Shielded Work for the Win When beginning my manual therapy journey over 30 years ago, I was taught such work (myofascial release) must be done directly on the skin. It was said that if we worked over clothing, we were “releasing” clothing, not the fascia. Most complied with those requests, as group norms and tribal… Continue Reading
Tools for Trismus and Jaw Opening-Related Conditions
Tools for Trismus and Jaw Opening-Related Conditions A few years back, I made a post about self-treatment options for radiation-induced trismus and other jaw-related problems. Since that time, I’ve found more readily accessible items that can help your patients with these conditions. While my preferred treatment method is using a very gentle finger inserted between… Continue Reading
The hyoid. Must we work so aggressively?
The hyoid. Must we work so aggressively? Manual interventions to the anterior neck take many forms. My early training taught us to grasp the hyoid at the posterior aspect to check alignment and “freedom.” Though never told to squeeze, when I received this work from other students and later, as part of treatment, the grip… Continue Reading
The mechanism of action for laryngeal manual therapies: the need for an update.
The mechanism of action for laryngeal manual therapies: the need for an update. In general, laryngeal manual therapies and manual therapy models tend towards narrow explanatory perspectives. Yet the various touch styles involved with such therapies have not been proven to be more than nonspecific. Having been taught through a modality that claims to target… Continue Reading
Incorporating manual therapy
Incorporating manual therapy into current interventions: Tips from peers. In the eleven years that the Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders course has been taught, one of the more frequent questions facing new learners is a deeper understanding of how manual therapy (and shared decision-making) is to be incorporated into the treatment routines… Continue Reading
Choosing the right technique
Choosing the right technique. Continue Reading
Seeing the Forest for the trees: Putting fascia in perspective when treating the whole person
Seeing the forest for the trees: Putting fascia in perspective when treating the whole person. (Placing individual tissue perspectives into context) Fascia is a hot topic among many health and fitness professionals, but why so? Can we treat fascia? As an isolated structure, can we, beyond a reasonable doubt, be accurate in blaming fascial problems… Continue Reading
References cited in Walt Fritz, PT’s Presentation at the 3rd World Congress of Fascia, September 23, 2023
References cited in Walt Fritz, PT’s Presentation at the 3rd World Congress of Fascia, September 23, 2023 “Seeing the Forest for the trees: Putting fascia in perspective when treating the whole person.” You can access a downloadable reference list from this link. Continue Reading
A FEES view of manual therapy
A FEES view of manual therapy For most, getting the opportunity to visualize how manual therapy impacts internal structures is a rare event. I’m fortunate to have owners of FEES devices bring them to select Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders classes, allowing us to view those images. The methods taught in the… Continue Reading
“What do I do first, what do I do next, and when am I finished?”
“What do I do first, what do I do next, and when am I finished?” Walt Fritz, PT/Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders The touch-based, shared decision-making model of manual therapy I teach to speech-language pathologists and others is relatively simple, yet some find it complex. It seems complicated to those expecting me… Continue Reading
Touch and touch-based cueing: Where does the vocal coach/teacher fit?
Touch and touch-based cueing: Where does the vocal coach/teacher fit? In an effort to mine some data, I recently posted a set of questions on several Facebook groups. My post went: “An education, please. How do professionals here see the role of touch cueing in their work? For instance, is touching a student to encourage… Continue Reading
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast Interview, with Whitney Lowe
The Thinking Practitioner Podcast Interview, with Whitney Lowe I was honored to be a guest on The Thinking Practitioner Podcast with Whitney Lowe. Whitney and I met many years ago when we were both presenting at a conference in Winnipeg, Canada, and I’ve followed his work since then. Our talk centered around one of my… Continue Reading
New Links
New Links Click on the above image to download the paper. Continue Reading
Palpation: An Art of Not Knowing
Palpation: An Art of Not Knowing Learning palpation, to feel what we need to feel in order to intervene, is a source of frustration for newcomers to the manual therapy field. As I teach my Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders course to SLP and others, many of who’ve yet to be exposed… Continue Reading
Treatment by Walt Fritz, PT
Receive expert intervention from the person who teaches others Walt Fritz, PT, has been in private practice for over two decades and has been educating health professionals through person-centered manual therapy intervention since 2007. More recently, he has taught this work to speech-language pathologists and voice professionals to aid them in their interventions with patients… Continue Reading
Manual therapy safety in the head and neck: A person-centered guide
Manual therapy safety in the head and neck: A person-centered guide The December 2022 issue of the Massage New Zealand publication contained a feature article I was asked to write. The topic of safety when working in the head and neck field can take many forms, including strict medical concerns. I wrote a broader article… Continue Reading
