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 […]
This is an exciting time to be in the massage profession, with research that is shedding new light on different facets of our work. Pain is the most common reason people seek the care of a massage therapist, and the more we understand about pain, the better we can participate in a comprehensive solution to […]
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. […]
Clinical practice is often changed by research that sheds new light on treatment methods. When translating results from research studies to clinical practice we must not overgeneralize the results or use one single study as final unconfirmed proof of anything. However, there are times when a study is truly groundbreaking and is an indication of […]
About a year ago Melissa was involved in a car accident where she sustained a moderate whiplash injury. She had pretty serious pain in her neck for several weeks, but then it subsided. Recently she’s been having a very similar pain sensation, although she has not had any recent injury that would appear to aggravate […]
I’m not sure when it really happened. I guess these things don’t often happen with a sudden event, but with a gradual period of change when you look around and notice that things look different than they used to. For me I think it began several years ago when I started running across some articles […]
Orthopedic injuries to the nervous system are one of the more complex areas to understand. The nervous system is so pervasive throughout our body that there is hardly any tissue that is not affected by it in some way or another. While certain peripheral nerve conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome get a great deal of […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
