Archive for March, 2010
Wonders of the Body
31 March 2010Have you ever massage a client who has a kind of bulge on their biceps brachii? I went to this CE class given by a Dr. Allen (Awesome) here in Vancouver, and he said that this happens when the bicep long head is out of the intertubercular groove. This groove helps to stabilize the tendon, poor posture rolls the tendon out of the groove (when the shoulders are medially rotated working on computers….) and creates the ball on the arm. Click, ding, the light goes on and it all makes scenes.
All you have to do is place the arm passively in anatomical position. Palpate with the other hand the pec minor origin on the ribs and slide at an angle toward the glenoid fossa and intertubercular groove. Once you get to this point, maintain your pressure (15-25%) and medially rotate the arm. You will feel the bicep tendon roll back into its groove. You can even do this on yourself. I personally can get my left tendon back into its groove, but the right is more challenging for me?? Must be the lack of strength?? I will keep practicing, because when they are in, I don’t round my shoulders medially, until I do something to kick it back out again. I took the class on Saturday and have used this technique on myself and many others, everyone’s tendons where out so far. Postural fixes pass them on.
What about Your Massage Education?
24 March 2010I ask a lot of rhetorical questions on my blog…
From the onset of my training, I noticed that their are some who are not in it for the healing affects, they were in it for the money. Now I must say throughout the education for those who stuck with it, they started to turn from the dark side to the light. They first are attracted to this career because of money and then turn their hearts toward the love of their career.
On the other hand the therapists desire, if it sticks to the thought of just making a ton of money, falls short of satisfaction in an otherwise very rewarding profession. I guess what I am trying to say, is that the ability to see the improvement and well-being in your clients is far more satisfying then the stress and strain of trying to rake in the doe.
So in that light, you want to have or seek out the best possible education for your training so you don’t have to worry about where the next buck is coming from, because of your performance in your profession, the clients will soon come to you. The education is the foundation, this is why it truly disturbs me to read about money centered programs that are designed to train a Massage Therapist. On top of that, money talks according to Princeton Review. You not only can pass others on a waiting list to get your education because you can afford the tuition, you get to be experimented on to see if this part online/ part lab curriculum works. It sounds great to be able to have this choice but, hows the curriculum? Do they truly gain a sure foundation for their respective profession, or is it just cattle call and money exchange?
The only sure way you can survive in a field that is in demand, is to have the knowledge necessary to support it. Without a sure place to stand, you shall surly falter. This Princeton Review idea can be a great asset, IF they have the best education available to go along with this money centered fast-track.
Massage Infant
17 March 2010It is over three years now that I have graduated from massage school. I have started and run my own business, formed a excellent client base and worked on improving the Massage-exam.com website. Yet I feel that number one, I just graduated and two there is still so much knowledge to obtain in this awesome career I have chosen. The body in and of itself is not fully understood, there are many unexplainable dimensions that are in exploration and I am sure with all this knowledge we have collected thus far is only scratching the surface to what our bodies functions and structure can teach us.
It is true you can find your nitch and then settle down, enjoying what you have learned and the simplicity of it all. For some reason I have chosen this never ending field that keeps me trying new techniques and tools to give so my client has a better time at combating daily postural and overuse issues.
Like everything in life we have the potential to grow, we must nourish it and use it to the fullest to gain the proper appreciation and give necessary attention that our occupation deserves.
AMTA Research
10 March 2010The AMTA has compiled research pertaining to our profession. Its an interesting read, you should check it out.
Ever Hear of MTBOK?
10 March 2010I stumbled upon them in my research this morning. On my blog, I talk a lot about the Massage Community this, and we need that, and man how in the heck did that happen?. In 2007 the AMTA, AMPB, FSMTB, NCBTMB and MTF combined efforts to create a Massage Standard for our Community across the Nation. In the world of Profession I learned this is called the Body of Knowledge or “BOK”. You don’t have to read all my blogs to know that I am very on board with this effort.
The MTBOK or Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge stands for innovation and a strong foundation for the future. So many times I have heard that “My instructor didn’t teach me about this, do I really need to know it?” When it comes to things like the Mechanical and Reflexive responses to the different techniques given in massage, yes it is helpful for you to know so you can provide the best possible massage per your clients complaints, and for your licensing exam. Or the other popular and scary question I get “Why do I need to know about Innervation’s?” UHHH?
Industry standards are a must, and I personally know of a great place to start; Everest College and Institutes oh my! I am told they have a mod curriculum program for all the massage programs across the states, that needs serious revamping. Lets support each other in a strong educational background so we can increase the respectability of our profession. Please and Thank you:)