a community of practitioners

So much potential

With only 2% of the over $3.3 Trillion spent on health care being spent on physical therapy, I know that even less is spent on massage or manual therapy.

I also know that properly done manual therapy is very much more effective then anybody thinks. Even massage therapists don’t realize how effective massage/manual therapy is. Here is an example. I worked in a very nice spa along with several other massage therapists for 21 years. And I have seen this many times. As I’m walking down the hall way to my room. I hear another therapist talking with their client after they have finished the session. The therapist asks the client how they feel. The client says,” I feel fantastic, my low back pain is gone. I’ve been dealing with this back pain for three months.” Then the therapist says. “I’m so glad I could help you. You have a wonderful day.” And that’s it. One session. Now, if you are a chiropractor, or physical therapist, that’s not the end of it. That client/patient is told that they need follow up appointments in order to make sure that pain will not come back. And that’s very important. Because often times the pain will return, and it may take ten sessions in order to totally eliminate that myofascial pain problem. But what happens is the client goes home, and their pain returns in a couple days. They think massage therapy doesn’t work. They go to their medical doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist who puts them on a treatment plan that involves several visits.

I also know, from working in a medical clinic, that properly done manual therapy can accomplish healing that no other profession, procedure, or treatment can.

There is a huge amount of money spent on pain. Massage therapists, in general, have much lower incomes then chiropractors and physical therapists. Something is wrong with that scenario?

Im going to post a testimonial. Now I know that some in here will say that I’m bragging, boasting, or that I’m full of myself. Whatever.

But I am a massage therapist, and I know the potential of our profession. Our education system needs to change its mindset. Otherwise not nothing will change.

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on October 6, 2018 at 8:13pm

This is cool. A while back, a patient came in to see me. She was referred from another physician to our clinic. The providers I work with wanted to see if I could help her.

When I met her, it was easy to tell that she was depressed. Understandably, after suffering for years of constant pain. Pain in her mid back that radiates into her neck, along with shooting pain down her arm. Migraine headaches. She even had surgery in her shoulder with no effect. Her last diagnosis was fibromyalgia.

When I first saw her, she gave me an 8/10 Pain rating. I’ve seen her six times. The last session, she she almost canceled. Because she wasn’t hurting. She was paying out of pocket to see me. Insurance wouldn’t cover it. But she came anyway. A good thing. Even though she was none sympathetic, she still had a substantial amount of latent trigger points. I’m going to post a portion of her original clinic treatment notes , so you get an idea of her pain, and how long she has had it. After, you will see the treatment notes of her last ( 6th session) treatment notes with me.

im writing on this site for a number of reasons. Trigger points are real. And the procedures I’ve discovered, deactivate trigger points better then anything I know. Last but not least. The potential of our profession is tremendous.

This last session she came into the clinic vibrant and smiling. I think I will call her Monday. We decided her next session should be in two weeks. But she still has a lot of trigger points. I will ask her to come in sooner.