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The massage therapy profession has come leaps and bounds ahead of where it was in its infancy in the 1960s. The field continues to develop and still has some growing pains as it faces contemporary challenges. The profession has diversified as it has matured and realized its true potential. Today, there are a host of […]

In the mid-1950s, Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues devised an organizational system for categorizing levels of learning and cognitive complexity. This system has been used extensively in curriculum development for all grade levels and in higher education. It has also more recently been modified and updated. The updated Bloom’s taxonomy model is precious for organizing […]

Massage therapists focus a great deal of attention on muscles when addressing client’s pain and injury complaints. However, other soft tissues may also play a prominent role in various pain complaints. Tendon and ligament injuries comprise a significant number of musculoskeletal disorders. Understanding structure and function of tendons and ligaments and how they are injured […]

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is a term that describes generalized anterior knee pain around or under the patella. Overactivity and excessive mechanical load on the patellofemoral joint are the leading causes. There isn’t an apparent tissue dysfunction for the pain, but several factors may contribute to the discomfort felt during movement. Below we discuss key […]

Joint motion is usually described as a movement between two articulating bones. That is an accurate description of joint mechanics at most skeletal joints in the body. Spinal motion however is more complicated, as it involves multiple joints. It also includes many soft-tissues spanning those joints. In this issue we look at the complexities of […]

If you’ve ever worked with competitive runners or others with active lifestyles, you’ve likely encountered the term overpronation (also called hyperpronation). Overpronation can be a challenging biomechanical pattern leading to multiple lower extremity disorders. It can also be an incidental finding that exists, but is not causing a person’s current pain complaint. The trick for […]

Foot pain is a common occurrence in our society. Whether it is standing all day on your job, or giving your feet a serious challenge by running long distances on pavement, the feet certainly can take a beating.  Most everyone would agree that it feels great to get your feet massaged, and massage therapy can […]

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body. The challenge with such extensive mobility, however, is that mechanical support and function relies heavily on the soft tissues. Consequently there are more soft-tissue disorders in this region. Bursitis and rotator cuff pathology are common diagnoses for soft-tissue shoulder pain. While both of these occur, […]

Understand shoulder separation and the misconceptions surrounding it, as well as how to accurately identify and treat the condition.   Introduction There are numerous orthopedic disorders that develop a common name by which they are more frequently known. Examples include runner’s knee or tennis elbow. A shoulder separation is another condition that has come to […]

Learn about some of the difficulties in sacroiliac joint evaluation tests, and the issues with common procedures used to identify sacroiliac joint dysfunction.   The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is a complex anatomical structure. It is the joint where the weight of the upper body, borne by the skeletal elements, is transferred to the lower extremities […]