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A typical experience

I had a new client the other day for an 80 minute massage. I asked him if there is anything that he wanted me to know.  He told me that he suffers from a herniated disc that he has had for a few years. He has constant low back and right hip pain that at times radiates down the back of his leg to his knee. He told me that he has had two injections in his low back and has to stay on anit- inflamtory medication.  Anything to avoid surgery. The pain is always there. I asked him if he ever saw a chiropractor for his pain.  He said yes.  But the adjustments hurt his hip so bad that he could not continiue.  So here is a guy that thinks he is on the verge of surgery. I knew that there was a very strong probubllity that was not the case. The vast majority of pain people experience is nocioceptive pain( soft tissue- muscle, tendon, ligament, facia).  MDs and Chiropractors see pain as neuropathic pain( nerve pain).  With that asumption they give the wrong treatments and therapies.  Now there is no denying that at times injections and surgery is needed. Not denying that.   But most of the time - NOT.  70% to 85% of all pain comes directly from trigger points.  Anyway I showed my client a testimonial from a client that I was able to help out of a very painful condition that she had delt with for a couple of years. I showed him that testimonial because all pain has a psychological eliment too it. I wanted him to start thinking maybe he is not on the edge of surgery.  I palpated his entire back upper torso, both hips, and right leg. I found a very painful spot on his right L5 erectors.  Another very painful spot on his right greater trochantor.  A painful spot in the middle part of his lower right hamstrings.  And also a tender spot on the right spinous of L3.  I knew that if Iwas able to eliminate all those painful palaptory spots that I would most likely eliminate his pain problem.  Because a healthy body had no painful spots even with deep massage.  Ive been hunting and eliminateing trigger points for thirty years now.  He walked out of the massage room pain free. He was pain free for the first time in years. All those other professional people misdiagnosed him because they assume neuropathic pain over nocioceptive pain.  I assume the other way around.  I'm a Massage Therapist.  

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 22, 2015 at 9:15pm
https://www.painscience.com/tutorials/trigger-points.php

I'm in here talking about trigger points and how I'm fixing people with years of pain because of misdiagnosis. And I keep saying its not just me saying or knowing this. The link above is a real good introduction to trigger points and the misdiagnosis of pain. It backs up this whole thread. We( massage therapists) should be the Go Too guys for pain. Sense 85% of all pain is Trigger points. Everyone seems to be obsessed with Joints and or Structure( MDs, Physical therapists, Rolfers, Chiropractors, Massage therapists). Like, One hip is higher then the other so we have to balance it out. Or its a pinched nerve from a joint. When all you gotta do is just get rid of the trigger point. The link above is well worth reading. Its the truth that remains hidden.
Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 22, 2015 at 9:48pm
Thie attachment below is from the link I told you about above. One of the problems I have when I have a pain client. Is the fact that they are seeing a chiropractor, a physical therapist, an acupuncturist, MD... and they are doing all this stuff that just un does the TP work that I'm doing. There is no way I can help anyone when they are seeing someone else. I point that out to people. Now if I cant help them in a very noticeable way after four sessions. Then I maybe cant help them. Then they can try a different type of therapy. But there seems to be this idea that a group effort is needed by people in different fields in order to get the person out of pain. But my experience with that is, it just perpetuates the pain. If I release a trigger point in the infraspinatus and then the person goes to their physical therapist thats making them lift weights in order to strengthen the weak shoulder. Or they go to another massage therapist that stretches them all over the place. Then they go to their yoga class.. If trigger points are their pain problem. There is no way they will heal. Thats it.
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 22, 2015 at 10:10pm
The attachment below is interesting because a long time ago I accidently cured a Medical Doctor of his back pain. The guy could barely walk. I was very nervous because he was a doctor and I was worried I might hurt him. I did this robotic shiatsu massage while being nervous as hell. I had no idea what a trigger point was , and never heared of the word. Even though I went to a years worth of massage school. Anyway, long story short, unknowingly to me or him, with my shiatsu massage , accidently deactivated some serious trigger points along his para spinals. I didnt know how I cured him. And he couldnt tell me either, and he is a Medical doctor. His orthopedic Doctor friends didnt know either? That not knowing still exists today. As strong as ever. Now I can help tons of people, cause I'm looking for trigger points when no one else is.
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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on January 22, 2015 at 11:34pm

Thanks for posting the link to that book, Gordon.  It looks like an interesting and worthwhile read!

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 23, 2015 at 8:36pm
Had a client today that came in with a specific problem. Her low back and upper left hip had been bothering her for a month, and was not getting better. She had a 50 minute massage scheduled. She had a few trigger points all on the left side. A glute med., another on the PSIS, one on her Glute max., and one on L5 paraspinals. The PSIS one was the most sore. In 15 minutes there were all gone. When she sat up I asked her how her low back felt. She said that usually when she sits up she can really feel it. But she doesnt feel the pain at all. I explained to her that she will need a couple follow up appointments to make sure those tender spots stay gone. She rescheduled and left the spa pain free. I'm going to guess that it will take maybe two more 15 minute sessions. I wonder how she would have felt if , instead of seeing me, she went to a chiropractor? Hmmm?
Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on January 23, 2015 at 9:21pm

worse, no doubt-- and for weeks.   Because he won't be in a hurry to take the pain.  they prefer taking the money.

Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on January 23, 2015 at 9:29pm

I went to a chiropractor in town for a while last year or the year before - time flies!  Can't remember...Anyway, he was very nice, and respected my expertise which I thought was great!  He really tried to help me but couldn't.  He even knew to work on soft tissue problems!  At $47 for each 10-15 minute visit, I gave up after a few tries.

We need to clone Gordon...

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 23, 2015 at 10:37pm
That would be good if I could be cloned. I'd leave my clone here to work, then Id go fly to Florida and party with Gary.
Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on January 24, 2015 at 10:22pm

sigh.  we have to wait for the science to catch up with the need.

That chiropractor I've started working with?  I'm thinking it won't last.  Told you we visited some businesses; he talked while I gave chair massage to 30+ people.  Well, based on that, he had 80% signed up for free chiro evaluations / first adjustment.  On Tuesday I have six 1-hr massage sessions in his office; not one has signed up with him for an adjustment, they've all put the session off. 

Gordon, Therese, I have already told the guy if I encounter pain, I am going to attempt to take it away.  No way I could stand myself if I skipped over a TP and told somebody who is hurting she needs the DC instead.

Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on January 24, 2015 at 11:59pm

He knew to work soft tissue...but doesn't know how to; not his fault, he wasn't taught it in all his schooling. 

Take out the trigger points that are holding vertebra out of position, the body will self-correct.



Therese Schwartz said:

I went to a chiropractor in town for a while last year or the year before - time flies!  Can't remember...Anyway, he was very nice, and respected my expertise which I thought was great!  He really tried to help me but couldn't.  He even knew to work on soft tissue problems!  At $47 for each 10-15 minute visit, I gave up after a few tries.

We need to clone Gordon...

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 25, 2015 at 5:40am
Well, 20 years ago, when I worked in a chiropractic clinic. I made three times the money I make now. There are good Chiropractors out there. But they are VERY RARE. And I mean VERY. I went to three chiropractic clinics with a FAKE shouulder injury.. I got Xrays , and each one of them pointed out my problem on the Xrays. I had NO Problem. So... Everybody has right to make a living. But, need I say more? I'm sure there are better massage therapists then me... But. MUSCLES move bones. And they need to be teaching that fact in Massage School. Instead of how to fit in. I mean look at the income difference between chiropractors and massage therapists. It iis because of the training massage therapists get... BUT.. Muscles Move BONES... its not the other way around... And the best Chiropractors.. guess what? They are doing Soft Tissue Work. I know what I know,. But what they are teaching massage therapists, is not what I know. My whole deal in here was or is to empower our profession. OUR PROFESSION HAS NOT MET ITS MAXIMUM POTENTIAL. Not even close. I'm goiing to try and down load a video or two and a picture( that means a thousand words). Watch it carefully.. Think on things. Forget what you know.
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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 25, 2015 at 5:59am
The purpose of today's training( not that I'm teaching you) is to undo what we learned yesterday - MIYAMOTO MUSASHI

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