CNS Student Research Published in Peer-Reviewed Journal
We are proud to celebrate an exciting achievement from the Center for Neurosomatic Studies: CNS student Kirana Peters, BS, BFA, CNS, LMT, has had her research published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB).
Her case report, “Managing Musculoskeletal Pain Through Targeted Therapeutic Massage During Pregnancy,” examines the use of Neurosomatic Therapy (NST) to address musculoskeletal pain during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Putting Neurosomatic Therapy Into Research
Pregnancy creates significant changes in the musculoskeletal system. As the body adapts to a changing center of gravity, alterations in the pelvis, spine, musculature, and posture can contribute to low-back, pelvic, rib, and other musculoskeletal pain.
Rather than simply treating the location where a patient reported pain, Kirana's study used the structural approach taught at CNS: assess the body as an interconnected system, identify structural asymmetries and potential sources of compensation, and use those findings to develop a targeted treatment strategy.
The case followed a 36-year-old patient during her third trimester of pregnancy. Over five weeks, the patient received 10 one-hour Neurosomatic Therapy sessions, approximately twice per week.
Each session incorporated:
A review of the patient's current symptoms
Detailed postural and structural assessment using a posturology chart
Identification of structural asymmetries and potential muscular contributors
Targeted massage and neuromuscular techniques based on the assessment
Ongoing measurement of pain and function
What Did the Study Find?
The results were interesting—and also demonstrate why clinical research can be more complicated than simply asking whether a patient's pain score went up or down.
Standardized McGill Pain Questionnaire and Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale scores did not demonstrate significant improvement. However, the patient's session-by-session reports told a different story.
Across the first nine treatment sessions, the patient reported either decreased pain or no pain following treatment. Symptoms involving areas including the neck, shoulder, forearms, low back, sacroiliac region, and ribs were addressed during the course of treatment.
Perhaps most meaningful to the patient was the comparison with her previous pregnancy. During her first pregnancy, she reported rib pain that could reach 8–9 out of 10. During the pregnancy examined in the case report, she reported that her day-to-day pain remained considerably more manageable and did not exceed 4 out of 10 while receiving treatment.
Importantly, because this was a single-patient case report, the study cannot establish that Neurosomatic Therapy caused that difference. Kirana appropriately identifies that limitation and calls for research involving larger groups of patients.
An Interesting Question About Measuring Pain During Pregnancy
One of the most thought-provoking findings of the paper goes beyond Neurosomatic Therapy itself.
Pregnancy presents a unique challenge for researchers attempting to measure musculoskeletal treatment outcomes.
As pregnancy progresses, activities such as bending, rolling over in bed, walking, and putting on shoes may naturally become more difficult—even if a treatment is successfully helping control musculoskeletal pain.
That means traditional pain and disability questionnaires may not always distinguish between limitations caused by pain and those resulting from the normal physical progression of pregnancy.
Kirana suggests that future research may benefit from pregnancy-specific outcome measures that account for these normal week-by-week changes.
From the CNS Classroom to Published Research
This case report was conducted while Kirana was enrolled at the Center for Neurosomatic Studies, where students complete a comprehensive 1,278-hour program emphasizing advanced anatomy, clinical massage, structural assessment, and neuromuscular techniques.
The treatments in the study were performed under the supervision of a certified Neurosomatic Specialist and CNS instructor.
For us, this publication represents something particularly meaningful: the clinical reasoning and structural assessment methods taught at CNS are contributing to the larger professional conversation surrounding massage therapy, pain management, and evidence-informed manual therapy.
We congratulate Kirana Peters on the work required to take a student research project all the way through the peer-review and publication process.
We hope her work also encourages future CNS students and graduates to ask questions, document what they observe in clinical practice, and contribute to the growing body of research surrounding therapeutic massage and Neurosomatic Therapy.
Read the complete peer-reviewed case report:
Managing Musculoskeletal Pain Through Targeted Therapeutic Massage During Pregnancy: A Case ReportKirana Peters, BS, BFA, CNS, LMTInternational Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, Vol. 19, No. 3 (2026)
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