Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique

"I am a licensed massage therapist with a fair amount of advanced training. Certain books, videos, and workshops--such as Art Riggs Deep Tissue Massage book and video series, James Waslaski's Orthopedic Massage workshop series, and the CORE Institute's Sports Massage and Myofascial Therapy workshops--have been instrumental in shaping my practice. I am now studying with Whitney Lowe. His books and recently launched continuing education e-course(s) are enabling me to deepen my understanding of orthopedic massage and to feel more confident in my ability to recognize and treat pathology (as well as to know when a referral is the most appropriate treatment). Lowe's books and training emphasize understanding kinesiology as applied to pain conditions, selecting massage techniques based upon physiological principles (the focus of this text), and using appropriate assessments related to specific pathologies (the focus of his new text, Orthopedic Assessment in Massage Therapy). Lowe is not only an accomplished therapist and author, he is also an incredible educator who makes himself accessible to students as their learning progresses. I am grateful for the opportunity to study with him, as I believe his work enables us to become better therapists, ultimately enhancing the reputation of therapeutic massage as a viable health care option.
(See [...]for information on Lowe's innovative e-course series.)

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~ Written on 2007-03-24

"Whitney Lowe defined orthopedic massage as a broad spectrum of techniques and approaches to treat soft-tissue dysfunction. And this is the main objective of this book to present symptoms of soft-tissue dysfunction and injuries, the cause and the treatment. The massage techniques used is an integration of trigger point, myofascial, deep transverse friction, and muscle energy techniques. This book is divided into two sections: the general principles, and regional approach to pathology and treatment. The first part run through the general principles the soft tissue injuries, specific massage techniques and its physiological effects. The regional approach describes the pathology of injuries to specific parts of the body. Each type of injuries is systematically described under the following heading: description, treatment, and cautions and contraindications. This is not only a bible of injuries, but also contains useful soft tissue manipulation. Chapter 13 summarize injuries which are not specific to a part of the body but can be more 'general' such as muscle strains, ligament sprains, forward head posture etc. This is a very useful reference for massage therapist"
~ Written on 2005-05-10