With the easy-to-follow massage techniques in "The Healing Art of Sports Massage," recreational athletes and pros alike can: Rub away stiffness, one muscle at a time; improve flexibility and increase circulation; recover more quickly from a pounding workout; overcome post-exertion fatigue and soreness; and bounce back after hard efforts (and achieve higher performance). Praised by Frank Shorter (Gold Medalist, 1972 Olympic Marathon) as a book "destined to become a classic. Joan's book shows athletes of every kind how to perform at their peak and avoid injury."

This fascinating anthology presents a much wider scope than other books on Thai massage, and uncovers a wealth of previously unavailable information on the historical, spiritual, and cultural connections to this powerful healing art. Topics include ways to refine and maintain a healthy practice, breathwork and body mechanics, self-protection techniques, reading body language, acupressure concepts, and Thai herbal compress therapy. The spiritual and cultural section offers modern translations of ancient texts, Indian and Buddhist influences, magic amulets and sacred tattoos, and accessory modalities such as reusi dat ton (stretching) and tok sen (hammering therapy). Rounding out this thorough text, the final section features essays about actual practice with clients, written by therapists and teachers from around the world. The extensive experience and information provided in this reference book is invaluable to students or practitioners who wish to deepen their personal and professional understanding of traditional Thai healing arts.

On the field, post-event, or in the clinic, Sports Massage is the essential resource for developing and perfecting your sports massage technique! Sports Massage provides an in-depth discussion of applications of foundational massage techniques within a sports massage approach. Thorough instructions and over 130 full-color photos demonstrate the correct application of each massage stroke for muscle groups of the neck, shoulder, torso, pelvis, legs, and feet. You’ll also learn how to use advanced working positions in prone, supine, side-lying, and sitting orientations to address each muscle group, helping you achieve a more comfortable and therapeutic session for your client. This practical guide explains the foundations of sports massage as a profession, including performance-related benefits of sports massage, common environments for professional practice (practice, event, clinical), range of clientele (recreational or serious athletes, physically active people), and applications (pre-, inter-, and post-event, or as part of a training regimen or rehabilitation program). Sports Massage emphasizes proper therapist mechanics, including working posture, proper table height, and effective client positioning to help improve the delivery of your technique and reduce strain to your arms, hands, and back. Highlighted in the text are tips on technique adjustments, and special “Client Talk” boxes offer suggestions for ways to communicate technical information to your clients. Throughout the text, self-test questions with answers allow you to check your understanding and reinforce your learning. In addition, a photo gallery index provides quick reference for checking techniques and their application. Organized for quick reference, Sports Massage explains massage modifications for common injuries and conditions and provides technical information to support your decision-making process. Information regarding contraindications and pathologies will prepare you to adapt your technique to accommodate a wide range of soft tissue conditions. In addition, discussion of equipment, hygiene, and safety considerations will help you be prepared for each therapy session. A discussion of client assessment and consultation will assist you in learning how to obtain the necessary information to address muscular issues during the therapy session. Sports Massage also discusses considerations in administering the technique to special populations, including individuals with spinal cord injuries, limb deficiencies and visual impairments, and cerebral palsy. In addition, you’ll find information on conducting sports massage before, during, and after sporting events. Part science and part art, effective sports massage relies on a therapist’s thoughtful application of knowledge and experience. Sport Massage provides a solid knowledge base, helping you learn how to work with your body efficiently and apply each technique with sensitivity. With its emphasis on correct body mechanics and effective client positioning, Sports Massage will help you improve your technique, reduce strain as you work, and provide a better quality of touch.

Featuring more than 250 photographs and 50 anatomical drawings, this revised edition of Deep Tissue Massage is the standard guide to the essentials of touch, biomechanics, and positioning options for a multitude of strategies to treat all major conditions encountered in a bodywork practice. The book is divided into three sections. “Fundamentals” covers basic skills of palpation, explaining the deeper layers of the body and presenting detailed instruction on working with these layers to release tension. This section gives clear information on the proper use of knuckles, fist, forearms, and elbows in preventing injury to the therapist. “Strategies” offers more precise protocols and treatment plans for the entire body with emphasis on client positioning options to stretch muscles rather than just kneading tissues. “Caveats” details areas in which the practitioner needs to exercise caution. Deep Tissue Massage presents a wealth of information in a way the therapist can immediately utilize. This new edition has been thoroughly revised and includes a preface to the new edition, a foreword, an index, a Suggested Reading list, and extended sections on integrating deep-tissue massage into bodywork practice and the psychology of treating injuries.

This is a Pageburst digital textbook; Presented in a clear and easy-to-use format, this book provides basic assessment of neuromuscular conditions and an overview of techniques specific to deep tissue massage. The most commonly used techniques are covered with illustrations and hints for performing techniques. The bulk of the book presents treatment routines for the 22 most commonly encountered neuromuscular conditions. Routines are outlined step-by-step and clearly describe exactly what therapists need to do to treat a particular condition. Includes a DVD-ROM with over 1 hour of video showing the techniques described in the text. The first text on the market that delineates deep tissue routines or treatments. Provides techniques, routines, and procedures for the treatment of a wide array of neuromuscular conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis and golfer's elbow, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff dysfunctions, thoracic outlet syndrome, whiplash, migraines, kyphosis, lordosis, and scoliosis, among others. Each chapter on conditions follows a template with a definition of the condition, a list of associated symptoms, indications and contraindications for massage, and a procedure/routine. Routines are outlined step-by-step and clearly describe for the therapist exactly what needs to be done to treat a particular condition. Heavily illustrated, with many photos of each technique and routine, as well as some photos illustrating conditions. Photos of indicated and contraindicated stretches with a brief explanation of why they are indicated or contraindicated. Includes DVD-ROM with over 1 hour of video showing techniques desribed in the text. An excellent clinical companion for massage therapists.

Both professional practitioners and casual massage enthusiasts will learn to raise their practice to an art with this step-by-step guide to foot massage as traditionally taught in Thailand. The practical sections of the book clearly cover the different parts of the massage process, and color photos and graphics provide clear explanations to help learners utilize the techniques with confidence. The book also covers the history and theory behind Thai foot massage, including discussions about the reflex points on the feet and the concept of Sen (energy) lines that flow throughout the body, to help explain how this ancient healing art works. Though Thai foot massage is not a curative in itself, the featured techniques can promote general health and well-being.

This is not your run-of-the-mill fitness book. Developed by world-renowned gluteal expert Bret Contreras, Strong Curves offers an extensive fitness and nutrition guide for women seeking to improve their physique, function, strength, and mobility. Contreras spent the last eighteen years researching and field-testing the best methods for building better butts and shapelier bodies. In Strong Curves, he offers the programs that have proven effective time and time again with his clients, allowing you to develop lean muscle, rounded glutes, and greater confidence. Each page is packed with information decoding the female anatomy, providing a better understanding as to why most fitness programs fail to help women reach their goals. With a comprehensive nutritional guide and over 200 strength exercises, this book gets women off the treadmill and furnishes their drive to achieve strength, power, and sexy curves from head to toe. Although the glutes are the largest and most powerful muscle group in the human body, they often go dormant due to lifestyle choices, leading to a flat, saggy bum. Strong Curves is the cure.

A body-focused, trauma-informed art therapy that will appeal to art therapists, somatic experiencing practitioners, bodyworkers, artists, and mental health professionals While art therapy traditionally focuses on therapeutic image-making and the cognitive or symbolic interpretation of these creations, Cornelia Elbrecht instructs readers how to facilitate the body-focused approach of guided drawing. Clients draw with both hands and eyes closed as they focus on their felt sense. Physical pain, tension, and emotions are expressed without words through bilateral scribbles. Clients then, with an almost massage-like approach, find movements that soothe their pain, discharge inner tension and emotions, and repair boundary breaches. Archetypal shapes allow therapists to safely structure the experience in a nonverbal way. Sensorimotor art therapy is a unique and self-empowering application of somatic experiencing--it is both body-focused and trauma-informed in approach--and assists clients who have experienced complex traumatic events to actively respond to overwhelming experiences until they feel less helpless and overwhelmed and are then able to repair their memories of the past. Elbrecht provides readers with the context of body-focused, trauma-informed art therapy and walks them through the thinking behind and process of guided drawing--including 100 full-color images from client sessions that serve as helpful examples of the work.