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Whiplash

It is amazing how many people I have seen for whiplash in the last 17 years. One of the main complaints I received was how a particular physical therapist caused more pain or helped very little. Now I realize that as in any profession there are well trained, gifted practitioners as well as practitioners who have not been trained well, or who simply choose not to use their gifts. In any case, I often received people in my office who felt they had not been helped by another health professional, whether it was a P.T., Chiropractor or another type of practitioner.

I remember a client who came to me with triple whiplash. She had seen two P.T.’s, several chiropractors and at least a dozen massage therapists. She was the owner of a 5-star hotel and spa and she loved the spa services.

When she heard about me, she paid me a visit. At the time, all she had heard was that I was a great massage therapist. Within the first 2 minutes of our consultation, I asked her if she had ever had whiplash before. She replied yes, 3 times. Her range of motion was very limited and I proceeded to ask her if she had received any therapy for her condition, and she replied that she had. I asked her if she would like me to correct her range of motion and relieve the pain. Of course I received an emphatic yes to that question.

I went right to work on her neck muscles, pectorals, and upper back for a total of 2 hours. I did some stretching with resistance on the neck and at the end of the session increased her range of motion by 10-15 percent. She left my office pain-free and we scheduled another therapy for 2 days hence.

In our second session she said she was sore the following day but she did feel better that day. Soreness occurs with approximately 10% of my clients. I proceeded to check her range of motion and she had lost about 5% of what we had gained in the first session. I performed the same therapy as before, but I also added some “trigger point” therapy. Once again we increased her range of motion by about 10-15%.

For the first 4 treatments she would gain R.O.M. during the session, and then lose a little R.O.M. by the next session. By the fifth session the R.O.M. started to “stick”. After roughly 14 treatments, spending about 50 minutes each session focusing on increasing her range of motion and addressing her neck pain, we moved on to other issues in her body. In the end her R.O.M. was actually better than it had been prior to her first accident. After twenty 2-hour treatments (with focus on the neck for 40-45 minutes each), we increased her R.O.M. to the point where her head could rotate and her chin could touch the supraspinatus muscle.

After a while we had an on-going joke that her head will be able to rotate like an owl’s head.   🙂

Another story that really stands out involves a lady I worked on in the beginning of my career. She was struck by another vehicle while stopped at a red light. She saw a car coming up on her fast and when the other car collided with hers doing 40 mph, she let up on the brake and then involuntarily pressed the brake again as a result of the collision, causing even more trauma to her neck. She sought out physical therapy and then early that evening she called me on the phone in tears, saying she was in worst pain than before the physical therapy she had just received. I went to her house that evening and worked on her for approximately one hour. At the end of the session she felt much better.

Two days later she went for more P.T. and that day I received another call from her, crying in pain. I was fully booked for that day so I visited her home again that evening and worked on her for approximately 90 minutes with good results. Naturally she stopped going for P.T. sessions and after 10 more treatments with me she was feeling great and back to normal.

A couple of months later her sister got whiplash and went through the same ordeal with a different P.T. She visited my office after her third visit to the P.T and she never went back. After 12 treatments she felt better then new.

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Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork

Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork

Massage therapy isn’t just for relaxation… the positive effects and benefits reach way beyond relaxation. “Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork” brings a whole new level of massage and bodywork to the table. This technique possesses the potential to:

  • Heal injuries
  • Reduce or eliminate pain and inflammation
  • Break down scar tissue and calcium build-up
  • Help people avoid surgeries of all types
  • Recover from broken bones

This is achieved by using a variety of massage techniques and MicroCurrent therapy. One might say that Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork produces results beyond basic massage, physical therapy, and Chiropractic methods.

In Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork we address and correct the problems that the client is experiencing by targeting the root causes, and thus relieving the pain and discomfort. We use techniques like soft tissue manipulation, lymph drainage, hot and cold packs, and massage while in a stretch. We also perform fascial and neuromuscular work and much more, using techniques shown to me by the Dr. Haller, and “Source”. With Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork we also address the soft tissues, Lymph system, inflammation, Cranial-Sacral issues, broken bones, sprains and strains. To see the full list please visit The Art of Healing Course.

After an injury has occurred the person usually avoids using the injured muscles until the injury feels better or has no pain at all. This can cause the muscle to lose range of motion and remain tight. In some cases where the injured area is put into a cast, the muscle, ligaments and tendons are unable to move at all. During this 2-12 week period the muscle can freeze up in that position. With no use or movement of the traumatized area over such an extended period, these muscle groups can become very stiff and even freeze up at times. Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork is used to rehabilitate the muscles, ligaments or tendons, thus helping to recreate a full range of motion, and in some cases even more than before. This therapy also helps prevent further injuries from occurring. Each session lasts from 90 minutes to 120 minutes.

Advanced Injury Recovery Bodywork is specifically designed for those individuals who would like to improve their physical fitness in athletics (speed and endurance) and while keeping themselves injury free. It also helps people who are in need of relief from acute or chronic pain, people suffering from injuries or trying to avoid injuries, and also patients recovering from surgery and in need of rehabilitation. The Advanced Injury Recovery Body Worker will have learned the skills to provide a deep tissue massage designed to provide what is needed to help with most body mechanisms.

Home exercises (which I call “homework”) will further enhance the recovery process for a rapid return to good health and it will help you stay that way.

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Correcting Rotator Cuff Issues And Shoulder Pain Without Surgery

Rotator Cuff surgery is very common, unfortunately, and in many cases unnecessary. I have helped over 95% of clients who were suffering from trauma in this area, to avoid Rotator Cuff surgeries.

Please allow me to relate my own experience first.

Once, I was playing a doubleheader softball game and in the 2nd inning in the first game, with players on first and second base, a ball was hit towards me out in left field. I grabbed the ball and gunned it to home plate. Right away I felt the worst pain in my right shoulder, shooting down to my elbow. I continued to play despite the pain because I did not want to let my team mates down.

The next day I woke up in the worst pain and I could not move my arm. So I went to work hoping Dr. Haller may be able to relieve some of the pain. At the time I was training under Dr. Haller, which was a special blessing on this particular day. When I walked into the office, she immediately noticed me holding my arm up as if it was in a sling and in terrible pain. She asked me what I had done to my arm, and I explained to her what happened and she responded, “Oh I know what you did… come lay down on the table.” She worked around my shoulder for a few minutes and then firmly grasped my arm, moved it back and forth, and then rotated it above my head. With her left fingers on my shoulder, she rolled over my Bicep Tendon and then she firmly pulled on my arm as I let out a yell. At that point the thought going through my mind was, “What in the world is she thinking?”. Then she felt my shoulder and said, Move it now.” So I slowly started to move it and rotate it, and to my surprise the pain was competently gone. I could not believe it. In less than 5 minutes of therapy I had full range of motion and I was pain free. I said to her, “You must teach this to me.” “I will”, she replied.

I believe if I had not gone to Dr. Haller first, conventional doctors would most likely have recommended surgery.

There have been hundreds of people who have come to my office, explaining that their doctor wanted to perform rotator cuff surgery to correct their conditions. In just one therapy, some clients walked out of my office pain-free, as I did with Dr.Haller. Some returned for just one follow-up session, to make sure everything stayed in place, before going back to work. Two visits was sufficient to avoid rotator cuff surgery for some clients.

Most of the people who come in to see me hoping to avoid rotator cuff surgery need more than one or two sessions. Most of them are suffering from much more than just the Bicep Tendon problem, but I would still estimate that 98% of them come in with their Bicep Tendon requiring attention. I put it back into alignment and I work the surrounding muscles, such as the Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Major, Subscapularis, Deltoid, Bicep, Pectoralis and sometimes the neck muscles. All of these muscles need to be checked, and if you find they are tight, it is very important to work these muscles and bring them back to balance. It is necessary to pay attention to detail when working these muscles. I found that doing deep tissue work with circle friction, trigger point work, neuromuscular, myofascial release, and raking are the most effective methods.

Finally, always work within your client’s pain tolerance. I use a scale of 1-10, 1 being almost no pain, 10 the worst pain. Work between 5-8 in your client’s pain tolerance scale for the best results.

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Broken Bones

From the first year of being in practice I have been seeing people with broken bones. My first was a young lady, about 22 years of age, who was a manager of a restaurant and also waited tables at times. She had broken her middle toe due to falling off a curb. Because of the pain of the break of the bone and trauma of the tendon and muscles, she could not work.

She had asked me if I could help with this, and even though I had never worked on any broken bones previously, I felt that I could help her. So I started working the area surrounding the break and felt that I needed to work the tendon. After working the tendon, I continued to work all the way up to the knee and I found that it was tender. I used some special ointments and prayed for healing. To my surprise (and hers), the next day she felt so much better that she found herself at work that day. She was still experiencing some discomfort but she was able to cope and work an 8 hour day. She came back to see me after work that day and we worked on it 8 more times over a 20 day period. At that point she felt completely healed of the break.

My own story with a broken “pinkie” toe is a little different. I was sub-leasing a house for 3 months on Maui and the owner had stored a BB rifle, hanging in the closet. When I went to move the rifle, it fell out of the zip case and on top of my little toe.

I was scheduled to play in a softball game three days later and I really wanted to play in the game so I used MicroCurrent on the toe for 35-45 minutes, three times per day, for a total of 9 times and worked around the injured toe using massage. Keep in mind that I still worked at my profession for 6-8 hrs per day.

On the third night I was running full speed with very little to no pain. When I got home and checked my toe for any inflammation, I saw none.

I played in a basketball game two days after that. I felt some discomfort and saw some inflammation that night, so I applied MicroCurrent to my toe and the next morning the inflammation was greatly reduced. I applied MicroCurrent to the toe another 5 times (about 45 minutes each session) and I was able to play basketball 5 days later with no problems.

To summarize, in 15 treatments over 10 days I healed my broken toe with this protocol. I thought it was pretty amazing to get results so fast and still be very active on a broken toe.

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Stroke

I worked on my first stroke victim in 1997.

Here is my story: I was working on one of my bi-weekly clients when he asked me if I thought I may be able to help his father who had a stroke two and a half years ago. He continued to explain that his father had tried physical therapy, doctors and chiropractors and had no success. I answered him yes, I can help him.

As my client left I realized I had said ‘yes’ I could help him, but I had never worked on a stroke victim before. I thought about it for a few seconds and realized I was praying for guidance at the time he asked me the question about his father. So I looked up and said you will have to guide me on this one.

The following week his father showed up with a brace on the right leg and his speach slurred as a result of his stroke. I checked the strength in his right hand with a hand-strengthening device and he was unable to squeeze it together even one time.

I got him on the table and started to ask for guidance and the next thing I knew I was doing bodywork I had never seen or done before. We did stretching and massage (circle friction) at the same time elongating and breaking up the frozen muscle much faster than out of the stretch. I worked the trigger points for loosening the muscle in long strokes in certain areas for better circulation. I worked on him for 2.5 hrs before I “was told” to stop. He got off the table and could not believe the difference.

I was guided after the second session to teach him stretches that he could do himself, including work on the jaw and in the mouth. I performed more circle friction on the jaw and on the right side of the tongue. After a couple of sessions of working the mouth, his speech started to improve.

He could walk without his leg brace after 3 sessions. The results were much quicker than either one of us thought they could be.

I ‘was told’ to see him three times a week so we did that for 4 weeks, and then he needed to cut back to twice a week for 4 weeks, and finally once a week for a few weeks. After 23 sessions he had recovered more that 90 percent, when he decided to stop. He said to me, “I feel great and feel I need no more therapy”.

The day of his last session, we tested his strength and he could push against me with his legs around three to four times harder than before therapy. His speech was normal and he could squeeze the hand-strengthening device 80 times. I gave him more homework so he could maintain or improve his quality of life. That day he walked out with no limp and no leg brace.

Thank you God.

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