I shared my introductory thoughts on the new approach and direction that Foundations Seminars have taken in the December edition of this newsletter. If you would like to read this again, please click here. I’ve had the chance to share this information with a good number of therapists over the past few months at various… Continue Reading
Pattern Recognition and Streamlining Evaluation
Changing from a mechanical/postural model to one with more plausibility has entailed numerous modifications to both evaluation and treatment. Myofascial release is traditionally based in the mechanical/postural model, with treatment following from an evaluation based on said mechanical/postural (MP) findings. While my conscious shift away from this model started less than six months ago, I… Continue Reading
The Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminar Approach… in a Nutshell
Based on my WordPress Statistics Page, there are a few thousand of you reading this blog, many of whom have taken myofascial release training. I may have taught some of you, while others may have trained with different teachers. While practicing a single named modality, such as Myofascial Release, should produce very similar technique amongst… Continue Reading
More Myths
There have been a number of bodywork myths busted over the past few years, though the supporters of them often let them go while kicking and screaming. I believe that whenever you make it a mission to expose a potential myth for public discussion, you risk verbal missiles directed at you. Well, I am taking… Continue Reading
Cross Pollination
I was recently listening to a radio show from a local NPR affiliate. The interview was with the director of a dance company that pioneer an innovative form of dance done while dangling from ropes on the sides of buildings. She described their work as a “cross pollination of various dance forms”. That term resonated… Continue Reading
Beef Jerky
What if today was the first day of your education in bodywork, where you were sitting down in your first class as a budding MT/PT/OT/Whatever T? Your instructor started the lecture with “You know all of those hard/ropy/toughened areas that we feel under the skin? Well the best thing to get rid of those is… Continue Reading
Learning a New Language: What Is Happening Under My Hands?
I remember reading once that you have not mastered a new language until you begin to dream in that language (or maybe I dreamt that, I’m not sure). Either way, I have long realized that the “structuralist” mentality that I possess is a hard one to shake. What is a structuralist? One who sees pain/dysfunction… Continue Reading
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
OK, I did a lot more this summer than this, but there is one thing I want to tell you about. Why should you care what I did? Apparently you read my blog because I have something important to say. This one is real important, at least I think so. Many of you longtime readers… Continue Reading
Palpation Accuracy
I just recently posted two articles to the Research Page of the website (#299 and 300), that speak of the lack of reliability and accuracy in the palpation of pelvic landmarks, specifically the PSIS’s. In my Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars, I speak in depth about this problem and how practice makes perfect. While some… Continue Reading
Shaving, Marketing, and Myofascial Release
(An Editorial) I took a big step this morning, at least a big one for me. I switched to an old fashioned double edged razor, the kind my dad used to use before Bic came out with their early disposable razors. I’ve used various types and styles of disposable type razors and cartridge blades all… Continue Reading
Sanding Drywall and Myofascial Release
I have spent a good part of the last two weekends sanding drywall. It is thankless and dirty job, but ultimately a satisfying one for me. Our kitchen remodel is nearly complete and I’ve managed to keep from breathing in too much of the dust! For those of you who’ve never done so, sanding drywall… Continue Reading
New Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars
I have recently added a few new locations to the schedule and am currently in the process of confirming a few more…sign up for the MFRmail Newsletter to keep informed of all upcoming Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars. Foundations I Lafayette, Indiana: June 22-24, 2012 (space still available) Rochester, NY: September 14-16, 2012 San Diego,… Continue Reading
Unwinding at Windmills: The Value of Evaluation
Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes’ character and book of the same name, threatened to “tilt at windmills” that he believed were enemies. The term “tilting at windmills” often refers to describe confrontations where adversaries are incorrectly perceived (1). Incorrect perceptions in Myofascial Release are often the result of incomplete (or lack of) evaluation prior to… Continue Reading
Curiosity and the Magic Wand
I believe curiosity is one of the strongest assets that make a therapist successful. But, curiosity on the part of my patients can reap even bigger outcomes. I have an acquaintance who is a mental health therapist. In her office she keeps a toy magic wand. Among others things, she will often give it to… Continue Reading
The Evolution of Technique
A funny thing happens when you use a modality long enough; technique seems less important. In the beginning, the techniques were everything. How many classes could I take and how many new techniques could I learn? Of course there were plenty of new seminars to fill my needs, each promising more and more. But after… Continue Reading
1.6%: The normalcy of spinal curves
1.6%: The normalcy of spinal curves 1.6%. That is the percentage of people who have a perfectly straight spine, one with no lateral deviation whatsoever. Those were the findings of Dr. William P. Bunnell, Professor, and Chairperson, Loma Linda University Medical Center, who in 1992 published his paper; Outcome of Spinal Screening. The study looked at… Continue Reading
