August is traditionally a slow time in DC -- people on vacation, Congress out of town, that sort of thing. It's traditionally a slow time for me too.
Which is good news for you! If your schedule has been hectic and/or your body has been hurting, I've got a lot of open spaces on my schedule in the next 10 days (and then I go on vacation). Get yourself booked in before the chaos of September returns.
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Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
"Like a chef berating his customers for being hungry."
A fellow PMTI grad -- Raju Mantina -- was profiled in the Washington Post MisFits column in the health section this week. Raj is a highly skilled and well-respected massage therapist. The columnist mentioned that Raj told him his hamstrings were "terrible" and strongly encouraged the columnist to stretch more and stretch properly.
This has led to a conversation among a few massage therapists about how we talk to our clients about their bodies. A few of us are beating the drum for banning negative language. As Amanda Long, a fellow MT, says:
Perhaps you believe in "negative reinforcement" -- make someone/something feel bad enough and it will change its ways out of shame. I've never seen that work in a long-term effective way, especially when it's directed to your own body, your own self. Short-term, maybe. Long-term, never.
You are completely utterly profoundly stuck with your body. Every <bleeping> inch of it. And it's stuck with you and here's the good news: it's doing everything within it powers to work well and be optimally functional. Everything.
Sometimes your body, or a given body part, doesn't have access to all the resources it needs. The flu, appendicitis, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. can all affect what your body has to work with. And it's still doing the best job it can.
If your body were a friend or a lover and you knew that your friend or lover's best was short of perfect, would you berate them, talk bad about them, put them down? You wouldn't if you wanted an enduring mutually-supportive relationship!
You have no more intimate relationship than the one with your body. At least treat it with the same respect you would a good friend because it's the best friend you've got. It's how I'm going to treat it.
This has led to a conversation among a few massage therapists about how we talk to our clients about their bodies. A few of us are beating the drum for banning negative language. As Amanda Long, a fellow MT, says:
"I stopped going to sooooo many therapists who made me feel guilty about my tight this or that or my inability to take a full breath. Uh, that's why I'm here. Its like a chef berating his customers for being hungry."When you're using negative language around any relationship -- body, peoples, organizations -- you're going to get a negative relationship. What's the value of having a negative relationship with your own body? You can't walk away from it when it pisses you off. It can't come back with a stinging rebuke when you talk trash about it.
Perhaps you believe in "negative reinforcement" -- make someone/something feel bad enough and it will change its ways out of shame. I've never seen that work in a long-term effective way, especially when it's directed to your own body, your own self. Short-term, maybe. Long-term, never.
You are completely utterly profoundly stuck with your body. Every <bleeping> inch of it. And it's stuck with you and here's the good news: it's doing everything within it powers to work well and be optimally functional. Everything.
Sometimes your body, or a given body part, doesn't have access to all the resources it needs. The flu, appendicitis, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. can all affect what your body has to work with. And it's still doing the best job it can.
If your body were a friend or a lover and you knew that your friend or lover's best was short of perfect, would you berate them, talk bad about them, put them down? You wouldn't if you wanted an enduring mutually-supportive relationship!
You have no more intimate relationship than the one with your body. At least treat it with the same respect you would a good friend because it's the best friend you've got. It's how I'm going to treat it.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Texas-bound
Just booked my flights to/from Texas! I'll be making a presentation on business plans at a national massage therapy conference. Super excited!
I also managed to book things so the trip will also include (1) a visit with a friend in central Louisiana and (2) a few days in Hot Springs AR. If you gotta go, make the most of the trip. That's my mantra!
Anyone got favorite places to go/see/do in Ft. Worth?
So I will be closed September 20 - 29. :)
I also managed to book things so the trip will also include (1) a visit with a friend in central Louisiana and (2) a few days in Hot Springs AR. If you gotta go, make the most of the trip. That's my mantra!
Anyone got favorite places to go/see/do in Ft. Worth?
So I will be closed September 20 - 29. :)
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
More Evening Hours!!
Good news: Starting in September I will be offering evening hours on Capitol Hill on Wednesdays from 6 pm - 9 pm. So you will be able to schedule an evening appointment on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
The trade-off is that I will no longer be available on Mondays at Tenley Sport & Health.
Remember, this all starts in September.
The trade-off is that I will no longer be available on Mondays at Tenley Sport & Health.
Remember, this all starts in September.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Got Achy Knees?
I came across this on a massage therapist Facebook page. If you've got achy knees from osteoarthritis (not any other kind), this is helpful information.
Posted by Harriet Hall on June 11, 2013
Osteoarthritis is the “wear and tear” kind of arthritis that many of us develop as we get older. Cartilage becomes less resilient with age, collagen can degenerate, and inflammation and new bone outgrowths (osteophytes) can occur. This leads to pain, crepitus (Rice Krispie type crackling noises with movement), swelling and fluid accumulation in the joints (effusion), and can severely limit activity for some patients.
Since knee osteoarthritis is such a ubiquitous annoyance, home remedies and CAM offerings abound. Previously we have covered a number of CAM options on this blog, including glucosamine, acupuncture, and several others. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has just issued a 1200 page report evaluating the evidence for various treatments for knee osteoarthritis short of total knee replacement surgery. A 13 page summary is available online. They have done the heavy lifting for us, reviewing all the available scientific studies for evidence of effectiveness. Here’s what the science says: (I’ve highlighted the ones where the evidence is strong.)
Exercise – strong evidence for effectiveness
Weight loss – moderate evidence for
Acupuncture – strong evidence against
Physical agents (TENS, ultrasound, etc.) – inconclusive
Manual therapy (chiropractic, massage) – inconclusive
Valgus-directing force brace – inconclusive
Lateral wedge insoles – moderate evidence against
Glucosamine and chondroitin – strong evidence against
NSAIDs – strong evidence for
Acetaminophen, opioids, pain patches – inconclusive (this is particularly interesting since acetaminophen is the standard first-choice drug)
Intraarticular corticosteroid injections – inconclusive
Hyaluronic acid injections – strong evidence against (and if injections are ineffective, those oral diet supplements certainly don’t have a chance)
Growth factor injections and/or platelet-rich plasma – inconclusive
Needle lavage – moderate evidence against
Arthroscopy with lavage and debridement – strong evidence against
Partial meniscectomy in osteoarthritis patients with torn meniscus – inconclusive
Valgus-producing proximal tibial osteotomy – limited evidence
Free-floating interpositional device – no evidence; consensus against
This is Kelly again....I've re-organized the list, below, grouping things by the study's findings about them.
Exercise – strong evidence for effectiveness
NSAIDs – strong evidence for
Weight loss – moderate evidence for
Physical agents (TENS, ultrasound, etc.) – inconclusive
Manual therapy (chiropractic, massage) – inconclusive
Valgus-directing force brace – inconclusive
Acetaminophen, opioids, pain patches – inconclusive
Intraarticular corticosteroid injections – inconclusive
Growth factor injections and/or platelet-rich plasma – inconclusive
Partial meniscectomy in osteoarthritis patients with torn meniscus – inconclusive
Lateral wedge insoles – moderate evidence against
Hyaluronic acid injections – strong evidence against
Needle lavage – moderate evidence against
Acupuncture – strong evidence against
Glucosamine and chondroitin – strong evidence against
Arthroscopy with lavage and debridement – strong evidence against
Valgus-producing proximal tibial osteotomy – limited evidence
Free-floating interpositional device – no evidence; consensus against
What I found most interesting was that weight loss only had moderate evidence of effectiveness. Doesn't mean it's a bad idea but it's not as effective as exercise (movement) and NSAIDs (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.).
And, yes, I noticed that massage therapy was "inconclusive". That, frankly, matches my experience too. I can bring some small temporary relief but I haven't been able to do any better than that with osteoarthritis.
Posted by Harriet Hall on June 11, 2013
Osteoarthritis is the “wear and tear” kind of arthritis that many of us develop as we get older. Cartilage becomes less resilient with age, collagen can degenerate, and inflammation and new bone outgrowths (osteophytes) can occur. This leads to pain, crepitus (Rice Krispie type crackling noises with movement), swelling and fluid accumulation in the joints (effusion), and can severely limit activity for some patients.
Since knee osteoarthritis is such a ubiquitous annoyance, home remedies and CAM offerings abound. Previously we have covered a number of CAM options on this blog, including glucosamine, acupuncture, and several others. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has just issued a 1200 page report evaluating the evidence for various treatments for knee osteoarthritis short of total knee replacement surgery. A 13 page summary is available online. They have done the heavy lifting for us, reviewing all the available scientific studies for evidence of effectiveness. Here’s what the science says: (I’ve highlighted the ones where the evidence is strong.)
Exercise – strong evidence for effectiveness
Weight loss – moderate evidence for
Acupuncture – strong evidence against
Physical agents (TENS, ultrasound, etc.) – inconclusive
Manual therapy (chiropractic, massage) – inconclusive
Valgus-directing force brace – inconclusive
Lateral wedge insoles – moderate evidence against
Glucosamine and chondroitin – strong evidence against
NSAIDs – strong evidence for
Acetaminophen, opioids, pain patches – inconclusive (this is particularly interesting since acetaminophen is the standard first-choice drug)
Intraarticular corticosteroid injections – inconclusive
Hyaluronic acid injections – strong evidence against (and if injections are ineffective, those oral diet supplements certainly don’t have a chance)
Growth factor injections and/or platelet-rich plasma – inconclusive
Needle lavage – moderate evidence against
Arthroscopy with lavage and debridement – strong evidence against
Partial meniscectomy in osteoarthritis patients with torn meniscus – inconclusive
Valgus-producing proximal tibial osteotomy – limited evidence
Free-floating interpositional device – no evidence; consensus against
This is Kelly again....I've re-organized the list, below, grouping things by the study's findings about them.
Exercise – strong evidence for effectiveness
NSAIDs – strong evidence for
Weight loss – moderate evidence for
Physical agents (TENS, ultrasound, etc.) – inconclusive
Manual therapy (chiropractic, massage) – inconclusive
Valgus-directing force brace – inconclusive
Acetaminophen, opioids, pain patches – inconclusive
Intraarticular corticosteroid injections – inconclusive
Growth factor injections and/or platelet-rich plasma – inconclusive
Partial meniscectomy in osteoarthritis patients with torn meniscus – inconclusive
Lateral wedge insoles – moderate evidence against
Hyaluronic acid injections – strong evidence against
Needle lavage – moderate evidence against
Acupuncture – strong evidence against
Glucosamine and chondroitin – strong evidence against
Arthroscopy with lavage and debridement – strong evidence against
Valgus-producing proximal tibial osteotomy – limited evidence
Free-floating interpositional device – no evidence; consensus against
What I found most interesting was that weight loss only had moderate evidence of effectiveness. Doesn't mean it's a bad idea but it's not as effective as exercise (movement) and NSAIDs (such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.).
And, yes, I noticed that massage therapy was "inconclusive". That, frankly, matches my experience too. I can bring some small temporary relief but I haven't been able to do any better than that with osteoarthritis.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Get Your Body Ready for the Fourth
Have you got some time off for Independence Day? Do you need to get your body ready for your 4th of July weekend? Let's do something about that with massage therapy. Your options next week are:
CAPITOL HILL
Tuesday, July 2: noon - 4 pm
Wednesday, July 3: 6 pm - 9 pm (change in schedule because of the holiday)
To schedule a massage on Capitol Hill, go to Schedulicity and schedule yourself, OR email me or text/phone me (202-744-1878).
TENLEY
Monday, July 1: 2 pm - 8 pm
Wednesday, July 3: noon - 4 pm
To schedule a massage at Tenley Sport & Health, call the gym directly (202-862-3000).
Be well, enjoy the holiday, don't forget your sunblock (!), and I look forward to working with you again.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Massage at your desk
Just finished a great lunch-time presentation on doing self-massage at your desk over at GAO. Lot of fun, lot of "oooohs!" from the participants.
Would you like a similar offering at your place of work? Let's talk!
Would you like a similar offering at your place of work? Let's talk!
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