Category Archives: Arm & Hand

• 

  Thumb Pain

  Posted on August 3, 2018 by Dawn in Anatomy, Arm & Hand, bodywork, massage therapy, Ribs, Shoulders, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  Thumbs up! I had an interesting thing happen during a session today. I was working on a client’s shoulder. Her pain complaint was her right thumb. She is a long time client, so we know that typically to alleviate the pain in her thumb, her shoulder needs to be worked. Her right scapula was immobile, […]

  Comments Off on Thumb Pain
  Continue Reading...

• 

  Abduction & Adduction

  Posted on July 7, 2018 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, bodywork, massage therapy, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, NCBTMB approved continuing education, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  Hand Work A few months ago, I taught an SMRT arm & hand course. We were exploring how to increase our knowledge of the hand, working with muscles, connective tissues, and bones. One of the therapists fell into a deep state of relaxation while on the table. Her partner was working on her left thumb. […]

  Comments Off on Abduction & Adduction
  Continue Reading...

• 

  SMRT Student Experiences

  Posted on April 27, 2018 by Dawn in Anatomy, Arm & Hand, bodywork, Lower Back, Lower Extremities, massage therapy, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  17 Years of Pain! I just finished teaching our SMRT head & neck, arm & hand block. We had a couple of interesting things come up for the therapists/students in class. One woman came to class in severe pain that apparently began after the birth of her youngest child…..17 years ago!….and has not let up […]

  Comments Off on SMRT Student Experiences
  Continue Reading...

• 

  SMRT Forearm Work

  Posted on March 23, 2018 by Dawn in Anatomy, Arm & Hand, bodywork, Elbow, massage therapy, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  LMT Referral I had a crazy busy week that saw me doing a lot of forearm work. One of the best sessions was a followup session on a fellow massage therapist who came in two weeks ago with left forearm and elbow pain coupled with a loss of grip strength. Apparently this has happened to […]

  Comments Off on SMRT Forearm Work
  Continue Reading...

• 

  Can SMRT Be Used on the Arm?

  Posted on September 29, 2017 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, bodywork, Elbow, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, NCBTMB approved continuing education, Shoulders, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  Recently I spent an entire day working on arms. The first woman I worked on was a client I have seen for about the past 6 months for an ankle break that required 3 metal plates. She had a second accident and broke her proximal radius about a year ago. That required an L shaped […]

  Comments Off on Can SMRT Be Used on the Arm?
  Continue Reading...

• 

  Using SMRT on the Shoulder

  Posted on September 1, 2017 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, bodywork, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, Shoulders, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  One of the student therapists in my last class asked me to look at her left shoulder. She had limited flexion and abduction. With palpation and assessment, I believed that she had a facilitated latissimus dorsi on her left side. Assessing the Shoulder As I began to work on her, most of the class gathered […]

  Comments Off on Using SMRT on the Shoulder
  Continue Reading...

• 

  Hand Benefits from SMRT

  Posted on July 21, 2017 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, massage therapy, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, NCBTMB approved continuing education, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  I recently taught an advanced SMRT arm & hand course. We were exploring how to increase our knowledge of the hand, working with muscles, connective tissues, and bones. One of the therapists fell into a deep state of relaxation while on the table. Her partner was working on her left thumb. Specifically working to increase […]

  Comments Off on Hand Benefits from SMRT
  Continue Reading...

• 

  Ashley’s Story

  Posted on May 26, 2016 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, Articles, bodywork, Shoulders

  For many years I have been doing private internships with my SMRT students. Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day working with Ashley and her clients. We had several dramatic changes in people’s pain and alignment throughout the day, including a woman whose entire face looked different and a woman whose full body […]

  Comments Off on Ashley’s Story
  Continue Reading...

• SMRT and Compensation Patterns

  Posted on July 20, 2015 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, Head & Neck, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, NCBTMB approved continuing education, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  Last weekend I taught a course in Grand Junction. The course was SMRT: Shoulder, Axilla, Ribcage, & Upper Back. We began by working with the lateral shoulder (think deltoid and all that is deep to deltoid), the chest, and the axilla. As we worked several of the students had reactions to the shift in their […]

  Comments Off on SMRT and Compensation Patterns
  Continue Reading...

• Left Hip Pain from Right Forearm?

  Posted on June 19, 2015 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, Hips & Sacrum, NCBTMB approved continuing education, SMRT, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  A client came in the other day complaining of left hip pain. I worked his hips and sacrum, as well as his lower back and lower ribs, but the tension was not decreasing much. I decided to flip him over, which was a painful thing for him, and work on his right shoulder. My thought […]

  Comments Off on Left Hip Pain from Right Forearm?
  Continue Reading...

• 

  Inflamed Elbows

  Posted on October 24, 2014 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, Elbow, Golf Elbow, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, Special Issues, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique, Tennis Elbow

    Inflammation on the lateral aspect of the elbow is called lateral epicondylitis. This is also referred to as tennis elbow, although most people do not get lateral epicondylitis by playing tennis. Lateral epicondylitis is basically tendinitis of the lateral elbow. The specific tendons involved are those of extensor carpi radialis longus and the common […]

  Comments Off on Inflamed Elbows
  Continue Reading...

• Arm Work

  Posted on October 8, 2014 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique

  Arm work is one of the most amazing things to receive. Well, good arm work is one of the most amazing things to receive. Several times since I began to receive bodywork almost 30 years ago, I have had really bad arm work. Some bodyworkers seem not to understand how to control the arms. I […]

  Comments Off on Arm Work
  Continue Reading...

• Let’s Talk Elbow

  Posted on October 8, 2014 by Dawn in Arm & Hand, Elbow, Massage Therapy Continuing Education, NCBTMB approved continuing education, Spontaneous Muscle Release Technique, Tennis Elbow

  Let’s talk elbow. I have a client who generally comes to me for hip pain. He had me work on his arm for a portion of a session once. This week he told me had gone to the doctor for the pain in his elbow. The doctor diagnosed lateral epicondylitis (i.e., tennis elbow) and told […]

  Comments Off on Let’s Talk Elbow
  Continue Reading...