How can a therapist be “too structural”?

I had abandoned the Buffalo Bills a few weeks back. Too many losses got boring to write about. But, they are back; two wins in a row. Plugging it out can pay off.

Plugging it out, as a body worker, can pay similar dividends. You may have different approaches or philosophies on how to best create change, but putting in the work is essential. I’ve mentioned frequently here on

my blog, and elsewhere, that there are many excellent…

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For those therapists who work dry:

At each seminar I teach, I bring along my chalk ball. A therapist told me about this a few years ago and I think it has been one of the biggest assets to me as a therapist in quite a long time.

Early on in each class, I mention the chalk ball and I see mostly uninterested faces. I invite students to give it a try, but most stay away. But one by one, each one gives it a try, finally the most

reluctant giving in.…

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I just finished teaching a Foundations in Myofascial Release I in Hershey, PA this past weekend. As I interacted with many of the therapists who attended it became clear to me that Myofascial Release,

as it is often taught, blends so much esoteric material into the

coursework that the basics are often lost. I repeatedly heard that they

just did not understand how to…

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Close game, outcome the same…

When I decided to begin teaching my own brand of Myofascial Release trainings, I was asked; “Why would you want to start this, when there are so many people who are big in the field?”. I knew right away they

had just answered their own question.

I am grateful of the training I received in continuing education from a wide variety of sources, and I am looking to learn more. My education continues. But the one thing I…

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My previous post on the “Language We Use” garnered a few replies here and on other sites, though not as much as I had hoped. I feel like I may have hit a raw nerve in many.

I believe that I, like many of you, get so caught up in the enthusiasm of learning a new modality that we forget to touch base with reality. It is not my point to trash anyone’s beliefs or manner of

explanation. I simply ask whether you have ever stepped back and

analyzed the language that…

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This post isn’t really about football…How does our choice of language effect our patients?

Another bad week for the home team. Words cannot describe how bad the Buffalo Bills played this past weekend.

I spend a fair amount of time on the internet. I rationalize it by telling myself that it is part of my job; keeping up with myofascial release and the larger field of…

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This post isn’t really about football…

How does it feel when the therapist becomes the patient?

I am writing this as the Buffalo Bills are losing (again) with little chance of recovery. And, as I sit at my computer, I am recovering from a back flare-up. It has been with me for

12 years now, since that horse decided she did not like me on her…

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How many practitioners meet their patients where they are at at this moment?

Week 2 of the NFL season and my team (see Football and Therapy) lost again. I spent the last weekend teaching one of my Foundations…

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I posted an entry on my Myofascial Release blog that I wanted to share here. Any opinions?



My Issue with core strengthening

Core strengthening is a popular treatment modality among physical therapists, as well as being popular in the mainstream of exercise. There have been a number of…

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I have been spending a bit of time this evening on GoogleScholar looking into water. Found a good review article dispelling the myth of the need for 8 X 8 glasses of water per day (reference here), but am struggling locating research on another related topic. Most of us has been taught that drinking extra water after bodywork helps to flush the toxins/prevent muscle… Continue

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A few months back I posted an entry on my Blog titled "Leveling the Landscape", which looked at our…

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A common aftermath of body work in general can be redness and itching of the skin. I have seen this especially evident in the trunk and ribcage area and can sometimes be rather pronounced. I was taught

that this was a reaction to histamine released from the cells, creating

an itching sensation. What have you been taught? Also, why does it seem

more evident in the trunk vs other parts of the body?

I have a few good theories that I will share, but I invite…

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In a recent post on my Myofascial Release Exchange Blog, I posted some interesting findings on false positive MRI results with respect to back, neck, and shoulder abnormalities. I came across another study that calls into question the validity of using MRI results as primary means of diagnosing dysfunction. A study just published by…

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