Orthopedic Tests for Massage Therapists
10
About the Course:
For injured clients seeking relief from their pain and movement dysfunctions, a quality massage therapist should seek short- and long-term solutions. This requires knowing what tissues are at fault and how. While this may seem simple and obvious (for example, pain in the neck is due to some neck muscle dysfunction) precisely pinpointing the causes of pain and dysfunction can be more complex. While it may not always be possible to know exactly what tissues are primarily at fault, there are many tests for soft tissue and joint injuries that therapists can conduct prior to (or even during) the massage treatment. Commonly referred to as “orthopedic tests,” these are assessments that test for skeletomuscular injuries and help sort out whether an injury is functional (muscular) or structural (skeletal) in nature.
Learning objectives:
For injured clients seeking relief from their pain and movement dysfunctions, a quality massage therapist should seek short- and long-term solutions. This requires knowing what tissues are at fault and how. While this may seem simple and obvious (for example, pain in the neck is due to some neck muscle dysfunction) precisely pinpointing the causes of pain and dysfunction can be more complex. While it may not always be possible to know exactly what tissues are primarily at fault, there are many tests for soft tissue and joint injuries that therapists can conduct prior to (or even during) the massage treatment. Commonly referred to as “orthopedic tests,” these are assessments that test for skeletomuscular injuries and help sort out whether an injury is functional (muscular) or structural (skeletal) in nature.
Learning objectives:
- Define an orthopedic test.
- Identify techniques common to orthopedic massage.
- Analyze the difference between structural and functional soft-tissue dysfunctions.
- Determine if an orthopedic test is necessary.
- Recognize the most accurate and common orthopedic tests used by physicians and physical therapists.
- Demonstrate how the most accurate and common orthopedic tests are conducted.