Massage & Manual Therapy for Orthopedic Conditions Module 3: The Lower Extremities

This book was written to fulfill the need for advanced training in massage and manual therapy specializing in the management of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. It is intended as a textbook for massage therapists as well as for chiropractors, physical therapists, osteopaths, physical therapy and orthopedic assistants, athletic trainers, and other health care providers.

The demand for safe and effective treatment of pain and disability is growing rapidly as the population seeks alternatives to drugs and surgery. In addition, an increasing number of people are experiencing musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. Many factors can be cited for this, such as a more active elderly population, the popularity of recreational sports, the increased number of people using computers, and the growing numbers of people involved in car accidents.

The medical community has recognized that much of the pain and disability suffered by their patients involves soft tissue injury and dysfunction. Yet at a 1987 symposium of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons entitled “The Mechanisms of Injury and Repair of the Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue,” experts addressed the limitations of orthopedic medicine in treating soft tissue injuries. They concluded that strains and sprains of the musculoskeletal soft tissue not only cause significant pain and impairment, but also are often poorly diagnosed and inadequately managed. Most massage schools have not provided adequate training in the assessment and management of soft tissue injuries, and chiropractors, osteopaths, and physical therapists often have had little or no training in advanced massage techniques for musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction in their degree programs.

Massage and Manual Therapy for Orthopedic Conditions provides a scientific basis for massage and manual resistive techniques and a rational, step-bystep guide to the assessment and management of the most common orthopedic conditions. The therapeutic protocol that is described in this text includes soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization, and manual resistive techniques.

These techniques are based on 30 years of clinical experience and the latest scientific developments in the management of soft tissue injuries and dysfunction. This book began as a training manual for the 200- hour certification program at the Hendrickson Method Institute in Kensington, California. The techniques have been refined each year for the past 20 years of teaching and have been clinically tested with tens of thousands of patients.