Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
Title	Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
Discipline	Physical therapy; Rehabilitation; Complementary medicine
Editor	???
Publisher	Elsevier
Country	United Kingdom
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1997–present
Issn	1360-8592

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies is a peer-reviewed periodical covering clinical practice and research in manual therapy, rehabilitation, and somatic approaches. Founded in the late 20th century, it publishes original research, systematic reviews, clinical case reports, and methodological papers for practitioners and academics. The journal interfaces with professional communities represented by organizations such as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the American Physical Therapy Association, the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists, the World Health Organization, and university departments exemplified by King's College London, University of Toronto, and University of Sydney.

History

The journal emerged amid shifts in manual therapy and allied health scholarship during the 1990s, parallel to developments at institutions such as University College London, Harvard Medical School, and McMaster University. Early contributors included clinicians and researchers affiliated with the Royal Society of Medicine, the British Pain Society, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists, and the Australian Physiotherapy Association, reflecting cross-pollination with departments at Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia University, and the University of Melbourne. Its formation coincided with broader debates evident in venues like the Cochrane Collaboration, the National Institutes of Health, and the European Commission on healthcare research funding, and it has been shaped by editorial practices seen at Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis titles.

Scope and Topics

The journal's remit spans assessment and intervention strategies drawn from osteopathy, chiropractic, physiotherapy, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, Pilates, Rolfing, and somatic psychotherapy, with clinical relevance for conditions managed in settings such as St Thomas' Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Research areas commonly include biomechanics, neuromuscular control, pain mechanisms, clinical trials, systematic reviews, health services research, and educational innovations tied to institutions like the European Academy of Osteopathy, the National Health Service, the Veterans Health Administration, and the World Confederation for Physical Therapy. Contributors often reference methodologies and frameworks associated with agencies and organizations such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the World Health Organization, the National Academy of Medicine, and research infrastructures at Stanford University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Karolinska Institutet.

Editorial and Peer-Review Process

Editorial governance reflects models used by prominent journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, JAMA, Physical Therapy (APTA), Spine, and Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, with an editorial board typically comprising academics and clinicians from institutions including University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of California San Francisco, and the University of British Columbia. Manuscripts undergo peer review processes similar to protocols endorsed by the Committee on Publication Ethics, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and CrossRef, and draw reviewers from networks anchored at hospitals and universities like Guy's and St Thomas', Yale School of Medicine, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and the University of Queensland.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services and citation databases analogous to Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, facilitating discoverability alongside titles such as Physiotherapy, Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, Manual Therapy, and Clinical Rehabilitation. Abstracting in these databases places it in the same retrieval environments used by researchers at institutions including the National Library of Medicine, the British Library, the Library of Congress, and university consortia at the University of Michigan and UCLA.

Impact and Reception

Citation and readership metrics position the journal among specialist outlets for manual and movement therapies, often compared with journals like Pain, The Spine Journal, and European Spine Journal in impact assessments undertaken by Clarivate Analytics and Scopus. Reception among professional bodies such as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the American Massage Therapy Association, the Australian Physiotherapy Association, and academic departments at Monash University, University of Edinburgh, and McGill University reflects its role in shaping clinical guidelines, education, and practice standards discussed at conferences including the World Congress of Biomechanics, the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine, and the Federation of European Physiotherapy.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

The journal has hosted influential reviews and clinical trials addressing low back pain, neck pain, chronic musculoskeletal pain, and rehabilitative exercise programs, often citing landmark works associated with researchers at McMaster University, the University of Sydney, and Maastricht University. Special issues have focused on topics paralleled in symposia organized by the European League Against Rheumatism, the International Association for the Study of Pain, and the American College of Sports Medicine, and have featured contributions from scholars connected to institutions such as the Karolinska Institutet, University of Copenhagen, and the University of Amsterdam.

Publication Details and Access

Published by Elsevier, the journal follows subscription and hybrid open-access models similar to other Elsevier titles, with distribution to libraries and consortia including the Association of Research Libraries, the British Library, and academic collections at Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Toronto. Online hosting leverages platforms used by ScienceDirect and institutional repositories at universities such as University of Melbourne, King's College London, and University of Glasgow. For authors, submission guidelines and ethical standards reflect those promoted by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the Committee on Publication Ethics, and funders such as the Wellcome Trust, the National Institutes of Health, and the European Research Council.

Category:Academic journals