A recent online discussion made me look at the concept of what we, as body workers, view as cause, in terms of pain and dysfunction in the human body. In my education, I was taught a seemingly useful adage “find the pain, look elsewhere for the cause”. However, cause was always based on an antiquated… Continue Reading
T-Plus Six Days: Route 20/Happy
The house my wife and I own sits on the longest road in the United States. US Route 20 runs from Boston, MA to Newport, OR, one mile from the Pacific Ocean. Route 20 is an old road and, at least the part of it that runs through our small Upstate New York village, and… Continue Reading
T-Plus Three Days
It’s been three days since my rotator cuff repair and acromioplasty. I’ve been watching a lot of TV despite my best intentions prior to the surgery to work through my To-Do pile right from the start. This is the first day I can use the fingers of my right hand to type if I hold… Continue Reading
T-Minus Two Days: Ice
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jigokudani_hotspring_in_Nagano_Japan_001.jpg Celebrex is not a wonder drug. There, I said it. In yesterday’s post I had hoped that Celebrex would help me to sleep better with less pain, but it has failed me. I now have a continuous cold/heat machine-thing to try tonight and beyond, courtesy of my office-mates. Ice will be my constant companion… Continue Reading
T-Minus Four Days
http://bluefaqs.com/2010/08/50-remarkable-black-and-white-images-of-people/ I don’t know how many of you can remember when space missions were a big deal; how back in the 60’s people really did stop what they were doing to watch a lift-off or landing. “T-minus” referred to the time remaining until the launch. Yesterday was T-minus four days until my surgery. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countdown In… Continue Reading
Our Patient’s Stories
As a physical therapist in private practice, I’ve had the opportunity to work with thousands of patients over the years. I’ve streamlined my intake process collect the data I need to efficiently move through the initial evaluation process and make an assessment of needs. My intake form has changed over the years, based on my… Continue Reading
Frozen Chicken and Myofascial Release/Manual Therapy
What is the Deal With the Frozen Chicken?Using analogy can be an effective means of teaching new concepts. Since I started my Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars in 2006, I have moved in a direction that makes my teaching style unique. Moving away from mysticism and toward plausible explanatory models has been the hallmark of… Continue Reading
Therapeutic Taping for Pain Control
If your daily mail reads like mine, hardly a week passes when I do not receive a course listing for some sort of therapeutic taping class coming to town. I am impressed by the very artistic swirly patterns that are shown on the trim/fit bodies of the models, but is that (excessive) amount and complexity… Continue Reading
Google Scholar Vs. Google
I came upon a statistic which showed that in the December of 2013, Google garnered a 67.3% share of search engine queries, while Bing (18.2%) and Yahoo (10.8%) trailed considerably. My favorite search engine, Google Scholar, did not make the list. Google has proven itself as a favorite means to access information of all sorts… Continue Reading
Professional Boundaries, Continuing a Dialogue: Is It Time For A Change?
Update: 08/07/14. Subsequent to the post below, the therapist mentioned below was sentenced from 7-14 years in prison. A bit of investigative searching on your own will bring up the details of this case. The testimony was convincing enough to have this therapist, who was performing myofascial release, convicted of sexual assault on multiple female… Continue Reading
Above The E-Fold™
Above the fold (From Wikipedia): Above the fold is the upper half of the front page of a newspaper where an important news story or photograph is often located. Papers are often displayed to customers folded so that only the top half of the front page is visible. Thus, an item that is “above the… Continue Reading
Zen and the Art of (Manual) Therapy™
My sessions start like most, where there is a short interview/update, a sharing of information to tell me the present state of being. This time gives me feedback on what we’ve done and direction on where we need to go. Listen, then move forward into treatment. Today, one of my morning sessions started just this… Continue Reading
Keeping Up With The Changes and New Year’s Resolutions.
Hi Everyone, One last post for 2013; one that puts this year into some perspective, at least for me. 2013 has been a year of great change and growth, both for my private physical therapy practice (another story), as well as for Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars. Integrating proven science-based explanatory models into this myofascial… Continue Reading
MFR Treatment Tips on the Lumbosacral Decompression Technique
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you are well aware of my appreciation of Dycem as an aid to treatment and self-treatment. Not only does it improve our grip, allowing a lighter touch with less fatigue, but it also widens the area of contact, allowing us to engage more of our… Continue Reading
Notes on Winged Scapula, Weakness and Postural Asymmetry
True winging of the scapula is a rare condition that results form paralysis of the long thoracic nerve or damage to the serratus anterior muscle. But the observation of winged scapula is a regular part of many physical therapy assessments and treatment plans. Viewed as a larger problem of postural weakness, it becomes the focus… Continue Reading
Borborygmus
Borborygmus (plural borborygmi) (from Greek βορβορυγμός) also known as stomach growling, or rumbling, is the rumbling sound produced by the movement of gas through the intestines of animals, including humans. (from Wikipedia) It is viewed as a common and natural occurrence that happens as fluids and gasses pass through the gastrointestinal tract. But I learned… Continue Reading
