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If you have to choose one modality that you use all the time, what would it be?  Anything from swedish to Thai.

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Penny, describe PR for me, please.

Penny Feinstein-Ranan, MA, LMT said:
I would choose Positional Release, a gentle,effective Osteopathic modality with which I have had great success. 
Positional Release uses passive positioning of the body into specific positions of ease/comfort that relieve tension and pain in a brief amount of time and reprogram the neuromuscular mechanism to a more neutral state.

Sounds similar to Whitney Lowe's AES, in which the therapist moves the client's bodypart through its extended range of motion (passive movement), in order to "reeducate the neuromuscular system".  I'll google positional release.  Thanks for bringing it up.

 

Okay, I just watched a video of PR.  It is similar.  AES repeats the movement, however, increasing ROM with each repeat. 

 

Now, used by the modality's trained practitioners, the two are probably very dissimilar.  But, gosh-- just a comment, not a criticism-- there are so many closely allied techniques, including some in which the only difference to this casual "explorer" seems to be the name.



Gary W Addis said:

Sounds similar to Whitney Lowe's AES, in which the therapist moves the client's bodypart through its extended range of motion (passive movement), in order to "reeducate the neuromuscular system".  I'll google positional release.  Thanks for bringing it up.

 

Okay, I just watched a video of PR.  It is similar.  AES repeats the movement, however, increasing ROM with each repeat. 

 

Now, used by the modality's trained practitioners, the two are probably very dissimilar.  But, gosh-- just a comment, not a criticism-- there are so many closely allied techniques, including some in which the only difference to this casual "explorer" seems to be the name.



Penny Feinstein-Ranan, MA, LMT said:


Gary W Addis said:

Sounds similar to Whitney Lowe's AES, in which the therapist moves the client's bodypart through its extended range of motion (passive movement), in order to "reeducate the neuromuscular system".  I'll google positional release.  Thanks for bringing it up.

 

Okay, I just watched a video of PR.  It is similar.  AES repeats the movement, however, increasing ROM with each repeat. 

 

Now, used by the modality's trained practitioners, the two are probably very dissimilar.  But, gosh-- just a comment, not a criticism-- there are so many closely allied techniques, including some in which the only difference to this casual "explorer" seems to be the name.

Not sure what video you saw, but PR puts the muscle in a shortened state and holds it there with a gentle compression.  The only movement that actually happens is the process of  putting the body part (with the identified muscle) into the position of ease and then is held for a specific amount of time.
Not sure what video you saw, but PR puts the muscle in a shortened state and holds it there with a gentle compression.  The only movement that actually happens is the process of  putting the body part (with the identified muscle) into the position of ease and then is held for a specific amount of time.
An easy version is Fold n Hold.   You can do it on yourself..You keep one finger on the trigger point..and then bend and fold your body around  it until id disapears or is at least 80% better. You create maximum slack around the trigger point.  Once you find that position.  You hold it for 90 seconds...Then, and this is Very Important as to if it works or not...You very very slowly unfold out of that position.. And when you do, sometimes the trigger point is gone.   Experiment on yourself....Ive used it on clients that had sore necks.  That positional release stuff has been around for some time.

Penny, the video I watched was supposedly by the developer of PR.  He pressed into the shoulder joint medial to acromion with his entire hand (down into the 1st rib), then, yes, he shortened the muscle, by flexing the elbow and bringing the arm into the body.  Still holding the joint, at that point he rotated the still shortened muscle through its circular range of motion; during the movement, I heard a soft audible pop as the joint realigned.  

 

Now, I have not gone through either PR or Mr. Lowe's class, so my comments about both are based on short youtube videos.  Whitney's technique has the therapist move the joint w/o assistance repeatedly, every movement going a little farther, increasing the ROM.  More to it than what I've just described, but the effect is to increase ROM, stretching fascia and probably releasing TPs binding the joint.  

 

My comment wasn't meant to criticize anyone's methodology.  I am not a qualified judge.  One year into a 2 year degree program in MT, I am eager to learn, so I watch a lot of youtube videos and read lots of articles.  If it works to relieve pain and restore movement, I want to learn it! 

Penny Feinstein-Ranan, MA, LMT said:

Not sure what video you saw, but PR puts the muscle in a shortened state and holds it there with a gentle compression.  The only movement that actually happens is the process of  putting the body part (with the identified muscle) into the position of ease and then is held for a specific amount of time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPeLjHSB97s       check this out.. Orthobionomy.     Its not a complete video...But you can research Orthobionomy.   Its been around a while.  Another way to attack trigger points.

Gary W Addis said:

Penny, the video I watched was supposedly by the developer of PR.  He pressed into the shoulder joint medial to acromion with his entire hand (down into the 1st rib), then, yes, he shortened the muscle, by flexing the elbow and bringing the arm into the body.  Still holding the joint, at that point he rotated the still shortened muscle through its circular range of motion; during the movement, I heard a soft audible pop as the joint realigned.  

 

Now, I have not gone through either PR or Mr. Lowe's class, so my comments about both are based on short youtube videos.  Whitney's technique has the therapist move the joint w/o assistance repeatedly, every movement going a little farther, increasing the ROM.  More to it than what I've just described, but the effect is to increase ROM, stretching fascia and probably releasing TPs binding the joint.  

 

My comment wasn't meant to criticize anyone's methodology.  I am not a qualified judge.  One year into a 2 year degree program in MT, I am eager to learn, so I watch a lot of youtube videos and read lots of articles.  If it works to relieve pain and restore movement, I want to learn it! 

Penny Feinstein-Ranan, MA, LMT said:

Not sure what video you saw, but PR puts the muscle in a shortened state and holds it there with a gentle compression.  The only movement that actually happens is the process of  putting the body part (with the identified muscle) into the position of ease and then is held for a specific amount of time.

Now that makes sense!


Now, in my admittedly inexperienced viewpoint, the obviously necessary requirement that MTBs must continue their studies in order to  maintain certification has made CEU provider into a lucrative business.  Many of these providers are very generous with their time--lots of free educational material available to members in ABMP seminars and in ABMP archives, and there must be hundreds of free youtube MT videos, at least one in every known modality and some no one but the developer has ever heard of.  But my point is the money/fame incentive is a powerful motivator, reason a-plenty to develop a named therapy.  Some of which (on the surface) appear to be almost identical to established techniques, except for the name, of course. 

With even my limited experience, commonsense leads me to accept the fact that in all fields, experimentation leads to progress.  With my limited experience, I recognize the fact that no two massage therapists work exactly alike.  That every massage therapy session is unique, to that therapist, to that client, to that time of day.  Already I recognize that we as MTs must guard against massaging by rote.   

Swedish is great, both for the therapist and for the client.  But, to me, performing back to back to back relaxation massages can become boring.  I mean, when you drive ten miles, you are aware of every minute of the drive, but no one maintains that same degree of involvement during every mile of a 3-day cross-country drive--the conscious mind divorces itself from the process and muscle memory performs the driving tasks under direction of the subconscious.  Boredom sets in, IOW.

 

For that reason, I claim the many modalities of clinical massage-- NMT, PNF, MFR, Deep Tissue petrissage, and those yet to be developed--  as my preferred modality.  Restoring ROM, eliminating pain, engages the conscious mind while the subconscious employs knowledge gained in the classroom and muscle memory developed through experience to benefit the client.

 


Gordon J. Wallis said:

An easy version is Fold n Hold.   You can do it on yourself..You keep one finger on the trigger point..and then bend and fold your body around  it until id disapears or is at least 80% better. You create maximum slack around the trigger point.  Once you find that position.  You hold it for 90 seconds...Then, and this is Very Important as to if it works or not...You very very slowly unfold out of that position.. And when you do, sometimes the trigger point is gone.   Experiment on yourself....Ive used it on clients that had sore necks.  That positional release stuff has been around for some time.

Just watched it.  I've seen the technique used in other youtube videos, under at least one other name--which accentuates my point about the many duplicated modalities, different in name only.  Actually, this orthobionomy seems quite similar to what you called fold n' hold.  I tried the thing just now on a TP in my upper traps-- hadn't gotten a release in for days, but as you suggested, I pressed into it, and first tightened the trap with a shrug (folding tissue around my finger), then pressed the shoulder down, forcing the trap to relax, and it released immediately.

 

Neat-o!  Can't wait to use it with a client.


Gordon J. Wallis said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPeLjHSB97s       check this out.. Orthobionomy.     Its not a complete video...But you can research Orthobionomy.   Its been around a while.  Another way to attack trigger points.

Gary W Addis said:

Penny, the video I watched was supposedly by the developer of PR.  He pressed into the shoulder joint medial to acromion with his entire hand (down into the 1st rib), then, yes, he shortened the muscle, by flexing the elbow and bringing the arm into the body.  Still holding the joint, at that point he rotated the still shortened muscle through its circular range of motion; during the movement, I heard a soft audible pop as the joint realigned.  

 

Now, I have not gone through either PR or Mr. Lowe's class, so my comments about both are based on short youtube videos.  Whitney's technique has the therapist move the joint w/o assistance repeatedly, every movement going a little farther, increasing the ROM.  More to it than what I've just described, but the effect is to increase ROM, stretching fascia and probably releasing TPs binding the joint.  

 

My comment wasn't meant to criticize anyone's methodology.  I am not a qualified judge.  One year into a 2 year degree program in MT, I am eager to learn, so I watch a lot of youtube videos and read lots of articles.  If it works to relieve pain and restore movement, I want to learn it! 

Penny Feinstein-Ranan, MA, LMT said:

Not sure what video you saw, but PR puts the muscle in a shortened state and holds it there with a gentle compression.  The only movement that actually happens is the process of  putting the body part (with the identified muscle) into the position of ease and then is held for a specific amount of time.
Well massage styles and the different concepts and approaches is never ending...Its like martial arts.. You cant learn all the martial arts styles..So you look at it differently.. Ranges...learn techniques for long range, middle range, very close range, ground fighting...so on....If someone wants to give you money cause they are burnt out, or no real presenting symptoms.  And you wanna make money.. You better know how to give a really good rubdown.. If someone has presenting symptoms( pain, numbness, so on.. You better know some trigger point approaches.. The soft gentle approach  to trigger points are therapies like Positional release, and Orthobionomy.  If an elbow on a trigger point doesnt make it go away. Then shift into a positional release style. See if that makes the trigger point go away.  My advise would be to learn how to give an awesome flowing firm rub down of sorts....I had a lady the other day with no particular problems...She just said she was under a lot of stress,and needed a break... She paid $95.00 for an hour session, and was so happy with the massage that she tipped me another $40.00..   So I dont mind doing a boring rubdown at all.. lol  I got a pretty good flow now with my work..However fixing or helping someone that has pain in their body is what rewards me the most.. Yea..It makes me feel good... I dont use these Positional release techniques very much..And Im not an expert with them.. But I have used it on people with neck pain a few times, with some success when my usual techniques didnt work..  Find a sore spot on your own body..and experiment .   You can learn from a book or on yourself... Yourself is better.

Gary W Addis said:

Now that makes sense!


Now, in my admittedly inexperienced viewpoint, the obviously necessary requirement that MTBs must continue their studies in order to  maintain certification has made CEU provider into a lucrative business.  Many of these providers are very generous with their time--lots of free educational material available to members in ABMP seminars and in ABMP archives, and there must be hundreds of free youtube MT videos, at least one in every known modality and some no one but the developer has ever heard of.  But my point is the money/fame incentive is a powerful motivator, reason a-plenty to develop a named therapy.  Some of which (on the surface) appear to be almost identical to established techniques, except for the name, of course. 

With even my limited experience, commonsense leads me to accept the fact that in all fields, experimentation leads to progress.  With my limited experience, I recognize the fact that no two massage therapists work exactly alike.  That every massage therapy session is unique, to that therapist, to that client, to that time of day.  Already I recognize that we as MTs must guard against massaging by rote.

Boredom is the enemy, isn't it, Gordon?  Swedish is great, both for the therapist and for the client.  But, to me, performing back to back to back relaxation massages can become boring.  I mean, when you drive ten miles, you are aware of every minute of the drive, but no one maintains that same degree of involvement during every mile of a 3-day cross-country drive--the conscious mind divorces itself from the process and muscle memory performs the tasks under direction of the subconscious.  

 

For that reason, I claim the many modalities of clinical massage-- NMT, PNF, MFR, Deep Tissue petrissage, and those yet to be developed--  as my preferred modality.  Restoring ROM, eliminating pain, engages the conscious mind while the subconscious employs knowledge gained in the classroom and muscle memory developed through experience to benefit the client.

 


Gordon J. Wallis said:

An easy version is Fold n Hold.   You can do it on yourself..You keep one finger on the trigger point..and then bend and fold your body around  it until id disapears or is at least 80% better. You create maximum slack around the trigger point.  Once you find that position.  You hold it for 90 seconds...Then, and this is Very Important as to if it works or not...You very very slowly unfold out of that position.. And when you do, sometimes the trigger point is gone.   Experiment on yourself....Ive used it on clients that had sore necks.  That positional release stuff has been around for some time.

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