The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession

Judith Aston is widely recognized as a pioneer in the art and science of kinetics for her discovery of the Aston® Paradigm and consequent development of the many forms of movement training, bodyworks, fitness programs and ergonomics of Aston® Kinetics. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren discuss Judith's ability to see the body, her early career teaching movement and physical...

A client has a history of a triple A: an abdominal aortic aneurysm. If it ruptures, it has an 80% mortality rate. A few weeks ago, the client had surgery to correct another aneurysm, at her left subclavian artery—and this involved a 10 day hospital stay. Is there any possible way that massage could be safe for this person? Surprisingly, yes! Listen in for a great example of gathering the informati...

Even if you have never heard the name Clint Chandler, there is a good chance you know his work. The voice, the hands and the mind behind ABMP's 5-Minute Muscles, Clint has laid the groundwork for education in the field of bodywork and massage. He has written elaborate curriculums, worked with some of the leading minds in our industry, developed ground-breaking methods of pedagogy, and is a voice f...

Massage therapists practice with more than 350 methods and modalities. Is marketing yourself and your practice one of them? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren speak author and massage therapist Felicia Brown about how cooperative competition helped her succeed, why demand influenced her decision to grow, what every touch marketing means, and how being a successful massage the...

A client with reduced heart function and a portable oxygen tank books a 90-minute massage. A doctor's note has been obtained, but the massage therapist hasn't seen it. What is going on with this person's heart? Can they tolerate 90 minutes on a massage table? As always, it depends. Listen in to find out what it depends on .   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatom...

David Lesondak's personal need to understand why things work, and why sometimes they don't, drives his continuing search for the latest scientific knowledge and innovative approaches. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren speak with David about being a fascial fitness trainer, how to bring a fascial awareness to our movement, and how presenting his new book, Fascia, Function, an...

A 75-year-old client has had several vaccines for COVID and other infections over the last 9 months, and now she has pain, weakness, and limited range of motion in both shoulders. Typical massage appears to make it worse. What is happening, and what can we do about it?   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatomy Trains:  www.anatomytrains.com      Host Bio:         ...

In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Darren speaks with Dr. Ben Benjamin about whether there is referred pain in the knee, some of the most common types of knee injuries, if arthritis is common in the knee, and how practitioners know whether they can help with a knee injury or not. Dr. Ben E. Benjamin has done much pioneering work in the areas of ethics, communication, and sexual assault preventi...

A client in a student clinic has a chronic, debilitatingly painful condition: trigeminal neuralgia. She gets surprising relief, if only for a short time, from massage—not on the painful area, but close by. Why did this happen? Can we recreate this success? Can we prolong it?    Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatomy Trains:  www.anatomytrains.com      Host Bio:  ...

Self-care may be the key to a long career. But thinking critically about how we self-care offers us an entire career. A closer look at the hamstrings reveals how critical thinking can change how we work, how we think about our work, and how we can help our clients find their own ability to heal. Host:      Contact Allison Denney:  rebelmt@abmp.com         Allison's website:  www.rebelmassage.com  ...

Is there a commonsense way to make you a pain-free, durable, and productive massage therapist? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin speaks with massage therapist and author Mark Liskey about how pain-free techniques became a focus of his practice and teaching, incorporating table support to help regulate pressure, and advice to practitioners on how using massage tools is an effective meth...

A person reports sporadic episodes of unexplained goosebumps all down one side of the body. No other symptoms are present: no pain, tingling, numbness, or anything. Is it dysautonomia? Is it a weird kind of seizure? What are goosebumps good for, anyway? It turns out they might be more important than we thought.   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatomy Trains:  ww...

Can creating a membership structure in your practice make massage more accessible to the general public? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , we have a discussion with Mindy Sheppard about how working in a franchise spa motivated her to create a membership program for her clients in her solo practice and why it's more beneficial than you might think. Mindy Sheppard is a dual licensed massage ther...

A weightlifting client who has never had professional massage wants help with back and leg pain. Simple enough, right? But in their first interview they reveal a 4-year-old history of thyroid cancer, thyroidectomy, and lymph node removal. What repercussions does this have for their massage? Can we move forward? Do we need to look for signs of lymphedema? Does lymphedema even happen with lymph flow...

How we approach the work we do is a lot like how we approach our own lives: It can easily fall into the vortex of boring. But waiting for someone else to make it all more exciting might result in it never happening. Join Allison as she discusses how the choice to wear a pair of rose-colored glasses when taking a closer look at the serratus anterior livens up this hidden gem of a muscle. Host:     ...

Three wildly successful women in the massage industry speak about their massage journey, how they found inspiration through touch, and why curiosity inspired them all to branch out in deeper, unique directions. Join Kristin Coverly, Allison Denney, and Angie Parris-Raney as they discuss how massage therapy became a vehicle through which they have expanded both their professional and personal lives...

A client has a knee replacement on his RIGHT knee, but then develops nerve symptoms in his LEFT foot. It's been five years, and he's seen a variety of specialists, and no one knows what's going on. His massage therapist has some strategies to help him, but what is really going on here? Spoiler alert: I have no idea, but I learned some fascinating things about post-surgical neuropathy!   Sponsors: ...

ABMP has partnered with PocketSuite to offer a free scheduling and payment app for our members. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , we speak with Chinwe Onyeagoro, CEO of PocketSuite, about where her passion working with solopreneurs began, ways PocketSuite can benefit both you and your clients, and how 15 minutes could potentially translate into a 30% increase in your massage business. Chinwe O...

A client with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive and ultimately terminal nervous system disease, is getting amazing results with massage and other interventions. How is this possible?   ALS is a serious situation, but if the client can communicate clearly, it is a great match for massage. Listen in to hear what this therapist has seen happen over the course of their work together....

After 43 years in the field, Sandy Fritz might know a thing or two about the massage and bodywork profession. Starting out when the field was just beginning to take shape and forging her way through obstacles and challenges that would make most people quit, Sandy not only endured but also wrote the book that laid the groundwork for what most of us now practice today. A teacher, a leader, and an ic...

Wonder is tougher than ever to experience these days. Our culture rewards our ability to produce and achieve. So, when can we find time to dream? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren are joined by Jeffrey Davis, author of Tracking Wonder , to discuss the six facets of wonder, what biases are baked in against wonder, and some exercises and tools we can use to start wondering now...

In my last call out asking for I Have a Client Who . . . stories, several people asked about working with people with psoriasis. There's no specific story for this one, but this is a challenging condition, and the people living with it deserve all the support they can get. Will massage cure psoriasis? No. Will massage improve the quality of life for people who have this condition? You bet. What do...

Massage therapists are uniquely qualified to step back and notice how they feel in their bodies and minds. So, how can they view their choices objectively? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren speak with Allissa Haines about her article "Is It Impostor Syndrome or . . ." in the May/June 2022 issue of Massage & Bodywork magazine, how the pandemic brought the issues of ego into s...

In a follow up from an early episode, we revisit what we thought was a stubborn sinus infection but turns out to be something entirely different. This client's sensation of stuffiness and muffled hearing persisted and got worse, long after her sinus infection cleared up. Further investigation revealed cysts growing in her middle ear—what in the world is going on??   Listen in for more information...

Dr. Joi Edwards had been a practicing physical therapist for years when she began to feel a pull into the field of massage therapy. She has since continued to expand her practice and her business into the wonders of cupping therapy and the rewards of teaching dissection labs. For this episode, Allison uncovers the magic behind Owlchemy Massage , Dr. Joi's ever-growing world of soft tissue manipula...