Massage Therapist Breaks New Ground at Anglo-European College of Chiropractic

By E. Dunn Successful patient-centered practice requires inter-professional collaborations in order to maximize care outcomes. This was emphasized recently by massage therapist Mr. Paul Lewis at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) in Bournemouth, UK, where he recently served as an invited guest lecturer. Lewis, BA, RMT, CDT, is recipient of the 2015 Training Provider Highly Commended award from the UK and Ireland’s Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT). In two workshops given this fall at the AECC, Lewis introduced chiropractic students to techniques of advanced massage therapy, including his unique approach to treatment of soft tissue issues (Dynamic Angular Petrissage). His workshops focused on improving patient outcomes by augmenting chiropractic treatment with methods of therapeutic massage. Lewis stressed the importance of systematically address soft tissue problems via thorough assessment, application of good clinical reasoning, and having a clear rationale for each technique applied. He demonstrated the value of addressing all anatomic structures involved in any given soft tissue problem, the importance of using a variety of treatment positions, and showed how therapeutic massage can be an important integrative tool when implemented prior to chiropractic treatment. The AECC opened in 1965 as the first chiropractic college in the UK and Europe and has since become a global leader in musculoskeletal healthcare. Recognized and supported by the British Chiropractic Association and the international chiropractic community since its inception, the school offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and accredited clinical programmes. This includes the BSc (Hons) Clinical Exercise Science course delivered in partnership with Bournemouth University. The AECC’s commitment to education, clinical training and research is consistent with Lewis’ passion to advance inter-professional collaboration between massage therapists and other health-care professionals. Dr. Browning, Deputy Director of Clinic at AECC, attended the workshops. She nicely summed up the attributes that contributed to Lewis receiving his 2015 Training Provider award from the FHT, saying: “The students appreciated having a non-chiropractor show them some useful techniques. Particularly good were patient positioning, order of treatments and dynamic angular petrissage. The students also commented that it was nice to learn from someone who showed them different options and let them think for themselves to problem solve rather than dictating to them. I appreciated how very quickly he adapted his presentation to the level of education of the students and type of Thumper ® equipment that we had for the class. Educating, and introducing our students to other health care providers and their roles in a patient centered care environment is the key to making educated choices and to empowering the students so they are able to make insightful decisions as to the efficacy of collaborating with other health professionals for the betterment of the patient. Prior to presenting at the AECC in Bournemouth, Lewis was at the AMTA convention in Pittsburg, PA presenting his poster on treating axillary web syndrome post surgery, then off to Germany where he was collaborating on the care of clients, presented workshops at Camexpo in London, the Beauty show in Manchester and on the Isle of Wight. He recently spoke at Warwick University to second-year medical students about care for breast cancer patients, incorporating discussions on case presentation, pathology, treatment and outcomes, and introduced them to the important role CAM can play in breast cancer care. Frequently traveling between London and Toronto, Paul Lewis works in conjunction with Doctors of Chiropractic, Medical Doctors and in multi-disciplinary settings providing collaborative treatment within his scope of practice. He sees patients with pain, discomfort and restricted range of motion resulting from surgical procedures such as mastectomy and hip/knee replacements, as well as with other soft tissue related issues. A Registered Massage Therapist, Combined Decongestive Therapist, Aqua and group fitness instructor, Lewis is also an approved provider, presenting workshops based upon his clinical experience and knowledge. He is registered with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) in the US, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and also with The Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT) and the Complementary and Natural Health Council (CNHC) in Great Britain. Lewis has taught advanced treatment techniques, using a method called Dynamic Angular Petrissage (DAP), across North America, Europe and Japan. He has also contributed to a number of publications, including a case report currently under review by the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and has plans to return to AECC to present continuing education courses. For more information about Paul Lewis, click here.