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Why?
Why do our text books say go see a medical doctor if you think you may be getting carpal tunnel? I want to know?
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on
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Because we are low man on the totem pole in healthcare. If you think it has a name you are required to go to a doctor for diagnosis. It is beyond our "scope of practice". So don't name it, fix it.
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on
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lol wow? Uhh ok, I'll just fix it then. That reminds me of this one diagnosis..This lady came into see me oh, maybe five months ago now...She came in on crutches...I asked her what was wrong, and she said her foot hurt so bad she couldn't put any weight on it.. So she went to the doctor and he told her she had bursitis, gave her crutches and pain meds..Said nothing else could be done...Long story short ..I found a real sore area on the arch of her foot..After about ten minutes her bursitis was gone...She walked out without the crutches.. A trigger point. My favorite thing.. Anyway, massage therapist status will never advance if we operate under that limited mindset ,no matter how many tests,continuing education credits, licenses or hours... Its not my mindset.. I'll tell ya that...lol. I"ve worked with chiropractors , acupuncturists, naturalpaths, physical therapists and some MDs long enough to see what kind of patients they see, and how those patients respond to their treatments...I know what kind of clients Im seeing, and how they respond to my massage treatments. Thats not my mindset. Once you rule out any underlying pathology. .Its soft tissue work, from a capable massage therapist, all the way. No doubt on that. None at all... If people want change in this profession, recognition or whatever.. We have to change the education system...Truth is truth.. Why not teach it?
Daniel Cohen said:Because we are low man on the totem pole in healthcare. If you think it has a name you are required to go to a doctor for diagnosis. It is beyond our "scope of practice". So don't name it, fix it.
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As a side note.. Any changes to improve the status of Massage therapists by increasing hours, or changing protocols, or adding more testing are only changes withing the same system.. Which is really no change at all. In order for any real change to come about, we have to change the system. We cant have text books that say run to the doctor if you think you might be getting carpal tunnel , if we ever want to improve our status. I wish the educators and political people and leaders of our profession could see that?? ??? I mean whats the ABMP and AMTA for? Chiropractic text books dont tell tell their students to run to a medical doctor if they think they might have carpal tunnel. .And the only time a chiropractor can help a patient with carpal tunnel as effectively as a massage therapist is if he(she) does soft tissue work themselves. Once any underlying pathology is ruled out.. Its soft tissue work all the way...That's whats real... I'm helping a lot of people.
Gordon J. Wallis said:lol wow? Uhh ok, I'll just fix it then. That reminds me of this one diagnosis..This lady came into see me oh, maybe five months ago now...She came in on crutches...I asked her what was wrong, and she said her foot hurt so bad she couldn't put any weight on it.. So she went to the doctor and he told her she had bursitis, gave her crutches and pain meds..Said nothing else could be done...Long story short ..I found a real sore area on the arch of her foot..After about ten minutes her bursitis was gone...She walked out without the crutches.. A trigger point. My favorite thing.. Anyway, massage therapist status will never advance if we operate under that limited mindset ,no matter how many tests,continuing education credits, licenses or hours... Its not my mindset.. I'll tell ya that...lol. I"ve worked with chiropractors , acupuncturists, naturalpaths, physical therapists and some MDs long enough to see what kind of patients they see, and how those patients respond to their treatments...I know what kind of clients Im seeing, and how they respond to my massage treatments. Thats not my mindset. Once you rule out any underlying pathology. .Its soft tissue work, from a capable massage therapist, all the way. No doubt on that. None at all... If people want change in this profession, recognition or whatever.. We have to change the education system...Truth is truth.. Why not teach it?
Daniel Cohen said:Because we are low man on the totem pole in healthcare. If you think it has a name you are required to go to a doctor for diagnosis. It is beyond our "scope of practice". So don't name it, fix it.
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Related to this thread....kind of... Just finished working on a young women that has been seeing other massage therapists and other types of health care providers with no relief for her back pain.....Her mid back down was her complaint.. always pain and discomfort...So I did my trigger point scan from her hips up to her neck...discoverd really sore TPs on her spinal errectors, both sides around T11 and T7.. and also on each side of her spine at L2... She had scheduled a 50minute Deep Tissue Massage.. It was over in 25 minutes..No more pain...She will come in next Sunday on a follow up session. I showed her in a book. Consise Book of Trigger points, what her problem was....She got educated... Those other health care providers never pin pointed her pain?.Never mentioned the word trigger point. I cant imagine what kind of lame premis they work from? Massage therapist worked on her too? Any way I feel good. I see these situations every week, almost every day.. Its amazing to me. Shocking may be a better word.
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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on
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Gordon, I have a new client who came to me with leg/hip pain that she'd had for 4 years. It started when she sat on the floor cross-legged and the Sunday School kids piled on...it was keeping her up at night. I did a simple TFL release until she had more mobility in her hip joint. It took about 5 minutes and solved about 90% of her pain. She's been back a couple of times since then for other things...this work totally amazes me every day!
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I know..obviously Im a TP guy...I find a consistency in that. Its amazing isnt it.... I wish I could help everyone I see..But Im helping most of them...Im glad you helped her.. Its a good feeling isnt it?
Therese Schwartz said:Gordon, I have a new client who came to me with leg/hip pain that she'd had for 4 years. It started when she sat on the floor cross-legged and the Sunday School kids piled on...it was keeping her up at night. I did a simple TFL release until she had more mobility in her hip joint. It took about 5 minutes and solved about 90% of her pain. She's been back a couple of times since then for other things...this work totally amazes me every day!
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My next to last client came in complaining of hip pain, low back to mid back pain and top of her shoulder pain and gets headaches frequently..Her entire back really..She told me the worst area was her low back...She told me that she has gone through the chiropractic thing, and is now near the end of a physical therapy treatment plan..She told me she sometimes has sciatica down her right leg. Massage has helped some, but she has nerve damage... I found several very sore trigger points.. One on her left SI joint. The most painful one was her left low back near L5 L4 spinal erectors on the right side..also found sore trigger points at T11 T12 right and left side on the spinal erectors. A left rhomboid TP and ,Upper trap TPs both sides...And another TP at about C3 C4 left side..also another TP on her left massiter muscle. Her headaches were left sided. No wonder she suffers from pain...Those were all very sore areas on her body...I was able to make all those sore areas go away during her 50 minute session. I didnt work on the front of her body.. But I did get her turned over on her back so I could do some good cervical work...Thats when I got rid of her neck and massiter TPs. She told me that she was expecting to feel pain when she got off the table.. But didn't.. She told me that she hasn't felt this good in years. She was very excited and scheduled a follow up appointment next Sunday.. So that will be interesting to see how she is after a week?...I suspect she will come in feeling much better but with a little of the pain coming back.. Maybe? We'll see? But if some of them (TPs) come back.. I will terminate them again..But her problem is history...She is Trigger Pointed if anyone ever was...She is going to be feeling way better.. Her pain problem is history...Thats just too many TPs.
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Yesterday was a trigger point day....I had another client yesterday.. An elderly women in her seventies came in for a 25 minute massage...She never had a massage in her life.. I asked her if she had any aches and pains. She told me that she had an appointment to see the doctor about her right shoulder pain.. She also said she had left hip pain. I released a TP in her left SI joint and another TP in her right pec.. Her comment after the massage was...I feel like I have a new body.. I feel really good... I dont know if she will go to the doctor or not. But she was very happy when she left the spa....Her daughter brought her in because she never had a massage before....Today I have a 50minute massage, and hour and a half Hot Stone massage, and a 25 minute massage..The 50 minute and 25 minute massages are TP people coming in on follow up treatments..The hot stone is a new client...I wonder if the new client is currently under some kind of medical care for pain of some sort.. Its interesting.. They often times come in for massage thinking its just something very good and relaxing to do.. Which it is of course...But its always more healing and therapeutic then they think. If they are seeing other health care providers for pain...You can bet the pain has never been touched.
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It really is a good feeling to help people in such a profound way! I like reading your posts about what you do for people.
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I'm way more effective at what I do now compared to what I could do as little as two years ago...You just get better and better the longer you do this kind of work. I'm freaked out about how effective I am now.. I did some good work today.. I know I have a High Art. Not trying to brag, because I'm on my third wife and broke all the time... lol But I work at a high level now.
Therese Schwaartz said:It really is a good feeling to help people in such a profound way! I like reading your posts about what you do for people.
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Hey, none of us is perfect! :) We all have our own issues. But the fact that we can put them aside (or even use them in a positive way) to benefit others is quite an accomplishment.
I'm freaked out by what I can accomplish with people too, and honestly I hope I never get over that. As soon as the ego kicks in, it's over!
Keep up the good work!!
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http://www.mrtherapy.com/testimonials.html
Read the client testimonials on this guys site...If all massage therapist were empowered and educated with the truth..Our profession would be the one that handles and cures carpal tunnel...That industry alone is a billion dollar one.. Our perception of our own profession cripples and limits us.. Our education system is greatly flawed... Many massage therapists work for too little pay.. Grovel to other health care providers for income. Run to the other health care providers when they think they have carpal tunnel.. I once met a chiropractor that told me he is very successful at treating carpal tunnel...I asked him what he did...he showed me...He called it Active Release..It was massage. PS- I massaged a dental hygienist today.. She told me the hygienist that worked in her office before her had to quit because she got carpal tunnel... That was unnecessary wasn't it. I will try not to keep ranting about the same thing over and over... Im sure you guys are tired of it... But anyone that thinks anything will change in our industry is kidding themselves..Ever more tests and stuff to memorize, just wont do it. An education system that is completely different, is whats needed. One that teaches truth.. Sorry about all my ranting... I try not too...But Truth Remains Hidden. Read the testimonials....Think seriously about what the clients as well as what the therapists are saying. Its truth.
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