It’s not your typical chair massage. The name given to one of the techniques of tui na work — double dragon walking — is symbolic of the roots of this ancient Chinese folk medicine that aims to balance the energy system of qi (chi) and treat the musculoskeletal system all at the same time. And in China, says Xiping Zhou, a doctor of oriental medicine and licensed acupuncturist, it’s usually performed with the client on a simple office chair.
In the first article in this series, we examined the anatomy of the low back and various types of injuries that can occur in this area. Here, we’ll focus on ligament injuries, taking a closer look at how they occur, what symptoms they cause, and how we can pinpoint exactly which structure has been damaged.
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder for which the cause is still unknown. Ongoing investigations continue as medical and manual therapy offices are flooded with increasing numbers of reported fibromyalgia cases but, like the oft-quoted analogy of the blind man and the elephant, we currently know more about the components of FMS than we know about the “beast” as a whole.
Pain is an unpleasant reality for many people. From the healthiest to the unhealthiest, we all find ourselves in pain’s grip at one time or another. Whether your pain is self-inflicted from exuberant weekend warrior syndrome, brought on by the stresses of today’s world, or a symptom of serious disease or physical states, there are several ways to find relief from this unpleasant, often unbearable, fact of life.
Do you have a creative friend? Someone who can come up with a unique idea in any situation? Were they born with an extra creative gene, or is “creativity” something you can learn? When you’re confronted with a problem and you say, “I need to think this through,” what does that mean? What thought processes do you go through?
This practice is simple. Whatever you have always wanted to do to express yourself, do it, and do it often. Sing, dance, play, draw, talk to people, embrace people, go for a walk and sit under a tree, climb a mountain, tell a story, knit a sweater, paint a picture, laugh, cry, write a poem (or an article or a novel) take a trip, buy a new dress, paint your living room, make love in a different way at a different time, go on a meditation retreat, study astrology (or computers or high finance) build a house, make a sculpture, work with wood, learn a language, or create a ritual.
Massage is widely considered a form of natural healing. Images of leaves and waterfalls are often used to convey our services and merchandise. It’s also fairly normal for practitioners to utilize products that boast pure and natural ingredients and packaging. As caring creatures of the planet, nature appeals to us at an instinctual level.
One of the main objectives of this article (and Part 2 in the August/September 2006 issue) is to offer therapists ways of predicting the probable outcome of a client’s back problems. Is this person’s backache likely to get better rapidly? Slowly? Or is it unlikely to improve as a result of manual/massage/exercise therapy?
Massage historian and cofounder of Massage Magazine, Robert Noah Calvert died April 19 at age 60 after suffering a heart attack. Calvert and his wife Judi founded Massage Magazine in 1985; he sold the publication to the Doyle Group in 2005.
A recent study by the American Council on Exercise evaluated the cardiovascular impact of Pilates. Noteworthy for its stretching, strengthening, and muscle-building attributes, Pilates appears to fall short in calorie-burning and aerobic benefits.
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