How to Become a Better Pain Detective
Learn the systematic application of ART to unravel the mystery of your client’s pain.
Learn the systematic application of ART to unravel the mystery of your client’s pain.
The zygapophyseal joints are a crucial component of the human vertebral column, contributing to its stability, flexibility, and load-bearing capabilities. Learn two techniques that improve Z joint function.
What can manual and movement therapists do to treat neck cricks caused by facet jamming and nerve root impingement? In many cases, protective muscle spasm can be reduced through application of specific soft-tissue decompression and mobilization maneuvers that help restore “joint play” and facilitate…
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when a client presents with low-back pain? Muscle spasm, nerve impingement, osteoarthritis, or maybe a disc problem? In my experience, therapists rarely link the femoroacetabular joint to back disorders, even though several studies have found a strong correlation between fixated hips and lumbar spine pathology.
Addressing localized buttock pain Coccydynia can also be attributed to a malformed or dislocated coccyx and the growth of bony spurs at this joint. Unlike fractures,
Our brains are very much like sponges. They are malleable and constantly adapting to peripheral input by strengthening existing neural connections and networks, a process called long-term potentiation (LTP).
The famed Czech researcher Dr. Karel Lewit states: “Respiration is our primary and most important movement pattern… and also the most dysfunctional.”
In Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques we use several manual methods that lubricate joints and soft tissue by generating warmth in the tissue and rolling fascial sacs across associated structures. Some of these methods restore capsular flexibility, enhance joint play, and encourage pain-free range of motion. Others stimulate muscle spindles to turn on weak muscles and improve their firing patterns.
Clinical reasoning for an evidence-informed practice Each of us has a toolbox packed with assessments and techniques for treating clients with various pain complaints. Using
Manual therapists routinely use bones as levers to reduce tension and protective spasm in hypertonic muscles. For example, the femur and humerus are excellent tools for stretching tight hip and shoulder girdle muscles, and we commonly rotate and sidebend a client’s head to relieve neck tension.
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