Orthopedic Massage for Complicated Cervical Conditions

DVD Review by Scott Hopkins, DC

A visit to a chiropractor can mean different things to different people. Depending on the practitioner's personal philosophy, an office visit may include osseous manipulation, stretching, electrical modalities, exercise, or a host of other treatments. What you do in your office will determine your opinion of this video – Orthopedic Massage for Complicated Cervical Conditions, by James Waslaski. This video deals mostly with different types of resisted and nonresisted active and passive stretching, digital pressure during joint movement, cross-fiber friction, etc., rather than the more tradition types of massage. Most of the techniques can be incorporated into an existing practice easily (before, during or after an adjustment) without confusing the patient.

The video focuses primarily on the cervical spine, but there is also a good amount of pelvic stabilization work in it. The pelvic stabilization concentrates on the iliopsoas, the QL and the "deep six" hip rotators. According to Waslaski, by taking the patient through a series of tests to determine the type of restriction, the doctor can determine whether the focus of the treatment should be for a muscle, tendon, or bone-on-bone (adhesive capsulitis) issue. The author also explains how to diagnose and treat different muscle situations, as well as problems that can occur in the hip joint. (This video is one of a series of videos, so a deeper explanation of other areas of the spine is presented elsewhere). Waslaski then goes into techniques on how to lengthen the spine and on common mistakes practitioners make. The rest of the video explains how to palpate, massage and clinically manage all of those tiny cervical muscles, as well as the pectorals, SCM and scalenes.

My favorite concept that Mr. Waslaski talks about is how most practitioners who attempt to treat the patient by doing trigger-point therapy on tender areas of the back may actually be making the patient worse. More often than not, the various muscles in the back are overstretched (rather than spasmed), which leads to ischemia and point tenderness. The tender trigger points are caused by a lack of blood flow to the muscle. Putting pressure on these areas may actually introduce trauma to the area. Trigger-point therapy would be more appropriate for the pectoralis major, minor, and anterior neck muscles. When these muscles spasm, they also may contribute to hypolordosis (which causes the suboccipital fibers to spasm and leads to tension headaches), as well as to a forward rolling impression of the shoulders and an anterior neck carriage. It all comes down to educating the patient. A patient easily could be confused if the area of pain is not directly addressed first, but if a patient understands that the area of complaint is not always the area that is causing the problem, he or she should be more receptive.

Mr. Waslaski takes a step-by-step approach toward explaining how to treat a patient with orthopedic massage. I found this video to be insightful, informative and interesting. It held my attention for the full hour and I have watched it several times. I found it quite helpful to learn easier ways to do some therapies that I use in my office. I would give this video a high rating for chiropractors; in fact, it is an essential piece of media for any practitioner who relies heavily on soft-tissue work.

Dr. Hopkins' Rating:

9 out of 10