a community of practitioners

Who in here thinks that.........

Who in here thinks that over all, a skilled massage therapist has much more to offer a patient then any chiropractor? Ive been a massage therapist for 26 years now...The other day I had a client that has been seeing a chiropractor for six months, with no improvement...She suffered neck and shoulder pain...I fixed her in one twenty five minute session.. Pain gone, complete range of motion restored...Ive experienced many many examples of this over the years. Politically I cant really help an injured person...But Im much more capable then any chiropractor when it comes to actually helping someone out of pain..How many of you feel that way? I'm curious.- Gordon

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Laura Allen on April 12, 2011 at 11:12am

We all have our talents, whatever profession we practice. I don't feel like I have to minimize anyone else's work in order to make my own look good.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tonya Brooks-Taylor on April 12, 2011 at 1:01pm

I think every profession including MT has people who really care enough to do the best work they can on each of their clients. And then there are those in every field who will do nothing or less than their best but still collect money. No medical doctors yet but I do have about six nurses who come to me regularly and refer friends and colleagues. One of them had been seeing a chiropractor for more than six months when she started. She stopped after the 3rd session with me because in her words "...massage gives me the results my chiropractic sessions don't". She has been coming in for massage every two weeks for the past 14 months and she claims she is feeling the best she's felt in a long, long time. I certainly won't claim to have fixed her, her own body is doing the healing...I'm just one facilitator.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on April 12, 2011 at 1:28pm

Well very good.. On so many levels, massage is the most healing of therapies. I'm scheduled for one next Monday..I cant wait.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on April 12, 2011 at 1:48pm

Awesome.!! You will experience that a lot more as time goes by. Look what you are already doing now..Imagine what you will be capable of ten years from now? Its exciting. Your skill set will only improve with time. It never stops improving. Its an exciting career field. Yea, be excited!!

Ganapathy Karthikeyan said:

Interesting discussion at least for me. Gordon, unlike you I do not have that much experience, but I already have done exactly what you have stated here. One of my clients who has been seeing a chiropractor for many months came to me and had range of motion improved dramatically. She came back at least 3 more times and openly told me that I delivered more results than the chiropractor she was seeing. As a result she referred to some of her friends and I have had at least another 5 more regular clients. For a guy who practices massage therapy for a year that too part time, I am thrilled and excited. I concur with you. I used to go to chiropractors and do not do that any more. I have my fellow massage therapists who can do much more. :)

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alexei Levine on April 12, 2011 at 3:47pm

Dude, Is that a knife you're you're holding in your photo, what's the deal?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on April 12, 2011 at 5:10pm

Yea I should change that picture...Its a custom made knife.Its wicked!!..Ive been in and out of the martial arts for a while now...I play with sticks and knives as part of my workout...which mostly involves stretching and self massage....I have learned a lot from working on my own body...Martial arts helped me get into massage a long time ago..So its a connection for me..But there is no deal to the pic other then thats the only one I have on this computer. I will take another one without the knife real soon...But right now Im on my way out the door , on my way to get a massage myself...My arms are sore, I really need it.

Alexei Levine said:

Dude, Is that a knife you're you're holding in your photo, what's the deal?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on April 12, 2011 at 8:56pm

Daniel, thanks for the info about the MD's. I'm glad to know they know about us!

Daniel Cohen said:

I've had the same experience with many clients. As with any profession you will find a wide range of skill among Chiropractors (and MTs). I've known many who do 75% massage and 25% adjustment in their sessions. Or what is most prevalent in California, they hire Massage Therapists to generate the bulk of income.

Therese, I not only have had referrals from MDs (MDs recommend my corporate massage program) but have worked on them for pain resolution including a herniated disc for a back specialist. For some people (even MDs) results equal evidence.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on April 12, 2011 at 8:58pm

That is great! Thanks - I am glad to know about this.

Laura Allen said:

My clinic gets many MD and dentist referrals. I have cultivated them and educated them. We also have many MDs as clients. The fact that it helps THEM is usually enough to entice them to refer to us.

Therese Schwartz said:

I've met some very capable chiropractors who really work to help their clients. However, I recommend to everyone that they get a massage before a chiropractic session. The chiropractic work will not hold unless the soft tissue issues are addressed. I've found that people who started getting regular massage/CranioSacral Therapy/Myofascial Release from me have voluntarily quit going to their chiropractor.

I am currently putting an 11-year-old back together after dealing with an incompetent physical therapist. I've known of good PT's too, but she didn't get one.

I also have clients who have been damaged by incompetent or over-zealous MT's.

I guess the important thing for me is to understand that every field has really, really good people in it and some that really, really aren't.

What really bugs me is that I've never heard of an MD that sent someone to an MT. I hope some of you have had that happen - I'd like to know there are MD's out there that know about and appreciate massage.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on April 12, 2011 at 9:04pm

Tonya, that is also what I tell people. They tell me I'm a miracle worker and I tell them I have worked hard to be good at what I do but I'm the facilitator. Any time we start thinking we are fixing people or healing people it will all fall apart somehow. I tell people I am offering their body the opportunity to self-heal; it knows so much more than I do about where it should be and how it should function.

Tonya Brooks-Taylor said:

I think every profession including MT has people who really care enough to do the best work they can on each of their clients. And then there are those in every field who will do nothing or less than their best but still collect money. No medical doctors yet but I do have about six nurses who come to me regularly and refer friends and colleagues. One of them had been seeing a chiropractor for more than six months when she started. She stopped after the 3rd session with me because in her words "...massage gives me the results my chiropractic sessions don't". She has been coming in for massage every two weeks for the past 14 months and she claims she is feeling the best she's felt in a long, long time. I certainly won't claim to have fixed her, her own body is doing the healing...I'm just one facilitator.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on April 12, 2011 at 9:07pm

Gordon, I also came into massage after martial arts! I chose to give up the martial arts because of time and energy constraints. I started massage school 2 days after I got my brown belt in karate. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that taking martial arts made it possible for me to be a massage therapist. There's of course more involved but without the martial arts I wouldn't have the confidence I do now.

Gordon J. Wallis said:

Yea I should change that picture...Its a custom made knife.Its wicked!!..Ive been in and out of the martial arts for a while now...I play with sticks and knives as part of my workout...which mostly involves stretching and self massage....I have learned a lot from working on my own body...Martial arts helped me get into massage a long time ago..So its a connection for me..But there is no deal to the pic other then thats the only one I have on this computer. I will take another one without the knife real soon...But right now Im on my way out the door , on my way to get a massage myself...My arms are sore, I really need it.

Alexei Levine said:

Dude, Is that a knife you're you're holding in your photo, what's the deal?

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jeff Shearer on April 13, 2011 at 6:51pm

Hi Stephen

To be honest I think it is hard to compare apples and oranges. In my experience as a practitioner I have had many clients struggling with musculoskeletal issues who have had extensive chiropractic work with no sustained result. In treating them I have managed to create a more sustained result. I have also found the reverse situation to be true.

To expect any practitioner to achieve results in every situation I think is unreasonable. We all have our forte areas. I think Chiropractors get a bad rap and sometimes deservedly so. How can anyone expect a structural adjustment to hold if there are tight muscles continually pulling the structure back out. It is the same as expecting that one massage a fortnight can resolve an issue that is chronic. We spend one hour on our client and they spend the next two weeks doing nothing allowing the benefit to gradually dissolve. The issue I have is our tendency to be exclusive. If we do not advise their clients of additional treatment or exercise considerations regardless of whether we can provide them or not I believe we are not providing our best. By being more inclusive in our approach we see better health for all and benefit via the creation of better referral networks.

Hence I am a great fan of teaching clients self management techniques to ensure they are able to become a part of their own health care and referring to chiropractors, osteopaths, psychologists and yes even other massage therapists.