What to do next?

[T. Le]

I recently have become very interested in massage therapy and am considering training/ education so that I can perform some basic therapy.
My interest has grown out of my frustration with dealing with my wife's current health issues. She has a hip rotation causing a functional leg length discrepancy. This has resulted in back and knee pain. She has been seeing chiropractors regularly, but have seen little improvement in her condition. The latest chiropractor has a MT on staff, and is part of the treatment. Our latest MT is extremely talented and has made more of a difference for my wife then anything that the chiropractor has been able to achieve in years with all of his x-rays and ortho-shoes. We have become friends with our MT and have switched to a new chiropractor that also is a PT and specializes in this type of work.
This has motivated me to become as proactive in learning as much about massage work as possible. I started with learning some self myofascial release, I learned about foam rolling etc. Then I read the "Ming Method", which is a great book with tons of information on mobility exercises and fascia work. I also have read the "Trigger Point Therapy Workbook" by Clair Davies. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the body and the interaction of soft tissue with regards to pain / tightness. All of these books talk about MT as a great tool if affordable, it got me thinking why couldn't I do MT.

I have no intention of becoming a professional and having clients, my motivation is as an investment into my wife and my long term health. We have both been seeing a massage therapist, but the # of visits is limited by my insurance coverage. I do not want to stop visits to the professional MT, but do want to supplement those visits with MT work at the house.

My question is about training, what level of training should I seek to be able to perform massage therapy for my wife safely and effectively.
Obviously the first thing that I did is pull out all the Anatomy and physiology books that I could find.
Once I get the Anatomy down, what should I do next?
At some point I expect that I will be practicing the things I learn on my wife.
What should I know before attempting any massage for my wife?
I am not interested in a full massage school, I have a full time job and school seems like it would be quite expensive for what I am trying to achieve. I could care less about draping, insurance, client interaction since this is not going to be a job.
I would love attend some short duration seminars (I live in the Houston area). I am not sure of which of the massage classes would best fit my interest and be the best value. I understand that learning MT is not a trivial undertaking that can be learned in a weekend, but I think with the right amount of training I could get to a place where I can perform some basic techniques and have sufficient knowledge to know when to defer to the professionals.

I also am looking for any DVDs or Books that would help in my quest.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Hazzaaaaaaa]

What to do next?

First of all let me commend you on your deep devotion to helping your wife! Training in any field of body work takes both time & money, which may be better spent in getting your wife the initial treatment she needs right now, to correct the problems she is having before they get worse & begin causing her even more pain & or dis-functionality. Finding the right practitioner will also take some effort, but would be well worth the result.

When dealing with hip rotations, many a chiropractor will simply do what they can to reposition the hip, hopefully "fixing" the problem. Xrays only display the bones and reveal nothing of soft tissue issues, so unless the problems were strictly related to the skeletal structure, they may have been of little real use.

Orthopedic shoes, inserts, etc. rarely do more than counteracting problems. There are times when a patient actually has a "short leg" problem, but more often the muscle attachments from the legs into the hips & the back are involved. If the muscles & faschia are overly tight, and causing the misalignment this is where your MT probably had a much greater success helping to relieve the issues your wife was experiencing.

As to what else can be done: You may want to have your wife see a practitioner who does Structural Integration work, possibly one who is willing to allow you to be there with your wife. Keep in mind that professional practitioners must stay very focused on what they doing as they work - so you will not be able to talk with them much, if at all during a session. Structural work is done under names such as KMI, Rolfing, Structural Release Therapy, etc. and is generally done in a series, or a multi-session approach. It allows the entire body to be rebalanced, and the freedom of movement gained from a good practitioner is worth it's weight in gold. At least in my personal experience of having gone through a series of 12 sessions over a year ago. It may not be inexpensive, but was worth every penny spent.

Most therapeutically trained practitioners do a full body assessment to observe the alignment/misalignment of the body from several angles. Example: Very often people have a head forward position, along with rounded shoulders. They may have one shoulder higher than the other, with the head held at a tilt. There could be a slight scoliosis, with one hip pulled up & the opposite shoulder blade projecting back farther than the other shoulder. When the person lays down the feet may both be angled to one side or flared outward. Any or all of these things can be just part of the overall picture seen by the trained eye & often takes years of practice to accurately access & treat.

In addition, if your wife is willing to work on her own body, using yoga & strength training she may be able to self correct a number of the issues she's been having. I would suggest that you look into a book: Body Rolling by Yamuna or review her website http://www.yamunabodyrolling.com/ as a great deal can be
done on an ongoing basis to work on your own body by using a few different sized balls to release restrictions. The balls can be purchased on the website, or you can find similar sized balls in any kids or sporting goods department of many stores - which would be a less expensive option.

Another option would be looking for a practitioner who does Active Isolated Stretching (a technique by Aaron Mattes). Many practitioners can be found via the website http://www.stretchingusa.com - based on your state & regional area. Once your wife has a couple of sessions done, it may correct the problem areas enough so that she can maintain her body with basic stretches & exercise to release areas that are overly tight & strengthen weaker muscles.

I hope this helps you to consider the best possible options for your wife and that others will chime in as well.

Best of luck to you & your wife. Happy New Year too!

 

[Kumi]

What to do next?

It is unclear from your description ("hip rotation") exactly what is causing the leg length discrepancy, so take the following thoughts with a healthy dose of "He might be wrong about my wife's issues." :altwink:

I am going to assume that you are referring to a basic forward rotation of one side of her pelvis. When this is the case, the body will create a ton of odd and persistent compensations, some of which can be debilitating. If this is the case with your wife, the basic Longsitting test will quickly identify whether she has this type of pelvic rotation and which leg is most affected. Once you know which side is causing the problem, there is a very simple Muscle Energy Technique approach to resolving the hip rotation. With a little bit of practice, you can conclusively identify and resolve this type of hip rotation in under 3 minutes.

 

[PotHead Pixie]

What to do next?

This is a link to the Long Sitting Test, Jason posted about:

http://www.jospt.org/members/getfile.asp?id=3832

Here's one for the Structural Integration - KMI method:
http://www.anatomytrains.com/kmi

 

[Julie]

What to do next?

NOTE: I strongly recommend having a skilled bodyworker familiar with the above tests and corrections teach you how to perform them correctly. There are some simple exercises that your wife can perform to gently retrain and stabilize the area. These should be taught by a competent professional so she doesn't accidentally aggravate the condition.

With some specific questions regarding these issues, you should be able to call around and find someone competent to help with this process. There will probably be other issues to address as well, so expect to need additional guidance from time to time.

Hope that helps!

 

[MackMarinefamily]

What to do next?

I just wanted to clarify something, I get the idea that some may think that I am trying to become a MT and fix my wife’s issues. That is not the case; anything that I do is going to be in addition to her primary care from a licensed professional. I do not want to perform any structural work, but I am very interested in structural work so that I can understand the work performed for my wife.

From everything that I read, it seems that anyone including myself would benefit from a massage once a week. Weekly massage would be extremely expensive, which is why I am considering learning about massage. I have a massage table at the house and my current MT is really cool about my idea of doing some home massage and has let me borrow some of her massage books. I have read the books and one of the books has some example massage routines with basic strokes, which I have practiced. They seem very similar to massages that I have received from MTs working for Chiropractors (very general). My feed back from my wife is that my massages are comparable to some of the low end massages she has received. She has said I am a long way from the best, she doesn't hold back when I ask for feed back.

At some point I would like to perform a massage that would equal that of an average MT. I think it would take years to be as skilled as our current MT, and I don’t ever want to replace her since she continues to advance through her CEs, etc.

This site has turned my toward some excellent resource material that I am just starting to dig into. I will keep every posted on my progress.

 

[Vampurr Kitteh]

What to do next?

An update on our current plan for my wife’s treatment, we are starting the New Year with a new PT that is trained in Graston technique and Rolfing. We are going in for an introductory session, but from talking to him it seems that we would be doing the 10 sessions of Rolfing.

I am looking forward to this new direction that we are taking with her treatment I think we are on the right track to finding the right practitioner.

 

[Eoin]

What to do next?

Ed -

You have a lucky wife, and it sounds like you are a lucky man to have someone so honest with you. It sounds like you are addressing this issue very thoughtfully and with appropriate guidance - the hallmark of many successful ventures! Best wishes for your continued explorations into this new aspect of your relationship. I hope you enjoy the journey!

Graston and Rolfing - an unusual combination for a PT to have! Sounds like a great resource, and I am sure the experience will open new doors of inquiry for you. Best wishes for a successful series of treatments for your wife.

 

[Ellabombella]

What to do next?

... Rolfing, Structural Release Therapy, etc. and is generally done in a series, or a multi-session approach. It allows the entire body to be rebalanced, and the freedom of movement gained from a good practitioner is worth it's weight in gold. At least in my personal experience of having gone through a series of 12 sessions over a year ago. It may not be inexpensive, but was worth every penny spent.

An update on our current plan for my wife’s treatment, we are starting the New Year with a new PT that is trained in Graston technique and Rolfing. We are going in for an introductory session, but from talking to him it seems that we would be doing the 10 sessions of Rolfing.

I am looking forward to this new direction that we are taking with her treatment I think we are on the right track to finding the right practitioner.

Ed,

It sounds like you already have someone who will be of help, but in case it makes a difference, I am friends with an excellent Advanced Rolfer in Houston who I have referred many people to over the years. I have also been through the ten sessions with her, as has my husband. I am happy to provide the link to her business via PM, so, I hope you will check your PM box on this forum (see top left of the MassagePlanetL website at "User Control Panel" to find your PM's). You are also welcome to contact me (via phone may be easier) if I can be of assistance in linking you up with other wonderful people in Houston. I will also be sending you a link of someone who provides Feldenkrais classes and that website will send you to even more possible useful links for your wife. Sometimes it just is a matter of finding the right fit.

 

[perfection]

What to do next?

I am not interested in a full massage school, I have a full time job and school seems like it would be quite expensive for what I am trying to achieve. I could care less about draping, insurance, client interaction since this is not going to be a job.

I would love attend some short duration seminars (I live in the Houston area). I am not sure of which of the massage classes would best fit my interest and be the best value. I understand that learning MT is not a trivial undertaking that can be learned in a weekend, but I think with the right amount of training I could get to a place where I can perform some basic techniques and have sufficient knowledge to know when to defer to the professionals.

I also am looking for any DVDs or Books that would help in my quest.

At some point I would like to perform a massage that would equal that of an average MT. I think it would take years to be as skilled as our current MT, and I don’t ever want to replace her since she continues to advance through her CEs, etc.

This site has turned my toward some excellent resource material that I am just starting to dig into. I will keep every posted on my progress.

My first suggestion would be to contact all the the local massage schools in town (Somewhere on the forums I have a thread with a list - not so current as it was some years ago, but it should get you started. I'll try to search it out for you.) and see if one would be willing to work with you on a non-certification level.

Also, you may be able to take courses if you are not a professional MT, but I am not sure about that and most likely you can't. So, you'd need to call any classes you were interested in to check on that. One thing that is for certain, Memorial Hermann Wellness Center over by the HBU campus on 59S has regular monthly CEU's. Maybe you can work something out with them. It's worth a shot.

UPDATE with one thread link:

• Houston RMT needs CEUs - a few places in town that may help.
  
  
• I can't find the thread with the Houston schools listed, but I know I made a list so, it may just be a matter of doing different searches for it. Sorry I can't find it. If you call me at work, I can pull my most recent list off my computer and fax it to you if you like.

 

[Muffins]

What to do next?

You are also welcome to contact me (via phone may be easier) if I can be of assistance in linking you up with other wonderful people in Houston.

My first suggestion would be to contact all the the local massage schools in town and see if one would be willing to work with you on a non-certification level.

Also, you may be able to take courses if you are not a professional MT, but I am not sure about that and most likely you can't. So, you'd need to call any classes you were interested in, to check on that.

You're still always welcome to contact me, but I thought it may help if I just add my personally compiled office list of what I know to be Houston & surrounding area Massage Schools. I think I updated it within this last year, however, you know how companies come and go, so there may be some more in town now or some may have fallen off the turnip truck.

Hope this helps!

Massage Schools

• Acupressure Institute
  2610 FM 1960 Rd. West
  Houston, Texas 77068
  281-537-0006
  
  Avalon School of Massage
  2990 Richmond Ave., Ste. 200
  Houston, Texas 77098
  713-333-5250
  
  Balanced Bodywork
  2715 Bissonnet St., Ste. 307
  Houston, Texas 77005
  
  Champion Therapeutic Massage College
  4714 FM 1960 West Suite 108
  Houston, TX 77069
  281-583-7644
  
  Christian Associates Massage Therapy School
  25222 Richards Road
  Spring, Texas 77386
  281-367-6515
  
  European Institute for Massage
  7474 S. Kirkwood
  Houston, TX 77072
  713-783-1446
  
  Fountain Massage School
  6105 Corporate Drive
  Houston, Texas 77083
  713-771-5399
  
  Gulf States Careers (School of Massage)
  3839 Harris Mill Drive
  Katy, Texas 77449-6714
  
  Health Masters School of Massage
  1307 Yale Street
  Houston, TX 77008
  713-228-8499
  
  Memorial Hermann Massage and Spa Therapy School
  7731 Southwest Freeway
  Houston, TX 77074
  Phone: 713-456-8116
  
  HFE & Massotherapy Clinic
  4141 SW Freeway
  Houston, Texas 77027
  713-528-2097
  
  Houston Massage Institute
  13932 Westheimer Rd
  Houston, TX 77077
  281-497-4503
  -----------------------------
  3013 Fountainview, Ste. E
  Houston, Texas 77057
  
  Houston School of Massage
  10600 NW Freeway, Ste. 202
  Houston, Texas 77092
  
  MTI College of Business and Technology
  - MTI Southwest Campus
  7277 Regency Square Blvd.
  Houston, TX 77036
  (Romero Gomez)
  713-974-7181
  888-795-6888 (x172)
  
  Myopractic Institute
  3011 Hwy. 30 West # 101-222
  Huntsville, Texas 77340
  936-435-1329
  
  Phoenix School of Massage
  -Harwin Campus
  6600 Harwin Dr. Ste. 101
  Houston, TX 77036
  713-974-5976
  713-781-0140
  --------------------------------------------
  -Northwest School
  2611 FM 1960 Rd W, Ste. H-100
  Houston, TX 77068
  281-537-0006
  
  Relaxation Station School of Massage Therapy
  1409 Kingwood Drive
  Humble, Texas 77339
  281-358-0600
  
  Sanford-Brown Institute (Massage Therapy Program)
  2627 North Loop West, Ste. 100
  Houston, Texas 77008
  ---------------------------------------------
  10500 Forum Place Drive, Ste. 200
  Houston, Texas 77036
  
  
  Texas Health School
  11211 Katy Frwy., Ste. 170
  Houston, Texas 77079
  713-932-9333
  
  Texas School of Massage [ actually in Clear Lake City]
  17043 El Camino Real #201
  Houston, TX 77058
  281-488-3903
  ---------------------------------------------------
  11511 Katy Freeway, Ste. 145
  Houston, Texas 77079
  281-531-1060
  
  Total Health School of Massage & Pain Management
  2650 Fountainview, Ste. 140
  Houston, Texas 77057
  713-974-1124
  
  Williams Institute of Massage Inc.
  810 S Mason Ste 290
  Katy, TX 77450
  281-392-9212
  http://www.williamsinstitute.com
  
  ?????? Westwood College ??????
  7322 Southwest Fwy., Ste. 110
  Houston, TX 77074
  Phone: (866) 865-6926
  
  
  
  ---------------
  
  Hands On School of Massage
  8137 Gladys
  Beaumont, TX 77706
  409-866-8911
  
  Houston Community College
  HCC Massage Therapy Center
  811 Dallas Street, 6th Floor
  Houston, TX 77002
  
  HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
  Massage Therapy Program
  1900 GALEN, SUITE 334
  HOUSTON, TX 77030
  713-718-7391
  
  ALVIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
  3110 MUSTANG
  ALVIN, TX 77511-4898
  
  Brazosport College
  500 College Drive
  Lake Jackson, Texas 77566

 

[inTOdeep]

What to do next?

Lucas and Lucas,
Thanks for all the resourses, I really appreaciate the effort.
I haven't had a chance to look into any of them yet, but will keep everyone posted.