The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession

Morgan Palmer, ABMP's digital marketing coordinator, tells us how to use social media as an effective marketing tool for your practices. We break this podcast down into three sections: beginners [2:54], intermediate [11:48], advanced [15:24]. Morgan tackles the hard questions: Should you have two separate accounts: personal vs. business? What's the number one site to be on? How often should you po...

A client wants deep work in his hamstrings, but he has a couple of situations that might make it questionable: Parkinson's disease and a recent onset of a new condition for him called pseudogout. What is pseudogout, how is it different from traditional gout, and what can this massage therapist do in this complex situation?   Sponsors:          Anatomy Trains:  www.anatomytrains.com         Books o...

The push and pull on our underlying tissues can create some pretty big disturbances up on the surface. In this episode, Allison takes a closer look at the IT Band and explores how to approach a chord of connective tissue that acts more like an earthquake than it does a tendon.   Host:              Contact Allison Denney:  rebelmt@abmp.com         Allison's website:  www.rebelmassage.com          ...

Diane Matkowski, the Massage Mentor, has had many revelatory moments in her life: from getting her first massage, to studying under a hands-on mentor, to making the leap of faith to start her own business. She was terrified. But she took comfort in the phrase from one of her clients: "When you see a doorway, Diane, walk through it." Diane embraces being uncomfortable and, as such, has been success...

A client with a complex health history reveals he has recently been exposed to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . During his session, his massage therapist finds lots of little scabs on his body—yikes! Good news: this is not nearly so scary as it seems. The hygienic practices we already use provide us with good protection from MRSA colonization, but that needs to happen on purpose, and...

In part two of this conversation, Amanda Huggins offers listeners somatic tools for addressing anxiety, including meditation, box breathing, and heart-focused breathing. She discusses how to work with clients with anxiety (space holding, not advice; supportive  affirmations, not comparisons) and advocates for all of us to "triple down on self-care."   Amanda Huggins is a respected anxiety and mind...

A client has Marfan syndrome—what does it mean for him? And what does it mean for massage? Listen in as we review what autosomal dominant means, and we enjoy some new vocabulary: dolichostenomelia (abnormally long, thin limbs) and arachnodactyly (spider-digits). We also learn about the potentially life-threatening complications of this genetic disorder.   Sponsors:       Anatomy Trains:  www.anato...

The momentum of a wave can take down huge ships, in much the same way that the momentum of a trigger point can paralyze giants. In this episode, Allison dives into why trigger points are so painful and how approaching them as you might approach an octopus in the ocean is the key to calming the waters.    Host:              Contact Allison Denney:  rebelmt@abmp.com        Allison's website:  www.re...

In part one of this conversation, Amanda Huggins defines anxiety and describes her own challenge to integrate the mental, physical, and spiritual in her personal life. She helps us get to the emotions underneath the umbrella term anxiety—fear, guilt, imposter syndrome—and lets us know the difference between the stories we tell ourselves (unpacking how beliefs began) and our truths. We conclude wit...

This story is a delicate one. The client has an eating disorder that the massage therapist thinks is pretty advanced, and maybe getting worse. This episode dives into some of the serious consequences of eating disorders and the important role massage therapy may play. It may be upsetting for people who struggle with eating disorders, so please consider this a trigger warning.   Sponsors:       Ana...

ABMP Director of Government Relations Laura Embleton joins the podcast to tell us about the advocacy work her team does to support individual practitioners across all 50 states. Laura's goal is to ensure fair legislation is enacted without overburdening practitioners. We discuss her battle with illicit businesses operating under the guise of massage therapy, human trafficking, media and states usa...

A client didn't share an important piece of information—and the therapist didn't ask. The result: a serious situation that massage could have made much worse. In this episode, we talk about a surprising relationship between bariatric surgery and liver failure—and about the need to ask open-ended, inviting questions that will help us get a clear and full understanding of our clients' health challen...

The desire to be free is one that we not only feel in our hearts, but also in our muscles. Nowhere in the body is this truer than in the claves. In this episode, Allison explores the innate restriction of the calf muscles and finds meaning in the lessons offered up by Greek mythology.    Host:            Contact Allison Denney:  rebelmt@abmp.com      Allison's website:  www.rebelmassage.com      ...

Angie Parris-Raney, Chopra Center Certified in meditation and ayurvedic lifestyle, joins the podcast to break down her recent article, "Detox on the Equinox," in Body Sense magazine. Angie lays the foundation for bringing fresh energy and movement to our seasonal transition into spring. She gives five tips on improving diet, exercise, meditation, tongue scraping, and self-massage. And, she informs...

Another episode about DVT and pulmonary embolism—but this one looks really different from last week! New client says, "I want to make you aware of my pulmonary embolism this week . . . my hospitalist says massage will be OK" Encouragement to do massage Encouragement NOT to do massage What to do??? In the face of contradictory advice, we walk through this decision-making process, discussing the dif...

Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow are musculoskeletal pathologies hallmarked by elbow pain. However, even though these conditions cause elbow pain, they are not conditions of the actual elbow joint; rather they are overuse syndromes of the musculature of the hand and/or fingers. And these conditions aren't just relegated to those participating in these two sports. These overuse injuries can be cause...

A client with a complicated health history (including cancer and newly adjusted chemotherapy) has a medical emergency: deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. Now she wants massage. There's a lot to balance in this decision, which is not as clear-cut as it seems. In this episode, we consider some of the variables about massage for a person with this medical history and find a way to get to a go...

Every wonder why some people seem to be able brush off massive blows and some seem to feel all the feels? There are pros and cons in both scenarios, just like in the tissues of our body. In this episode, Allison explains why the tension produced by growing up and the tension found in the plantar fascia of the feet are similar and necessary.    Host:           Contact Allison Denney:  rebelmt@abmp....

Are you using your voicemail in a professional manner? Is your voicemail always full, allowing no one else to get through? Do you even have a voicemail message, or is there just a lonely "beep"? Having made thousands of calls to practitioners over the years and often hearing no professional connection to their practices, co-hosts Kristin Coverly and Darren Buford discuss why having a professional...

In episode 77, from February 19, 2021, a client with "critical limb ischemia" wants massage while he awaits corrective surgery for an occluded artery. So, we talked about peripheral artery disease and talked about the risks and reasons to be cautious in this situation. In this follow-up episode, we find the client was in better shape than I thought, and the massage therapist shares her treatment c...

We rejoin Carole, Michele, and David and dive deeper into serving the pregnant client. Our guests discuss the critical thinking skills needed to address this population, preparing for this work with confidence, dispelling bodywork myths, and working with clients with high-risk conditions. We close by honoring Carole's life's work and what she's brought to the massage profession.    Sponsors:   Ana...

Part 1 of this two-part podcast celebrates the launch of the third edition of Carole Osborne's book Pre- and Perinatal Massage Therapy . We're joined by Carole and her co-authors, Michele Kolakowski and David Lobenstine, as we discuss how therapists can work with clients across the trimesters of pregnancy, through labor and birth and during the postpartum period, establishing a continuum of care. ...

A client with corticobasal syndrome wants to improve her range of motion in her right arm. Nothing seems to work so far—sessions with her personal trainer and two massage sessions haven't made any significant changes. What is corticobasal syndrome? Well, it's complicated. And what treatment options have the most promise? (You might be surprised.)  And most importantly, what is a realistic expectat...

Have you ever been told to listen to your gut but have no idea what your gut is telling you? What if muscles suffer from the same affliction? In this episode, Allison Denney, The Rebel MT, takes a closer look at the rectus abdominus and explores how to approach a muscle that doesn't always know what it wants.   Host:           Contact Allison Denney: rebelmt@abmp.com   Allison's website: www.rebel...

Joyce Gauthier is on a mission to empower massage therapists to identify and deter inappropriate client behavior through RespectMassage.com. Join us as she describes how to properly screen clients, including code words and red flags to look out for, so you'll be more able to avoid illicit behavior before it occurs. She also shares step-by-step advice for how to get out of a bad situation if you fi...