What are your thoughts? Why do such seemingly innocuous interventions sooth our patients so? What can an Ace Wrap really do? As a physical therapist, I see many patients with joint-related complaints, usually pain or feelings of instability Some have seen their PCP or specialist, others came to me first. Most have gotten advice from… Continue Reading
The power of touch and presence vs. modality specific beliefs
The power of touch and presence vs. modality specific beliefs Disclaimer: I teach continuing education seminars for a living. When we touch patients in a therapeutic intervention, how many different “things” or actions can we really be accomplishing? How many different structures can we really make contact with or elicit change? With higher levels of… Continue Reading
Stories: Let Your Stories Mature and Grow
The topic of stories is one that has intrigued me for quite a long time and I’ve begun to talk a lot about stories during my seminars. I will have more to say in future blog posts, but for now I want to share an article I wrote that is published in the newest edition… Continue Reading
MFR Treatment Tips: The Occipital Lift
I’ve added another MFR Treatment Tip short video to YouTube that should make this effective technique sequence even easier for you and your patient. Questions or comment? Just leave a note in the comments section here! Cheers, Walt Fritz, PT www.FoundationsinMFR.com Continue Reading
MFR Treatment Tips: An easy way to achieve posterior pelvic tilt
As I teach, there are certain concepts/techniques which are self-explanatory, while others have nuances which make them harder to convey, both in the classroom as well as once the therapist is back in their clinic. In the past I’ve sent out Treatment Tips, but the printed word and still photos only go so far. Recently… Continue Reading
Self Treatment/Indirect Effects: Striving for Simplicity.
A few Sunday afternoon thoughts on how we may be treating ourselves each time we treat another…nothing too strenuous, it’s Sunday. How many times have your patients/clients commented on the warmth of your hands? If you are like me, it happens daily. I’ve not spent time searching for clues as to why, and I am… Continue Reading
The Subjectivity of “Cause” (And how it can make us think we are smarter than we really are!)
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
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
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
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
An Interview With Tony Friese, PT
The Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminars draw from a fairly wide range of health professionals, including physical therapist, occupational therapists, massage therapists, athletic trainers, nurses, and osteopaths. All of these professionals have a huge number of continuing education opportunities to choose from, which led me to wonder “Why take a Foundations in Myofascial Release Seminar?”.… Continue Reading
A Map of the Body and the New Myofascial Release
If there were one map of the body for all to follow, a map that showed all areas of injury, trauma, and pain, along with the necessary route to take to eliminate those issues, life would be simple. I received a new GPS this past Christmas. My old GPS had become unreliable due to a… Continue Reading
