Instrument Assisted Myofascial Therapy

Instrument-Assisted Myofascial Therapy: Principles and Clinical Applications provides a complete overview of this effective therapy (IAMT) based on the authors' own clinical experience of using instruments to treat myofascial lesions. The text combines the latest scientific evidence and theory with practical guidelines. The authors describe the use of various IAMT techniques which the reader will be able to easily integrate into daily clinical practice. The text progresses from didactic to practical information of relevance for a variety of clinicians: - Anatomy of the myofascial system and its role in pain/dysfunction and treatments - Science and theory of IAMT including history, types, and research on mechanisms of action and outcomes - Practical application of IAMT Practice: an overview of techniques specific to tissue type (scars, tendons, muscles) - Integration of IATM in clinical practice including clinical decision making (in diagnosis and treatment), indications, contraindications, and adjunct treatments The text is intended to provide a guide for using myofascial instruments in daily practice. The reader will easily learn how to use IATM to enhance patient outcomes and to use it in a fashion which protects their own joints! Procedures are explained and demonstrated using a clear and practical approach. Full-color photographs illustrate the use of the therapy in these commonly-treated areas: Cervical spine and head, Shoulder, Elbow, wrist and hand, Thoracic spine and chest, Lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint, Hip and pelvis, Knee, Ankle and foot. Treatment protocols are provided which can be easily applied by the therapist for use with a variety of diagnoses relating to the same structures by using a standardised and precise approach. A treatment protocol is first presented on a specific structure that is commonly treated. The specific instrument is to be used is described first, then the entire treatment is explained in detail. from the starting position of the therapist and patient. Treatment progressions are then listed, as well as possible treatment options within the Myofascial Connective System (MCS). Beginning with the primarily treated structure, 'myofascial junctions' are discussed; first regionally in a distal and proximal direction, and then within a functional myofascial chain. This unique approach greatly simplifies the various IATM procedures for the reader to easily implement in practice. Readers will learn an integrated approach to IATM in a variety of clinical practice settings. Clinicians seeing post-operative patients will benefit from a chapter dedicated to the treatment of scars. Numerous case studies and the integration of other myofascial techniques (Cupping, Flossing/Mobility Bands, Kinesiology Taping and Fascial Fitness) complete the book. Instrument-Assisted Myofascial Therapy - principles and clinical applications is the result of years of professional practice with IATM while evaluating patient outcomes. The concept is based on scientific evidence and has been developed in close collaboration with leading scientists and practitioners in the field of myofascial therapy. The text provides a pragmatic, evidence-informed approach to IATM practice.

Myofascial Release provides comprehensive training for hands-on therapists of all disciplines and at all levels to expand their practice. From technique descriptions and their applications to client interactions and the preservation of practitioner strength and functionality, this guide teaches therapists every crucial aspect of employing myofascial release to its fullest benefit. This scientifically grounded whole-body approach presents an overview of the entire fascial matrix, the three-dimensional web of tissue that supports, encompasses, and protects every other structure in the body. The explanation of the anatomy and function of the connective tissue system gives practitioners the solid background needed for working most effectively with soft tissue to treat muscle injury, immobility, and pain. The book also outlines how myofascial release relates to other massage modalities in the Hands on Guides for Therapists series, ensuring therapists incorporate all of their skills to the greatest effect for their clients. Descriptions of over 60 myofascial techniques contain details on the timing, direction, and hold of each stretch as well as numerous photographs that illustrate the body and hand positions of each technique. Nuanced explanations of the unique feel of soft tissue, including the component of position of ease felt in the fascial drag, enhance the therapist’s palpation skills. The therapist learns how to apply the best approach—cross-hand releases, longitudinal plane releases, compression releases, and transverse plane releases—on specific injuries or issues and how to combine techniques to maximize their effectiveness. The text also contains home programs that clients can use themselves between treatment sessions. Myofascial Release provides an entire therapeutic approach as opposed to just the hands-on application that most books offer. Special features make this resource more effective and efficient for readers: • Full-color photos present a strong visual guide to employing each technique safely. • The photo index reference tool quickly points readers to the desired technique. • Therapist tips provide practical comments on applying the techniques. • Client talk boxes share the author’s experiences and insights on common situations. • Quick Questions at the end of each chapter test readers’ knowledge of material. Finally, the text offers insight on interacting with clients and ensuring their entire therapeutic experience is fulfilling. It covers the client consultation process, checking for contraindications and performing the visual assessment, how the client may respond to the treatment, and what the practitioner and client might feel and see during the process. Readers will come away from Myofascial Release with a holistic understanding of the approach and how to apply the principles to their practice. Myofascial Release is part of the Hands-On Guides for Therapists series, which features specific tools for assessment and treatment that fall well within the realm of massage therapists but may be useful for other body workers, such as osteopaths and fitness instructors. The guides include full-color instructional photographs, Tips sections that aid in adjusting massage techniques, Client Talk boxes that present ideas for creatively applying techniques for various types of clients, and questions for testing knowledge and skill.

Fascial dysfunction is now recognised as one of the main underlying causes of musculoskeletal pain leading to impaired and reduced mobility. These are the symptoms which confront all practitioners of manual therapy in their everyday practice. In this second edition of his very successful book, Leon Chaitow brings together contributions from 20 leading practitioners and researchers from many different fields of manual therapy. Fascial Dysfunction - Manual Therapy Approaches, Second Edition aims to help those practitioners to assess more precisely the dysfunction of their clients and its cause and to increase practitioner awareness of the various techniques which may help them in their attempts to alleviate their clients' problems. New features of the Second edition include: Descriptions of new research evidence and its implications for practice: The dependence of collagen health on a mixture of balanced internal and external tension The importance of adequate hydration The possible role of the telocyte The importance of 'dosage' of therapies in management of fascial dysfunction New chapters on: Gua Sha and cupping Global postural re-education Scar remodelling The book is in two sections. Section I, written by Chaitow with a contribution by Tom Myers, presents a review of the current understanding of the function of fascia in the human body and describes what can go wrong - the causes and effects of fascial dysfunction and disease, and how to assess the problem and remove obstacles to the success of treatment. Section II contains chapters by experts in different types of manual therapy including three by Chaitow. Each practitioner describes their own approach to the problem of assessing and treating fascial dysfunction and explains their specialist therapeutic approach. These approaches include: Bowen Therapy Connective Tissue Manipulation and Skin Rolling Fascia oriented training applications in sports and movement therapy The Fascial Manipulation® method applied to low back pain Fascial Unwinding Balanced Ligamentous Tension Technique Gua sha (press-stroking) and Ba guan (cupping): traditional East Asian instrument- assisted manual therapies Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) Myofascial Induction Therapy (MIT®) Neuromuscular Technique and associated Soft Tissue Manipulation Modalities Positional Release Techniques - (including counterstrain) Global Postural Re-education: Souchard Method Rolfing® Structural Integration Management of Scars and Adhesions Manual Matrix Remodeling in myofascial injuries: scar modeling technique Massage Therapy and Fascia Trigger Point release methods including dry needling

What does scientific research show about the effectiveness of chiropractic care? How are chiropractors trained and what do they do? When should one turn to chiropractic care, and how does one select a practitioner? This book answers all of these questions and more. Chiropractic is the most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practice in the United States, with nearly $4 billion spent out-of-pocket annually by chiropractic patients. In fact, as evidence for its effectiveness for common conditions such as back pain continues to mount and acceptance grows in a variety of health care settings, chiropractic could be considered more "mainstream" than many other forms of CAM. In this information-packed single-volume work, an expert team led by Cheryl Hawk—a well-known chiropractic researcher—explains chiropractic licensure, practice, and effectiveness to general readers researching chiropractic care options and to undergraduate students choosing a major or specialty. Readers will see the range of scientific evidence supporting the use of chiropractic health care for many common conditions, learn about the typical chiropractic clinical encounter and chiropractic procedures, and understand the criteria by which patients and other health professionals can use to select a chiropractic physician. This book also provides health care practitioners in other fields with current information that enables a greater understanding of the training and the roles of chiropractors in health care.

Sports Performance Massage instructs the student and practising therapist to use a combination of experience and scientific evidence to inform their sports massage practice, particularly when working with athletic populations. Strength and conditioning coaches, managers and athletes frequently ask questions about the best use of sports massage in order to recover quicker from injury and fatigue and improve performance. Sports Performance Massage empowers the therapist and gives them greater confidence by improving their scientific understanding when working with injured or competitive athletes. The exciting new volume covers all the aspects required to make a highly skilled, confident and employable sports massage therapist. Working with high-level athletes requires an additional skill level compared to working with the general public. Furthermore, advanced massage skills taught in this book, such as soft tissue release and trigger point therapy, are essential when working on muscular adhesions and injured areas. Pregnant athletes, those with disabilities, contraindications and athletes with special requirements have also been considered. Sports Performance Massage is a learning and research aid for those studying vocational sports massage courses as well as those studying other courses where massage forms part of the undergraduate and postgraduate degree, such as sports therapy, sports rehabilitation, osteopathy and physiotherapy. Unlike other sports massage books, Sports performance Massage has a strong academic focus, allowing the graduate therapist to stay up to date with the latest research in their respective field.

The 4th Edition of the field’s premier text on therapeutic modalities reflects evidence-based practice research and technologies that are impacting professional practice today. Step by step, you’ll build a solid foundation in the theory and science that underlie today’s best practices and then learn how to treat a wide range of orthopedic injuries.

Direct Release Myofascial Technique provides a highly illustrated guide to direct release myofascial techniques (MFR) and their application in clinical practice. MFR is a manual therapy method that influences both a body's structural tissues and the sensory/motor systems. Originally developed by Dr Ida Rolf, the creator of the Rolfing? method, the approach has since been adapted and modified by different groups of therapists to fit within their own particular philosophies. This book strips away the surrounding theories and philosophies and focuses on the safe and appropriate use of the techniques themselves. Numerous photographs supplement the detailed, step-by-step coverage of techniques.