Contact: Jennipher Walters

jennipher.w@mtti.net

816-523-9140 x109

WellSpring | MTTI Study Finds that Massage Improves Wellbeing in Police Officers

In a four-week study by WellSpring | MTTI, massage was shown to reduce fatigue, reduce stress and improve general wellbeing of Kansas City police officers.

KANSAS CITY, MO (January 14, 2010) – Kansas City police officers are stressed. Most sit for hours on end in a police car, only to be jolted by an emergency and expected to act quickly. Faced with a number of these difficult situations each day, it’s no wonder that the rate of depression, suicide and divorce in police officers is higher than the normal population. Additionally, police officers aren’t always recognized for their hard work in the community. WellSpring | MTTI wanted to change all that.

“The positive effect of massage in the normal population and among people with different health conditions is well documented,” says Jennipher Walters, WellSpring marketing director. “However, police officers have not been studied in public research when it comes to massage therapy. We wanted to give back to these officers and study how massage effected their profession and lives.”

Thus the four-week study was born. Last fall, WellSpring recruited four Kansas City, MO, police officers from high-stress patrol units. Two of the four had never received massage. Each officer came in once a week for four weeks for a complimentary 50-minute massage that was given by a WellSpring student at the top of his/her class in technique work. Before each massage, the officers completed a three-page survey that measured wellness, stress levels and happiness through ranking questions and four open-ended questions.

The results, despite the small sample size, were striking. When looking at average change from the first massage to the final massage, these results were found:

·          11% had an increased general sense of wellbeing

·          Stress levels decreased 8%

·          17% felt more rested when they woke up in the morning

·          60% had fewer incidence of headaches

·          22% had an increase in the ability to concentrate well

·          71% had a decrease in feeling fatigued

·          100% of subjects noted feeling more relaxed in their open-ended answers.

One male participant, who was at the time training for his first full Ironman Triathlon, said that the regular massage helped both his physical and mental state—on and off the job.

“It came at a great time because of an increase in my physical training at the time,” he says. ”I felt better physically because of the release of toxins from my muscles. I was able to train harder and with less pain. I also noticed a decrease in my emotional stress. Late in the week, I was able to calm down at the anticipation of the upcoming massage.”

In order to benefit more officers and to increase the statistical significance of the findings, WellSpring plans to hold the study again with more officers and an extended term of regular massage.

“What we accomplished and found was fantastic, but we want to do more,” says Don Farquharson, Executive Director of WellSpring. “These officers do so much for us—it’s a way both to show our gratitude for what they do and to bring the benefits of massage therapy to the forefront.”

For a full abstract of the study, please contact Jennipher Walters at Jennipher.w@mtti.net.

For more about MTTI-WellSpring, please call 816-523-9140 for information about ourKansas City campus at 9140 Ward Parkway, Suite 100, or 785-856-3903 for information regarding our Lawrence campus, at 947 New Hampshire. Additional information can be found on our Web site at www.MTTI.net.

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