Article Archive

Therapist to Therapist: CPS

Russian Sports Massage for Violinists’ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Some time back I received a request from a reader to cover treatments for violinists. Although violin-playing is not a sport, these clients are athletes — each day undergoing continuous use of their upper extremities, especially the hands. Let’s cover some of the common dysfunctions seen in violinists, as well as preventive treatments to help keep these athletes’ upper extremities in good shape. We will start with the condition I’ve seen afflict quite a few professional and amateur violinists — Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Running Injuries, Part 1

Russian Sports Massage and the Feet

In the next several issues I will cover some of the most frequently occurring injuries in runners. We will start with the foot and progress up the body. As always, I welcome your questions and comments. Please remember that if incorporating the treatments I outline here, the work will only be effective if the protocols are followed exactly, especially when it comes to the duration and frequency of treatment.

The Many Faces of Skin Cancer

Know Your ABCD's!

I have had a patch of dry skin on my cheek for a long time. Recently it has begun to get red and itch. Just about the time I think I should have it checked, it gets better and goes away. I was worried about it being a skin cancer, but a friend told me that I shouldn’t worry because if it were a skin cancer it wouldn’t go away, it would just keep getting bigger. What do you think?

Stroke Rehab, Part 1

An Overview

Stroke is one of the sneaky adversaries that snoops around members of the over-60 set, often pouncing when least expected. It can strike the nice old gentleman as he sits on a park bench feeding the pigeons or it may fell the executive bent over his putter, trying to sink the ball in the 18th hole in hopes of ending another golf outing triumphantly. A stroke can wipe out the lifelong athlete in the midst of that big senior meet.

Stroke Rehab, Part 2

Coming Back

Basis for Massage Therapy

The question comes up occasionally — What makes massage so special that we want to put it into patient care? The skeptic talks of placebo effect, while the massage junkie talks of the power of touch. Sometimes we ourselves are surprised at our results. We look at our hands and note they are remarkable tools, but we know that so are everyone else’s.

Stroke Rehab, Part 3

Getting to Work

When working with stroke victims it is important to realize that in the case of a spastic stroke, the muscles are not out of commission, but they are out of control. The balance between flexors and extenders is gone; so is the wonderful phenomenon of muscle groups that, in a fantastic choreography, can bring the most incredible variation of strength and direction of movement to bear on the most mundane moves.

Touching Grief

When Disaster Strikes

In February, we at the McKinnon Institute of Massage were honored to provide massage for Alaska Airlines employees at the San Francisco and Oakland airports following the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. With short notice, the McKinnon On-Site Team pulled together to organize the needed personnel. Alaska Airlines is a regional carrier, and many of the people on board were from the Bay area. For us this went beyond a sad story on the evening news: our friends and neighbors had died, more were in mourning, and we were directly affected.

Try a Little Tenderness

Spinal Cord Injuries and Soft Tissue Rehabilitation

Walking up to this unfamiliar door, Joanie Heart was uncertain her abilities as a massage therapist would make a difference. For one of the only times in her career, intimidation was looming. It was 1997 and behind the door was a 25-year-old man, not so much unlike other massage clients she’d seen in her 14 years of practice, except for one thing — he was a paraplegic.

“I was afraid I couldn’t help him,” said Heart. “I’ve always been very confident in my work, but for a few moments I was uncertain. I was standing in the wilderness with no map of where to go.”

Ancient Cure for a Modern Problem

Quelling Post-Op Nausea

Surgery as a remedy for body ailments dates back to ancient times. But it has only been within the past 150 years that general anesthesia has been on the scene.1 The use of anesthesia has become a double-edged sword for the medical profession, contributing to a perplexing problem known as PONV, or post-operative nausea and vomiting. Although several factors may contribute to PONV, anesthesia is a major player and its effects on the patient continue to thwart attempts for a pharmacologic panacea.

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