Fibromyalgia is a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues. Fibromyalgia affects 3% of the U.S. population (women comprise 85% of those affected) and causes diverse symptoms, including the distribution of tender points all over the body, chronic pain in soft tissues, fatigue, and sleep disturbances.9 The tender […]
Lesson 23-2: Fibromyalgia Read More »
Population level surveys indicate that between 11% and 40% of the U.S. population report some level of chronic pain, with millions suffering from daily, severe, and disabling pain.1 A 2023 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that approximately 24% of U.S. adults (over 50 million people) experience chronic pain, with
Lesson 23-1: Understanding Pain Read More »
In your massage practice, regardless of the setting (e.g., clinic, spa, cruise ship, home office), you will encounter clients with pathologies, many of which cause chronic pain. Some clients seek massage purely as a luxury, while others are looking to massage to help them manage their conditions. In any case, you must have a strong
Lesson 23-0: Introduction Read More »
Musculoskeletal injuries can be categorized in numerous ways. This topic explores injuries based on occurrence patterns such as acute traumatic injuries, overexertion injuries, and overuse injuries. Musculoskeletal injuries are also categorized by structure as muscle, tendon, joint, bone, or nerve injuries. Note that the conditions described here are injuries and not diseases like rheumatoid arthritis,
Lesson 22-3: Understanding Common Musculoskeletal Injuries Read More »
As discussed earlier, tissue failure and injury result when tissue is loaded beyond its mechanical strength or repeatedly loaded without sufficient time for rest and recovery. To repair the damage done to tissue, the body rapidly reacts to any injury with a series of specific vascular, chemical, and cellular events referred to as the inflammatory
Lesson 22-2: The Inflammatory Response and Massage Treatment Read More »
Musculoskeletal injury involves damage to muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels, or other related soft-tissue structures that causes discomfort, pain, or loss of function. This section examines factors that contribute to musculoskeletal injury, including tissue loads, the forces that act on soft-tissue structures, how forces might overload tissue leading to injury, and risks that
Lesson 22-1: Factors in Musculoskeletal Injury Read More »
In simple terms, injury is tissue damage. This chapter focuses on damage involving muscle tissue, connective tissue, veins, arteries, and nervous tissue caused by physical trauma. Use the slider below to get an overview of each lesson. Several related topics in other chapters support and round out this discussion. This chapter, together with Chapters 19
Lesson 22-0: Introduction Read More »
Neuromuscular therapy (NMT) is a form of bodywork that aims to locate, treat, and prevent chronic pain associated with myofascial trigger points. Many healthcare professionals, including massage therapists, athletic coaches, physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, dentists, and occupational therapists, use techniques derived from NMT. This section briefly discusses the origins of NMT, explains the basics
Lesson 21-2: Neuromuscular Therapy Read More »
Several bodywork systems (e.g., proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, muscle energy technique, and others) have been developed based on the idea that proprioceptors like Golgi tendon organs and muscle spindles can be manipulated to reset muscle tone and resting length to improve muscular balance and function. In some cases, techniques strengthen weakened muscles and help to facilitate
Lesson 21-1: Proprioceptive Techniques Read More »
It is safe to say that every person, at some point in their life, has suffered from muscles that feel tight and cause stiffness and soreness that lead to a decrease in freedom of movement. This chapter looks at a number of techniques that address short, tight, sore muscle tissue and the interplay of neurological
Lesson 21-0: Introduction Read More »
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