’ This student-friendly text boasts more than 700 illustrations and expanded sections on neuroscience, research, and special populations, plus new line drawings in the kinesiology chapter of origins and insertions that match the painted skeletons found in most classrooms. It makes the essential principles of massage therapy more approachable and prepares you for success in class, on licensing and board certification exams, and in a wide range of therapeutic practice settings.

• Clear, straightforward approach simplifies complex content for easier understanding.
• Complete anatomy and physiology section, in addition to material on techniques and foundations, gives you all the information you need in just one book.
• Certification Practice Exam on Evolve mimics the major certification exams in format and content, builds confidence, and helps increase pass rates.
• Over 700 high-quality illustrations, including line drawings and halftones, clarify difficult concepts in vibrant detail.
• Case studies challenge you to think critically and apply your understanding to realistic scenarios, foster open-mindedness, and stimulate dialogue.
• Profile boxes provide an inspirational, real-world perspective on massage practice from some of the most respected authorities in massage and bodywork.
• Clinical Massage chapter focuses on massage in clinical settings like hospitals, nursing homes, and medical offices to broaden your career potential.
• Two business chapters loaded with skills to make you more marketable and better prepared for today's competitive job market.
• Video icons refer you to the Evolve site featuring about 120 minutes of video covering techniques, routines, client interaction sequences, and case studies that facilitate the learning process and the practical application of the material.
• Evolve icons listed in each chapter encourage you to go beyond the lecture and reading assignments and learn more on the Evolve site.
• Evolve boxes at the end of each chapter list Chapter Extras found on Evolve that reinforce concepts learned in the chapter.

• NEW! Revised line drawing color scheme for origin and insertion matches the painted skeleton found in most classrooms, maintains consistency, and prevents confusion in learning origin and insertion points on the body.
• NEW! Coverage of Thai massage provides up-to-date content on the most useful, in-demand modalities that are most often requested by clients – and better prepares you for what you will encounter during training and practice.
• NEW! Updated text reflects changes to the new board certification exam so you have the most up-to-date, relevant information - and are fully prepared to pass the current exams.
• NEW! Brand new Think About It, Webquest, and Discussion features in each chapter’s Test Your Knowledge section build your vocabulary usage and critical thinking skills necessary for day-to-day work with clients.
• EXPANDED! More content on pain theories, the neuromatrix model, and pain management, plus updated guidelines for massage after surgery and injury, equips you with essential information when working in rehab.
• NEW! Updated instructor resources, featuring more TEACH lesson plan classroom activities and an additional 500 test questions, provide instructors with more ways to interact with and test students.

Dr. Susan Salvo has a diverse career in massage and academia spanning over 40 years. Susan is well-known as a thought leader and pioneer in evidence-informed practice, has written two widely-used textbooks, and presents at professional conferences around the world. She also reviews case reports for the Massage Therapy Foundation and was a task force member for the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge project and the Council of State Governments Interstate Compact. Susan’s writings, teachings, and research efforts focus on advancing the fields of massage, complementary and integrative health care, and higher education.

Affiliations and expertise:

Adjunct Professor, Louisiana Institute of Massage Therapy, USA

Adjunct Professor: Unitech Training Academy, USA

Adjunct Professor: Northeast College of Health Sciences, USA

Adjunct Professor: New Mexico School of Massage, USA