Whitney Lowe Nerve pain in the hand is a common complaint for clients but can also be an occupational challenge for massage practitioners. The most common cause of nerve compression symptoms in the upper extremity is carpal tunnel syndrome. However, other upper extremity nerve compression problems exist and are frequently overshadowed by it. One such problem that warrants … Read more
Soft-tissue foot pain is widespread, especially in active populations. Problems such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis, or tarsal tunnel syndrome are commonly reported causes of chronic pain and disability. However, another muscle in the foot should be considered when investigating medial ankle or plantar surface foot pain. Disorders of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) are … Read more
Open up any trade publication or listing of continuing education courses and you will see a vast array of different techniques you can learn. Many of these technique approaches claim to be new “inventions” and completely revolutionary. While there are clearly novel approaches to bodywork treatment, many of these techniques are simply variations on traditional massage … Read more
I recently received an email from a practitioner concerned about a study he’d read about massage. The study reported that massage did not aid the removal of lactic acid from the body nor did it increase circulation, both commonly reported effects of massage. He was concerned that what he had learned in school wasn’t true … Read more
Introduction and BackgroundOrthopedic massage is a highly effective system for addressing soft-tissue pain and injury complaints. What makes this approach so effective with a wide variety of movement system disorders is the fact that it is a comprehensive treatment approach and not just a massage technique. In the mid-1990s I proposed a model for an … Read more
When a client presents with a set of familiar symptoms it is easy to jump to the conclusion that we know what is going on. However, we can often be led astray. As clinicians, we must always consider there may be several possible causes of symptoms that are presented by our clients. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease … Read more
Helping client’s manage pain is an important role for soft-tissue therapists. Consequently, many look to adjunctive treatments or products for assistance in this pursuit. Some of the most common adjunctive treatments used by massage practitioners and recommended to clients are topical analgesics. Analgesics are substances or agents that relieve pain without causing a loss of … Read more
I have been having some interesting conversations with industry leaders in the last couple of weeks about continuing education and advanced credentialing. I’ve also participated in some lively social media discussions around these same subjects. There are certainly some strong feelings and opinions about continuing education requirements in our field. More than once I have … Read more
What’s this bump on the back of my heel and why does it hurt so much? This is sometimes called a pump bump and is caused by several key mechanical factors. Let’s take a look… The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body. It has to be this strong because of … Read more
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