Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique by Whitney Lowe – a sportEX book review

Title – Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique (2nd edn)
Author – Whitney W. Lowe
Publisher – Mosby Elsevier
ISBN – 978-0 443-06812-6
Cost – £29.99
Reviewed by Joan M Watt, physiotherapist, sports massage practitioner and president of the Sports Massage Association

Style – The book is divided into two sections. The first covers general principles and the second offers a regional approach to pathology and treatment. The additions to this latest edition include over 250 illustrations, all of which are well described. There are also case studies that demonstrate techniques and management in clinical practice, together with some useful hints. Greater guidance in clinical protocols with treatment approaches and rehabilitation considerations and reference is given to current research in soft tissue problems.

Overall opinion – A well laid out book written by someone very involved in the subject and well documented and illustrated. The differences in terminology between the USA and Europe takes a bit of getting used to but it does not detract from the good content or useful information provided.

To order this book on Amazon click here or visit http://bit.ly/OrthopedicMassage

Massage for Therapists by Margaret Hollis – sportEX book review

Title – Massage for Therapists (third edn)
Author – Margaret Hollis
Publisher – Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN – 978-1-4051-5916-6
Cost – £28.99
Reviewed by Bob Bramah, MCSP, MSMA – Bob Bramah is dual-qualified as both a physiotherapist and a sports massage practitioner. He is also a board member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s special interest group on massage.

Target audience – This book is intended for students and qualified physiotherapists, sports therapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, complementary and beauty therapists. All
massage practitioners could probably be included too.

Overview – This third edition of Margaret Hollis’s book is an update that was greatly needed. It is very thorough and still retains the useful hands-on approach seen in the previous editions. Massage is acknowledged as a basic skill within the physiotherapy profession one that requires high standards of practical application. All the contributors to this book are well versed in their particular fields of massage.

Key features – There are three sections to this book. The first covers the basis for massage, namely an introduction to massage, the relevant anatomy and physiology, its evidencebased effects, risk awareness
and contraindications. The second section addresses the application of massage, and includes examination
and assessment, preparation for massage, massage manipulations, massage to the upper and lower limbs, the back, the gluteal region, the neck, the face and scalp and the abdomen. It also describes the uses of classical massage in some health care settings. The third section contains some specialised techniques, such as some types of massage and soft tissue therapies, massage in sport, aromatherapy and shiatsu, and myofascial release.

Style – This is a well-presented text with very good photographs to support the content and massage applications. The practical, meaningful text is easy to absorb and refer to as needed.

Overall opinion – This is a readable, useful book covering the basis of massage and giving insight into some of its specialist areas. Established practitioners will find it good to refresh their knowledge with, while students and new practitioners will find it a very good starting point and it may also guide them in choosing which specialism they want to learn in greater depth. The cost of £28.99 is not too high and this book will make a good addition to any personal collection or library.

To order through Amazon click here or visit http://bit.ly/MargaretHollis

3D Anatomy: Resistance Training (Primal Pictures) – DVD review by sportEX

Title – 3D Anatomy: Resistance Training
Author – Jeffrey M. Willardson
Publisher – Primal Pictures Ltd, ISBN – 978-1-907061
Cost – £145.00
Reviewer Bob Bramah, physiotherapist and sports massage practitioner

Target audience – This DVD-ROM is intended for fitness professionals and students.

Overview – This new addition to the Primal Pictures range focuses on anatomy relevant to resistance training. The explanatory text can be saved or printed and all the features can be exported into PowerPoint presentations. The anatomy section is similar to the ones in other Primal Pictures titles, offering the same ability to rotate the image and view layers from superficial to deep. Movie clips show live action exercises being performed. Animations of the same exercises can be viewed from 360 degrees and they highlight
the stretch–shortening cycle of the muscle groups in use. There are also written instructions for correctly executing the exercises. A final section contains an interactive test.

Key features – The material is arranged in five sections. The section on 3D anatomy gives detailed, labelled 3D models covering bones, joints, joint actions, muscles, and respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The muscle atlas shows 148 individual muscles in isolation. Muscle function animations include 43 3D animations of normal muscle function during movement of the joints. The resistance training section includes live action and animations demonstrating the function of muscles during exercise. The final section contains multiple choice questions.

Style – It follows the familiar Primal Pictures skeleton figure onto which you can add or subtract layers of soft tissue and rotate the viewpoint around 360 degrees. Clicking onto a muscle outlines its shape, labels it and reveals a text box with details of its actions, reviews books and dvds dvd and book reviews attachments and innervation.

Overall opinion – Other Primal Pictures products, such as their Interactive Regional range, are more detailed in the specific anatomy but this DVD-ROM has a very specific focus on resistance training. The animations in particular bring the anatomy to life and add an extra dimension to the more usual 2D images found in text books. This material will be useful to students in any musculoskeletal discipline and may be used as a demonstration aid for clients.

Get a 15% discount by ordering through sportEX – click here to order

Soft Tissue Release by Jane Johnson – sportEX book review

Title – Soft Tissue Release by  Jane Johnson
Publisher – Human Kinetics, ISBN – 978-0-7360-7712-5
Cost – £14.99
Reviewed by Joan M Watt, physiotherapist, sports massage practitioner and president of the Sports Massage Association

Target audience – The preface states that the book is for “all therapists wishing to add to their existing skills” and it suggests that “because the techniques may also be performed through clothing” it may be beneficial to fitness instructors, sport coaches, sport therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and other body workers.

Overview – The book is intended to explain the differences between the three types of soft tissue release and it gives very clear instructions on their application to various parts of the body. It is well illustrated and also describes very clearly the advantages and disadvantages of each technique. The purpose as stated is to teach the reader how to perform the techniques, how to apply them to various parts of the body, and how to incorporate them into the reader’s own treatment programme.

Key features – The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 is entitled “Getting started with Soft Tissue Release.” Part 2 covers soft tissue release techniques. Part 3 looks at applying soft tissue release and Part 4 addresses soft tissue release programmes. Style – This book is part of the Hands-On Guides for Therapists series produced by Human Kinetics. As such it is more than a conventional text book and delivers the promise to be a step-by-step guide that allows the reader to be able to use the described techniques with their clients. There are plenty of very good illustrations and photos showing stance, the position of the client and therapist and the exact technique being described. Client “talk boxes” give specific examples of using specific techniques for particular problems. The questions posed are very helpful for ensuring that the reader has grasped the content.

Overall opinion – This was a very easy book to read and it was simple to understand the techniques. It would certainly be an asset to any therapists who are learning the techniques for the first time or who want to enhance their techniques and ensure they are being utilised efficiently. For this price, I would recommend the book as an excellent
buy for individual practitioners as well as an addition to any library.

To order on Amazon click here.

Quality strength and conditioning videos

In my search to find a good quality video of the Nordic hamstring strengthening exercise to accompany an article we published in sportEX medicine in January on hamstring injury rehabilitation I came across a series of excellent rehab exercises published by MarkSandC on YouTube.

It transpires that MarkSandC works at the English Institute of Sport and I thought such a great resource was worth flagging up. If you want to link to Mark in YouTube – click here.

You also have undoubtedly come across resources like these that you might feel are worth sharing among fellow professionals – if so let’s start by posting them below and if you have time, add your comments and vote on the ones you like and I’ll publish the most popular ones on our website and in the magazines.