Mark C Freeman Therapy - Corrective Soft Tissue Therapy blog

Have you ever experienced a sudden pain or soreness that you can't explain?  Those deep aches in the neck, shoulder, or lower back that you can't find some accident, slip, fall, or injury to explain the pain? An accident, lift, slip or fall is easy to remember, but those only last a few seconds.  The seemingly mundane everyday moments where nothing seems to happen can actually add up to have lasting effects in our body.  To understand the stress and strain we put on our body, we first need to understand what is called Anatomically Neutral: Generally, good standing posture, or an anatomically neutral position can be summed by a straight line drawn down from the ears, to the shoulders, down through the hips, knees, and through the arch of the foot with all in the same plane of alignment. If only everything we did was possible from this neutral standing position, we would have a better understanding of how to be in proper alignment and avoid injury and fatigue. De...

A colleague and I were discussing draping techniques recently, in particular good techniques to keep a client protected and comfortable for stretching.  Unless our therapist is using more clinical techniques or moving us around much, we're usually draped with "Modesty" or "Spa" draping. Regardless of what style of draping is used, it should always be explained by the therapist.  As I outlined in my post about safety of our clients in the treatment room, safety and informed consent are essential. Modesty draping is simple, easy to do and effectively covers our personal areas, but as you can see below, it's not at all effective for keeping a client covered for major joint mobilizations or stretching. The part of the body to be worked is uncovered, simply folding the sheet back on itself away from the area to be worked.  The sheet may also be tucked under the opposite side of the body without any mobilization.  Modesty draping is great when there a...