Moving Forward Massage Therapy

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🛑 Stop...

🛑 STOP blaming a position

🛑 STOP blaming anatomical variance

🛑 STOP blaming alignment

✅ START understanding that ANY position can become uncomfortable if you spend TOO MUCH TIME in that position without changing positions or taking breaks to move!

💯 Once you understand this you'll stop fearing positions and wasting time endlessly searching for the "perfect posture" to "fix" your pain and understand how much more control over your pain and your body you actually have!

🎯 Helpful reminders:

✅ You're allowed to slouch

✅ You're allowed to sit on your wallet

✅ You're allowed to look down at your phone and read this post

✅ You're allowed to adopt any position you want

🚨 Just remember that our bodies don't like to be stuck in the same position for hours and hours at a time, so changing them or taking a "movement break" before things get sore, achy, or painful can go a long way!
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🎯 If you need help with your own fitness and/or rehab journey, I can help in 2 ways:

1️⃣ Work with me 𝟭-𝗼𝗻-𝟭 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: I’ll perform a detailed assessment, put together an individualized program based on where you’re currently at and where you want to get to (your goals), and then coach you through the process of getting there

➡️ Comment “𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗬” and I’ll send you my application form to fill out (I’ll respond within 48 hours)

2️⃣ Join over 2000 others in my app: if you don’t need 1-on-1 coaching but need structure, my app includes 𝟭𝟬 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 and 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟲𝟬 guided mobility, strength and stability routines within 𝟮𝟱 categorized sections covering the whole body

➡️ Comment "𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗗” to get full access to my app 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 for your first 𝟳 𝗗𝗔𝗬𝗦 and then 𝟰𝟰% 𝗢𝗙𝗙
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7 fascinating things every one with an Aloe vera needs to know >>>

DATE UPDATE! Now September 10, 2024

NEXT FREE VIRTUAL InTouch Presentation. Register: https://bit.ly/3Rb4ioL or upledger.com Online learning Opportunities

- Multidisciplinary Overview: “What Is Fascia and Why Is It Important?”
- Extending the Olive Branch: Bridging Western & Non-Western Medicines.
- Director’s Notes: Chapter by Chapter Analysis of Part 1: The Secret Life of Fascia
- Sports & Movement Applications: In the era of specialization, who’s looking at the whole body?

Bruce Schonfeld is a Certified Advanced Rolfer practicing in Los Angeles CA since 1994. He has studied VM since 1996 including 300+ hours with Jean-Pierre Barral DO. Bruce is the IAHE modality developer of Fascial Integration showcasing the Structural-Visceral continuum. Bruce is the Director and Producer of the documentary film series The Secret Life of Fascia.

NOTE: In order to successfully register you will need your email address registered with a zoom account. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Today's Eye Exercises: Give your eyes 10 minutes to reduce eye strain.

Are you doing your daily eye exercise? First, relax the eye muscles with the warmth of the palms, apply warm hands to your eyes, and then breathe deeply for 3-5 minutes. Or you can unwind with an eye massager for 15 min a day. 10% off discount code "OASISNEWYT" at https://amzn.to/43T7CrT

Our eyes focus by activating muscle fibers that coordinate with the optic nerve. So, doing eye exercises to keep eye muscles in shape can improve vision and reduce your eye strain.

When it comes to musculoskeletal problems, medical diagnoses are often big fat guesses, especially given that little to no physical examination is typically done before issuing a diagnosis.

I had a client once with painful toe joints. They'd been like this for decades and had been told it was arthritis. I examined the toes and it definitely didn't feel like arthritis. What I could see was that multiple metatarsal heads were dropped. This often happens when there's imbalance between the flexors and extensors. I tested the flexors and they tested very inhibited. Something was keeping them from firing normally. I went to one of my go to spots for this -- an adhesion between the toe extensors and the extensor retinacula. I freed that up and the toe flexors turned right on and fired normally. The client got up and walked around and their foot felt better for the first time in 30-40 years.

😏💪

Source: http://bit.ly/2zhyeqx

Benign proxysmal positional vertigo (or BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo, especially in those over 65. This occurs when crystals (called otoconia), normally located in one part of the vestibular system of your inner ear (the utricle), become dislodged and collect in another one of the semi-circular canals. There are several movement-based remedies for this. My favorite is the Epley maneuver. It can be done solo, but works ever better if you have a helper. I suggest starting with the Dix-Hallpike maneuver first to determine which direction to do the head rotations. It's a diagnostic for BPPV in general, but can also tell you WHICH side is causing the problem. To do the Dix-Hallpike, it's the same as the first step of the Epley maneuver shown in the video below. Do it first with the head turned to one side. If this doesn't produce any of the symptoms described in the video, try it again turning to the other side. Whichever side produces symptoms is your problem side and that should be your start position for the Epley. Here's a how-to: https://rfr.bz/f9udqtb

The body will always default to its position of strength -- wherever it works BEST given the situation. If you are stronger doing something the wrong way than you are the right way, when push comes to shove, that's exactly what you'll revert to. To truly bulletproof a correction, you must not only address whatever compensation patterns are hindering your ability to function properly, but you must STRENGTHEN the PROPER pattern such that it is where you work BEST.

For clients suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, one exercise I often like to prescribe is the soccer throw. For the soccer throw, take a ball (soccer ball or similar size) and raise it up just over your head as you inhale, then bring your arms down quickly, throwing the ball against a wall as you exhale. The combination of breath, scapular, and clavicular motion really helps open up the thoracic outlet and can often bring relief.

Did you give your eyes a massage today?

Relax your eye muscles and regain your bright eyes with us. Take a moment and do the eye exercise as follows or let our EyeOasis 2 work its magic. Your eyes deserve it! 💙 https://amzn.to/43T7CrT

Give this post a thumbs up if you've already treated your eyes to a soothing massage today!

For the foot to contribute to normal body movement, it needs to be able to full pronate and supinate. Many folks, in an effort to stop OVER-pronation, choose to wear rigid arch supports/orthotics. The problem with these is that they disallow even NORMAL amounts of pronation. Among other things, if your foot can't pronate, you may find your hip flexors to be a chronic issue.

Use the biggest tool in your toolbox to get the job done.

MTs and bodyworkers, what advice do you have for a massage therapist just starting out in their career? What would have been helpful to know fresh out of school?⁠
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Comment below 🗯️⁠

Your response could be featured in a future issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine!
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A recent hypothesis regarding the body's meridian system is that these meridians' energy travels along fascial pathways. Fascial restrictions can also result in restricted flow of energy. Often in clinic, after large fascial releases, clients report a "whoosh" sensation of energy suddenly flowing through the area and farther down stream (especially in the limbs). It feels different than a change in circulation and there's no commensurate change to distal pulses.

A subluxated long-head biceps tendon is a common contributor to shoulder pain. It can be minor or major, intermittent or constant. Don't wait to get it addressed. Over time, the tendon can become so inflamed and enlarged that it CAN'T go back in its groove.

Chronic shoulder problems? Maybe check out the opposite hip. The spiral line is a contiguous line of fascia that wraps around the body. Among other things, it connects the shoulder to the opposite hip. Shoulder sweeps can be a particularly useful stretch for addressing the shoulder-to-hip component of the spiral line. Here's a video of how to do it. https://rfr.bz/f9n8xnw