Introduction Do you ever recall sitting in a classroom in school and thinking that one or two students were getting the lion’s share of attention when others had things to contribute as well? It seems the world of soft-tissue pain and injury problems shares this metaphor. Take nerve entrapment for example. As soon as you […]
Tag Archives | cutaneous nerves
Deciphering Elusive Symptoms of Nerve Injury
One of the most challenging situations facing practitioners who work with pain and injury conditions is correctly interpreting nerve injury symptoms. It seems that in so many massage therapy training programs the nervous system gets only cursory attention, yet pain originating in the nervous system is a critical factor that drives people to our practices. […]
Unraveling the Complexities of Piriformis Syndrome
Introduction Cultural colloquialisms develop from real world experiences. When something is very difficult or annoying we characteristically refer to it as a real “pain in the butt”. And, well that is the perfect description for this syndrome. Sciatica is a poorly defined condition that generally refers to any pain sensation felt in the gluteal region […]
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
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 […]
Exploring Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
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 […]
Putting the Squeeze on Morton’s Neuroma
One of the more common nerve entrapment problems affecting the lower extremity is Morton’s neuroma. The term, neuroma, is a bit of a misnomer because this condition generally does not involve a true neuroma, which is essentially a nerve cyst or tumor, and instead involves nerve impingement in the forefoot region. In most cases it […]
The Hidden Nervous System
Introduction An extensive network of nerves courses throughout virtually every tissue in our bodies. Yet, if you look up information on nerve injuries in medical resources you will find most of the attention on the pathologies associated with the large nerves, such as the sciatic, median, or ulnar nerves. However, there are many small nerves […]