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Just dumping

I dont know you guys... When I first came into this site I made some kind of comment that I was better then a Chiropractor.  It drew some flack of course. .And I can throw in MDs and some Physical therapists into that mind set too..Its just how I feel is all.  Doesnt mean Im right..Its just how I feel.  I dont mean it in a bostful way ..I just think any skilled massage therapist is a better person to see if you have or are suffering from aches and pains...Even debilitating crippling pain... Now Im talking structural problems..Aches and pains in the body... None of the above professions seem to know anything about muscular pain...They seem to know nothing.. Aboslutely nothing.  And this mindset that I have is being constantly affirmed and reafirmed by clients that I work on...I work in a spa..So most of people that I work on just need a massage.. No particular problems other then sore between the shoulders. They are just burnt out and need a good massage... Well yesterday I had a women in her forties as a client..Her husband bought her a massage at the spa where I work...And she just happend to get me, as her therapist...After talking with her.. I found out that she thought it was rediculess to even get a massage.. After all she'd had years of chiropractic and that didnt work..So she went to medical doctors...and they did two surguries in her lumbar L5 area...and she is schedualled for nervconduction tests after the massage and they want to do a 3rd surgery in the same area because its not working or helping her...As a matter of fact she is worse then ever...  She told me her nervers are damaged and she has constant siatica, pain in her hips and legs, mostly her left.. Her feet are numb and tingle in pin prick way all the time..And that she constantly has a headache....When I touched her L5 area, where they did the two surgeries, it felt nausiating and horrible to her...So I left that area alone..However I did find several really bad trigger points in her mid and upper spinal erectors both sides, one really bad levitor scapula trigger point on the right and two upper trap trigger points one each side...In addition I found a really bad  trigger point on her left SI joint area.  I made all those trigger points go away..All of them...It was very easy too..Simple..Didnt take very long..and it felt good to her..I explained to her, what I was doing and why.. So.. after the massage... No more headache, no more pin prick tingling in her feet, no more sciatica.. Only her low back hurt where her multiple surgeries were done...You should of seen how happy she was...I cant say for sure... but I seriously doubt she ever needed surgery in the first place. Im disgusted with the medical profession, when it comes to structural problems...Ok now listen to this.  She told me her husbands feet hurt all the time...The docs told him he has plantar faciaits or whatever, and that he needs surgery...Id bet he just needs a foot rub...To me, hands on bodywork, massage from a skilled therapist is NO.1   and whatever MDs learn in medical school about  structural pain is way back in the fricken middle ages, and primitive..  Its just how I feel.. Im just dumping...and Im not bragging or being boastful when I make those comments about being better then a Chro or MD.   I mean what good massage therapist couldn't  of helped that women???   Ok,,Im finished dumping... lol   Another massage day awaits....

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on October 19, 2011 at 8:15am
Gordon, I am getting more and more clients who have been under doctor's care for 6 months to several years with still unidentified pain. Usually in 2 or 3 sessions they are fine. I am wondering if this problem is increasing or am I just getting more people referred with this problem as people find out there is a remedy. Have you seen this? Is it a growing problem with current society?
Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 19, 2011 at 9:29am
Ive seen it for the entire twenty seven years of my career.   Look at the results you got with the carpal tunnel...You reduced workers comp injuries and surgeries by a huge percentage. What 95%.   Thats phenomenal. Thats a lot of money saved.  And just shows you how incompetent the medical industry is when it comes to structural problems. And how effective massage is.. I find it interesting as to why in the massage texts books they say.. If you suspect you have carpal tunnel.. Go see your doctor...lol  ...Even massage therapists are told to see their doctor for problems that are easily fixed with massage therapy.. Thats why Im so against the current massage education system ..And all their dumb tests. Our industry leaders that know better.. do nothing about it. They want massage accepted by the medical community..So that means keeping everyone in the dark....But I will talk in here.. For whatever good it does.. Trurth is truth... People think Im crazy.. But 95% is BIG.   I see it all the time... There is a good chance today that I will massage somebody thats been wrongly diagnosed.  If I do... I help them..  Except for spouting off in here.. Thats all I can do.  Truth is truth though.   PS- I just finished up curing a nurse of a rotator cuff injury...She had weeks of physical therapy that didnt help...she had a very limited range of motion in her right arm..She couldnt abbduct it more then shoulder level with out sevier pain.  She was told she needed surgery...She just randomly got me for a massage with a gift certificate..She soon saw reality though...It took me six  twenty-five min. sessions to completely restore a pain free range of motion for her.. She was amazed.  I wasn't.. All she had were trigger points in her deltoids, biceps, and upper traps.  Truth remains hidden.
Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 19, 2011 at 11:26pm
Linda, its a good thing you didn't get that surgery.    Everyone.  Doctors, Chiropractors, Physical therapists, massage therapists, patients, and clients, are all conditioned to think in a certain way.. But once you get some experience, and just look at things without any preconceptions. You see whats real.  .We have a High Art.

Linda LePelley said:
I've seen the same thing time and time again, over the last 16 years. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel about 8 years ago, the neurologist told me I must have surgery or would permanently lose the use of my hands within the year. I treated myself and they are as good if not better than they ever were. People can't seem to really believe that massage makes a real difference, and sadly, a lot of those people are massage therapists themselves.
Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on October 20, 2011 at 3:52pm

My husband told me last night that I'm a witch doctor - in the ancient wise woman sense of the term.  It was a huge compliment!

I have a woman who is willing to drive a 3-hour round trip to see me because the medical community couldn't help her with her sciatica.  Her sister comes to me more regularly (she lives in town!) and getting rid of the sciatica has changed her life.

I have another client who got mysterious headaches after hitting her head in a skiing accident.  Bring on the CranioSacral Therapy - she's getting back to who she was before her skull changed and got jammed up.

Like Gordon, I don't like to boast but the knowledge, skills and intuition we possess can really help people. I love my job! 

I'd post more but my next client just drove up...

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 20, 2011 at 4:16pm
Here is the thing that gets me the most.  A  lot of times..Im not doing hardly anything?... Its what the doctors do that just boggles my mind.. Lately I had this flux of people diagnosed with all these ailments that arnt really ailments... Like carpal tunnel, bursitis, sciatic,and so on.. Im home for lunch now... But I just finished working on a women, that just happened to come in for a massage on a gift certificate that supposedly had carpal tunnel.  Her left wrist hurt...so she went to her doctor.. He set up an appointment for her to see a specialist..Orthopedic guy or something.... Anyway,,when I asked her if she had any aches and pains that I should know about...This is what she said.. IM JUST HERE FOR RELAXATION.. I HAVE CARPAL TUNNEL, BUT  IM UNDER DOCTORS CARE, SO YOU DONT NEED TO BOTHER WITH THAT.. lol   Im thinking.. Yea right...So when I got to her hand, I found a sore spot on the lateral side of her wrist..I dont even know the name of the freakin muscle thats  there..But it was just really sore...So I basically I just did some pin and stretch work on it for five minutes or so...I asked her how it felt when I was working it..and she said it felt really good.. Anyway.. after the massage she looked at me, with a surprised look.. and said...G..My wrist doesn't hurt anymore... lol    Now I know not all doctors are like the ones Im complaining about...But when I think about all the people that I could help.. Its just too bad.  And what gets me..All I did was rub where she was sore... lol    They better deleat that part of the text books that say.... Go see your doctor if you think you might be getting carpal tunnel.  I hope I dont get another one of those today..I think I need to see a freakin shrink..  Believe me.. I will go to a PHD.
Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on October 20, 2011 at 7:37pm

The woman with the headaches after the car accident went through all the testing, including an MRI.  They couldn't find anything "wrong".  So for years she has had bad headaches, personality changes and other seemingly random things happen.  She came to me for massage but starts telling me about her headaches.  I start asking questions and pretty soon I know that her sphenoid (butterfly bone) is pushed sideways and totally locked.  Bad deal!  It's getting better after some work and she's feeling so much like her old self!  I wish doctors knew about this kind of thing.

OMG, not a shrink! :)  That's a bad place to be.  Been there, done that.  Not kidding or making fun.  It was about 11 years ago and he basically just wanted to drug me into not feeling anything.  I did that for a year and then gave it up.  Now they are finding out that the drugs they gave me are making people do crazy things and have really bad side effects.  Lovely!

Carpal tunnel - so many people are so surprised when I tell them it starts in the shoulders!  Of course the wrist is affected but the problem starts with body mechanics and tension.  There is so much we can do to help!

Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on October 20, 2011 at 8:11pm

Pat yourselves on the shoulders because the medical community wont. At least not for another decade or so. We owe it to the public to speak out and say what we can do for them with confidence.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 20, 2011 at 11:38pm
Well we are on the bottom of  the totem pole politically..... My wife says I should forget about it, and not get so riled up , just massage people, then come home.. lol  ...But, every once in a while I run into a person thats being treated by a chiropractor or medical doctor, that I know I can help very easily...But I cant really do anything about it... Its politically dangerous or something for me to tell them that they are not getting the right treatment..  Now if they randomly come into the spa where I  work and happen to get me..Then maybe I can help them....But they have to accidentally come into see me...Now tomorrow morning I have a guy that is severely injured.  What happened was his wife came in for a massage with the carpal tunnel thing.. She is the one that canceled her next injection , because after I massaged her.. she was way better..its just muscle soreness in her extensors muscles.. Anyway her  husband is under care from the same doctors that are treating her..So she went to the doctors and told them how better her arm is, and wants them to send her husband to see me...Now they have done surgery already on her husband...They fused three of his cervical vertebrae..and he is in miserable pain.  Worse then ever.. Anyway he is coming in to see me tomorrow morning.. They told her that insurance wont pay for a spa service and that its not advised for him to come to a spa for treatment..She said.. My husband is going to see that guy.. So anyway. I'll will do  a trigger point sweep over his entire body.  Hopefully I will find trigger points, and eliminate them.. I just hope I can help the guy. She has great faith in me... But his situation sounds much worse then her sore arm.  It wont be a normal spa massage tomorrow.  Other then him him.. I just have a couple of hot stone massages scheduled.  Its always interesting...
Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on October 21, 2011 at 9:45am

Gordon, you said "Its always interesting..."  Holy cow, that's the truth!!  I don't have any days that are the same as the day before.  Good luck with the neck guy.  I'm glad we have doctors for some things (like broken bones and appendicitis, just a couple of examples), but I wish they didn't have such a narrow focus.

Daniel, thanks!  I do pat myself on my shoulders but try to keep from being egotistical at the same time.  I have worked really damned hard to be this good and my clients can tell.  I know what I can do for people and I'm starting to be more open about it.  I've only been doing this for a little over 3 years (4 if you count massage school) and it takes a while to find a groove.  But I keep doing continuing education, and keep looking for different ways to solve problems.

Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on October 21, 2011 at 10:01am

One of the things I like about continuing education (which even with 700 + hour entry courses, I think there is a need for) is that it brings you together with other MTs and you get to share experiences, as well as, see how others work. Lengthy core courses don't have the same effect because you don't have the background to fully assimilate the information. Also it is good to take CEs as refreshers.

I just returned from retaking a class I took 11 years ago, almost immediately after becoming certified in massage. It was Lomi Lomi with Kumu Karen and not only did it refresh things I forgot but she also had changed the class over time. This time it was in Hawaii, the first was in L.A. which also made a difference since some of her grads dropped by with input and assistance.

It would be a shame to replace this with only initial long hour courses and web based CEs.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 21, 2011 at 11:34am
This whole subject of massage education and how it should be taught, and the politics of it all,is a complicated interesting subject...Hmm.. Massage has been around for a long long time.. I wonder what kind of training and requirements they had 3000 years ago in Egypt? Or the 1600s in Japan?  Or if they had any???  I do think this website was a very good idea. In real life..We can learn a lot from each other...Learning never stops..One of the weird things about massage is that even after doing this for 27 years..I can learn something new from a beginner massage therapist that just got their license.  And I have.
Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on October 21, 2011 at 12:08pm

I often find I learn from the questions of my students. It is one reason I like taking time out from doing massage once in a while to teach it.

Even if the world goes to war over dwindling resources and civilization as we know it crumbles, I am sure there will be massage. After all it makes us feel better ;-)
Gordon J. Wallis said:

This whole subject of massage education and how it should be taught, and the politics of it all,is a complicated interesting subject...Hmm.. Massage has been around for a long long time.. I wonder what kind of training and requirements they had 3000 years ago in Egypt? Or the 1600s in Japan?  Or if they had any???  I do think this website was a very good idea. In real life..We can learn a lot from each other...Learning never stops..One of the weird things about massage is that even after doing this for 27 years..I can learn something new from a beginner massage therapist that just got their license.  And I have.

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