The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession

The tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa comes from its foundational base, not the building itself. In a like manner, if the pelvis is tilted, then the spine will end up being tilted. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren speak with Dr. Joe Muscolino about the three different types of pelvic tilt, how forward head posture translates to the pelvis, and treatment approaches that can...

A client has orthostatic tremor, also called shaky leg syndrome. But this condition can shake up a lot more than legs! Here is a situation with no information about the best role for massage. Is there anything we can do for this client?   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatomy Trains:  www.anatomytrains.com      Host Bio:                     Ruth Werner is a form...

Thai massage is a traditional therapy combining acupressure, Indian Ayurvedic principles, and assisted yoga postures. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren speak with Bob Haddad, author of The Art of Thai Massage , about how he came to find Thai massage, his thoughts on some of the misconceptions of Thai massage, and how using medicinal herbs and compresses can enrich your pract...

The Rebel Massage Therapist wrote in with one of her I Have a Client Who stories  about a client with textbook-defying symptoms. Listen for an exploration of ankylosing spondylitis, and what surprising findings we see in the research about massage for this condition.   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatomy Trains:  www.anatomytrains.com      Host Bio:           ...

Working with obese or overweight clients involves understanding how to work differently both logistically and emotionally. Join Allison as she revisits a blog post she wrote back in 2016 to talk about this ever-evolving conversation. With tips on how to re-think your office to thoughts about how to understand the weight of pain, this episode explores the many layers of working with clients who str...

In Part 2 of The ABMP Podcast with Benny Vaughn , Kristin and Darren speak with Benny about his role as a life coach, how his success is a product of how he thinks, and why using positive communication with his clients is the key to a successful therapeutic practice. For four decades, Benny Vaughn has set a standard in the United States for massage therapy in sports. Massage Magazine named him one...

Today we have two stories about massage therapists exposed to the blood of clients with hepatitis C. Are they at risk for exposure to this common and serious infection? It depends. What do you think it depends on? Spoiler alert: It has a lot to do with hygienic precautions.   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Anatomy Trains:  www.anatomytrains.com      Host Bio:    ...

For over four decades, the name Benny Vaughn has been synonymous with orthopedic sports massage. Known as the "father of sports massage", Benny has participated in five Olympic games with the USA track and field team. In Part 1 of this two-part episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren speak with Benny about his inspiration to become a massage therapist, how discovering massage made him want...

A client has a bewildering collection of signs and symptoms: hard, swollen ankles, a stiff elbow, fingers that "reverse direction"—what on earth is going on? It's lupus, an autoimmune disease that can affect virtually every system in the body. It's not always serious, but some of the consequences of the disease and of treatments for it have big repercussions for massage therapy clinical decisions....

Ruth Werner is a household name when it comes to pathology in the field of bodywork and massage. But this was not her original plan. The ability to understand her own strengths and weaknesses paved a path that led her to jotting down a couple of thoughts about pathologies. Fast forward years later and we are lucky enough to have Ruth's book, A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology , now in its 7t...

In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren speak with Mindy Totten about how an injury changed her course, why she gravitated toward craniosacral therapy, how massage therapists can make the leap to a solo practice, and why she decided to become a mentor to the massage therapy community. After 18+ years as a successful craniosacral therapist, it became Mindy Totten's mission to help o...

A client reports that she has a femoral artery stent, placed in 2017. Her doctor and nurse think massage is fine. All systems go, right? Maybe, maybe not. It turns out this topic is a lot more controversial than we knew, and a lot depends on what kind of stent she got.   Sponsors:    Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com       Host Bio:           Ruth Werner is a former massage therapist,...

In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren speak with Lynn and Ann Teachworth, owners of Trunamics, to discuss how massage therapists can deepen their practice by looking to different modalities, understanding the design and function of the body, how the words we use impacts our clients, and what led them to create Trunamics. Lynn has been in the bodywork, human performance, and energ...

A client is recovering from a very severe case of COVID-19. She is in physical therapy and wants to add massage to her recovery. What do we need to know to work safely? What are some assumptions we can and cannot make about this client's situation? Put on your critical thinking cap and listen in!   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com       Advanced Trainings: advanced-trai...

The boundaries we hold as bodyworkers can make or break our careers. But we are an empathetic group. This means our ability to distinguish a boundary from the reaction to a lack of boundaries can be confusing. We can learn a lot from our own anatomy. Our fascia and the compartments they create can offer some clarity.   Host:                   Contact Allison Denney:  rebelmt@abmp.com             ...

When Rachel was working for others, she felt like a bystander in her own career. So, how do you make the jump from bystander to CEO? In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren sit down with author and CEO Rachel Beider to discuss the growth of her company, PRESS Modern Massage, when she knew it was time to expand, how the concept of servant leadership guides her approach to management...

What happens when your stomach pushes up into the mediastinum and compresses your lungs—and maybe even your heart? This common condition starts as a simple sliding of the esophagus but can progress to be life-threatening.   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com       Advanced Trainings: advanced-trainings.com   Host Bio:                     Ruth Werner is a former massage th...

In this episode of The ABMP Podcast, Kristin and Darren speak with Mandy Urena, author of If These Hands Could Talk: The Girl Who Touched the World, about the global power of massage, her insight on how massage is viewed differently around the world, her advice to MTs who wish to blend travel and bodywork, and what motivated her to write a massage memoir. Mandy Urena was born in Coventry, England....

What is a migraine? What is cortical spreading depression? What is trigeminovascular system activation? And what does it mean when this causes temporary 1-sided paralysis? And most of all: what if it's not a migraine—what if it's a stroke? Migraines generate more questions than answers, but this episode will help sort out some of the basic factors.   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksof...

Rob Libbey is a well-practiced, well written and, some would argue, well experienced massage therapist. His years of studying and practicing bodywork came to a screeching halt when he suffered multiple bone fractures to the chest from a car accident. But Rob turned his misfortune into an inside look at what exactly is happening with ligamentous pain patterns and recovery. Confirming a lot of what...

Cultivating sensitivity and trust is essential to keeping clients safe – especially as we are aware that many women and men have experienced physical or sexual trauma. In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin and Darren speak with Dr. Ben Benjamin about how to avoid violating client boundaries, understanding the patient is in charge of the session, why it's important for the therapist to unde...

A client can't find a massage therapist, because they have a condition that no one knows how to work with: Chiari malformation. This is a problem in the spatial relationships between the cerebellum, brainstem, and the foramen magnum. One patient describes it as, "My brain is too big for my head." But is massage really off the table for people with Chiari malformation? Probably not! Listen in for m...

In this episode of The ABMP Podcast , Kristin speaks with Gil Hedley about his philosophy around integral anatomy, the different layers of fascia, why fascia responds better to a gentle approach, and how working in the dissection lab helped him to appreciate, explore, and embody the wonders of the human form. Gil has been teaching "integral anatomy" in the lab, lecture hall, and online at gilhedle...

In this follow-up to last week's episode on bowel resections and colostomies, Ruth has a chat with massage therapist Marie Ruxton, who shares her story of abdominal surgery and the remarkable experience she had with bodywork while she was recovering. We could all wish to receive touch with such sensitivity and skill.   Sponsors:      Books of Discovery:  www.booksofdiscovery.com        Host Bio:  ...

The relationship between the sternocleidomastoid and the upper traps is a lot more complicated than you think. Between the up and down, yes and no, and round and round decisions we all make every day, the balancing act of these two muscles can be like a seesaw that has definitely seen better days. Join Allison as she expands the posterior triangle of the neck and offers some insights to bring a li...