The ABMP Podcast | Speaking With the Massage & Bodywork Profession

A new client calls for a manual lymph drainage session, and they have a diagnosis the massage therapist has never heard of—toxic mold syndrome. Information online about this condition is confusing and inconsistent. What is toxic mold syndrome? Does it even exist? Why is it so controversial? And most of all, what can we do to help this client?   This podcast sponsored by:    Books of Discovery:  ww...

Video can be key to promoting and growing your practice. Yes, it may be intimidating, but learning a few skills can introduce potential clients to yourself and existing clients to the full gamut of your techniques and modalities. Bring your website and social content to life and beyond the written word. Ryan Hoyme, the Massage Nerd, tells you which platforms to use and lets you in on equipment cho...

A client with a serious circulatory problem—a failed femoral-popliteal bypass, or "fem-pop" surgery—wants a massage while he's waiting for his next procedure. There's no data on massage and failed fem-pops at all. What can this massage therapist do? In this episode, we look at fem-pop surgeries and the reasons why a person might need it. Then, we take apart some of the variables that go into makin...

Being a client makes you a better therapist. Besides the obvious self-care benefits, it heightens your awareness of good bodywork and the specifics that make or break a session. Listen as Cindy Williams puts on her professional educator hat and details moments from a challenging bodywork session where she was the client and her suggestions for improvement.   Cindy has spent the last 20 years in pr...

A contributor has an unusual question: how soon can I work with someone who recently donated a kidney? We have lots of information about massage therapy for people on dialysis, and known cautions for transplant recipients, but we don't know much about how to help living donors. In this episode, we take a look at what it's like to give up a kidney and what kinds of accommodations for massage that r...

Doing the hard work has always been in Diana Thompson's blood. From an early age, philanthropy and health-care inequities fueled her passions. Diana talks with us about the importance of charting and record keeping as critical steps in acting "like health-care providers," the importance of participation in the client-therapist relationship, and resetting goals with clients to inform their long-ter...

A client is seven months pregnant and has severe pain in both hands and wrists. Is it carpal tunnel? Can massage help? The answers are yes, maybe, AND—watch out for a significant risk.   This podcast sponsored by:      Books of Discovery :  www.booksofdiscovery.com      Color Up : www.colorupco.com   Anatomy Trains : www.anatomytrains.com   About Color Up: Color Up makes 100% natural, cruelty free...

Australian practitioner Elicia Crook tells us what it takes to rebook with success—and integrity and heart-centered-ness. She learned from working in a chiropractic office (where she met a retention ninja) and a spa (where she learned about retail sales) and then created a mashup in her business Massage Champions. Her business was the highest-price/session within 35 miles of her office and she had...

A client has frozen shoulder: a painful, limiting condition, and she is prescribed a powerful drug (methylprednisolone) to help manage it. When it is appropriate for massage to enter this situation?   Resources:   Buchbinder, R. et al. " Short Course Prednisolone for Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder or Stiff Painful Shoulder): A Randomised, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial. " Annals of t...

Massage & Bodywork columnist (Table Lessons) and MTF President Douglas Nelson discusses honoring the uniqueness of every therapeutic encounter and remaining open and curious to each client. We discuss the partnership between client and practitioner, outline strong leadership during the pandemic, and define the difference between excellence and art in the work.   Douglas Nelson is the founder and p...

A young client has had dizzy spells and neck pain with stiffness for three years. His doctor can't find anything wrong, and—huzzah!—suggests massage therapy to help. What is the source of his vertigo? Can massage help?   Resources:   Cho, D. K. et al. " Myofascial Pain Syndrome in Patients with Cervical Vertigo. " Journal of the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine 35, no 2: 243–49.   Krabak,...

Dr. Ben Benjamin offers his inspirational path toward massage therapy and beyond—a career driven by his consistent curiosity. From his early dance career, Benjamin became curious about the healing power of touch when working with a local manual therapist. This led to him developing his own techniques and opening practices in New York City and San Francisco. From there, Benjamin opened his own mass...

In this episode, I explore a condition that is completely new to me, and you get to come along for the ride. A long-time client shows signs of some complicated neurological problems. Is it Parkinson's? Is it hydrocephalus? Why not both?   Resources:   National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. " Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Information Page . Accessed January 2021.   Schneck, Michae...

Author, educator, and spa owner Terrance Bonner joins the podcast to discuss his challenging road to become a bodyworker, his esthetics training that deepens his skill set, and his new book for aspiring entrepreneurs. His passion and commitment to practice massage in the face of life's obstacles is an inspirational lesson for all practitioners.   This episode sponsored by ExpertVoice   Guest bio:...

Today we take a deep dive . . . into the ear. We look at a client who had a sinus infection with lingering ear stuffiness. Magically, it resolved with massage! The MT naturally wants to know, "What happened? And can I make it happen again?"   Resources   Hayes, Kristin. " What Causes the Accumulation of Fluid in the Ear? " Verywell Health. Last modified November 2019. Accessed January 2021.   Hoff...

We close out our three-pod series with a Top 5 list of things to do for a great start to 2021. From looking at everything you do with fresh eyes, to the Pomodoro Technique, to our favorite podcasts, listen as we come up with ideas to support professional and personal self-improvement in the new year.   Darren Buford is editor-in-chief of Massage & Bodywork magazine and senior director of communica...

Join us for the second episode of our three-podcast series to set you up for success in the new year. Today we focus on skills to evaluate and reshape your practice. Learn a two-step process that will have you looking at your business—and life—in a new way and give you the tools and inspiration to improve them!   This episode sponsored by:   Anatomy Trains: www.anatomytrains.com   Books of Discove...

This week begins a three-podcast push for practice improvements in the new year. We start with improving your written and speaking skills. Why? Because communicating well is a sign of respect for your audience and saying that you take what you do seriously. From emails to your service menu, from public presentations to your elevator pitch, how you write and speak is a reflection of your practice a...

Thanks to our 2020 listeners! You've made this a special year to remember. We'll strive to continue to bring you fresh and engaging content and interviews throughout the coming year. And we're excited to announce that we'll soon be bringing Meditate & Move from Facebook to The ABMP Podcast Network. More info to come soon!   2020 Sponsors:   We'd like to thank our 2020 sponsors:   Oakworks   Anatom...

A massage therapist gets an early lesson on who is ultimately responsible for making decisions about client safety—hint, it is not always the doctor or the client! Sometimes our clinical decisions should be out of alignment with our client's health-care providers. We need to analyze how to make these decisions and how to communicate with health-care teams for information and collaboration—not for...

The Reeds of Living Metta join us to talk about their journey toward self-care, living loving kindness, the power of Thailand, and the draw of Arizona's healing powers. Find out how to claim more passion and power from your sessions, how to move from guarding to growing, and how to undo mental stress with doable daily self-care. Breathe, move, focus—the Reeds' keys to healthy well-being.   Heath a...

A client training for a big event takes a fall and bruises his thigh. Now he wonders if foam rolling would help, and he has also convinced himself it's a serious condition: compartment syndrome. He wants advice from his favorite provider. What's a massage therapist/personal trainer to do?   Reference:   Dubois, B. and J.F. Esculier. " Soft-Tissue Injuries Simply Need PEACE and LOVE. " British Jour...

Author and educator Laura Allen joins us to discuss her massage path and specialization in ethics and business education. From her partnership with her mentor Nina McIntosh to her Massage & Bodywork magazine column, Laura discusses overcoming ethical dilemmas, therapist boundaries, and policy and procedure creation.   Laura has been a licensed massage therapist since 1999 and a provider of continu...

A myofascial massage therapist develops a work-related injury. No one warned us about this one! In an effort to save his thumbs and wrists, he developed bursitis on his elbow. Listen for what he did to deal with it and preserve his career.   Resources:   " Olecranon Bursitis: The Knobbly Elbow. " Accessed December 2020.   Physiopedia. " Olecranon Bursitis. " Accessed December 2020.   This podcast...

Shana Chivon is a reiki practitioner and educator and author on anti-racism and decolonization in health care. Listen as we learn about Shana's Chakra RX approach to her practice and her passion for ensuring healing and wellness are accessible to everyone. Shana introduces listeners to the concept of decolonization and the power of applying a lens of inclusivity into everything we do, including re...