We have several former students who, after building up a successful Medical Massage practice based on effectively solving somatic abnormalities, started to branch out into Medical Massage protocols for visceral disorders. Curt Lezanic is one of them.
Curt’s personal journey in this direction started after he fully restored the function of the bladder in his older patient who had been diagnosed with Hyperactive Urinary Bladder. All available therapies used by the urologist and neurologist had failed, and the patient was advised to live with it as the only solution.
However, Curt was able to eliminate the secondary reflex zones formed in the soft tissues, according to the Gläser/Dalicho zones for the urinary system, and completely restore bladder function.
This clinical case is a great illustration of Curt’s professional expertise and his ability to examine, detect and methodically eliminate reflex zones in the soft tissues formed secondarily as the body’s reaction to pneumonia.
Dr. Ross Turchaninov, Editor in Chief
MEDICAL MASSAGE vs. PNEUMONIA’S RESIDUALS
“I had no idea you could help with pneumonia”
I continue to be amazed at what we, as trained massage therapists, can do to improve the medical condition of our patients. SOMI provides us with the knowledge, professional expertise and necessary support to bring real positive changes to patients with a wide range of pathological conditions. The following clinical case is an excellent example of the clinical power of Medical Massage in a case of residual-stage pneumonia.
I had been working with a 74-year-old male patient for about a month. He had had his knee replaced about three months prior to our first meeting. Initially, he had almost no flexion of the knee and had significant edema of the knee, leg and foot. We quickly made progress with the edema and flexion. About this time, his wife fell and broke her arm. Her arm was placed in a sling and was secured to her body with a strap to minimize movements and prevent displacement of the fractured bones. She developed significant peripheral edema in her upper extremity, and because all efforts to reduce it failed, she was referred to a lymphedema specialist. Fortunately for the patient, she had to wait a month to see the specialist. Because of the wait time, her husband sent her to me.
I saw her several times, and we quickly got the edema under control. At one point, there was about a two-week break between appointments, which I had started to use as supportive therapy. The day prior to the appointment, her husband called to cancel it. He informed me that she had developed severe pneumonia the prior week and was unable to come in for our appointment. He went on to say that he wished I could fix the pneumonia also. I told him that I couldn’t “fix” it, but that I most likely could provide her with some additional relief. He was amazed but believed me.
I told him that if he wanted me to help his wife, I would need to know which lobe of which lung was harboring the infection. I also said that I would need a couple of days to review the pneumonia protocol. He called me back almost a week later and told me that her pneumonia was better and that it was in the lower lobe of her right lung. I can only wonder what her doctor thought when he was asked for clinical information for a massage therapist. Anyway, we scheduled her first appointment.
When she arrived, I was prepared to do the entire Medical Massage protocol for pneumonia, which I learned from Volume II of the Medical Massage textbook. After I examined the patient, it became apparent that, generally speaking, she was over her disease. However, she continued to suffer from very restricted breathing. To maintain a normal oxygen level in the blood, she was forced to breathe very quickly, and it completely exhausted her. Her pulmonologist suggested breathing therapy with a respiratory technician, but it didn’t help a bit while additionally exhausting her, and she stopped it after two sessions.
I decided that rather than doing the full pneumonia protocol, I would simply use the Gläser/Dalicho Chart for Pulmonary Disorders to work on her tissues according to the recommendations of Dr. Gläser and Dr. Dalicho to restore the elasticity and mobility of the soft tissues throughout her chest, coordinate the function of the respiratory muscles and eliminate restricted breathing.
EVALUATION
While examining her chest’s soft tissues layer by layer, I detected the presence of reflex zones and matched my findings with the Gläser/Dalicho chart. Fig. 1 illustrates the Gläser/Dalicho zones for pulmonary disorders.
The chart gave me the entire picture of the soft tissue abnormalities that had formed secondarily in the soft tissues of her chest due to the severe pneumonia.
I found that reflex zones in the skin (i.e., cutaneous reflex zones) were located over the right scapula and on the right anterior shoulder. These areas are shown as thin black horizontal lines on the chart.
Testing for tension in the superficial fascia revealed that connective tissue zones of the second level were located in the upper back between the scapulae. In the chart, Connective Tissue Zones are indicated as green dotted areas.
Tension in the skeletal muscles in the form of active trigger points was located in the intercostal muscles between the 8th and 12th ribs on the right and in the upper and lower parts of both trapezius muscles. These areas are shown as thick black double lines on the chart.
I didn’t find any periosteal reflex zones, since her pneumonia hadn’t progressed to the chronic stage and reflex zones in the periosteum hadn’t had time to form yet.
THERAPY
I began my treatment with the cutaneous reflex zones. I rolled and stretched the skin in all areas that I had previously identified as problematic and later used superficial frictions. When I finished, I asked the patient to take a deep breath. She complied and immediately reported that it was easier for her to breathe.
Next, I used Connective Tissue Massage in the areas of fascial tension. At the end, I again asked the patient to take a deep breath. The patient once more reported that her breathing had become even easier.
Finally, I removed all active trigger points in the trapezius and reduced tension in the intercostal muscles using various chest techniques. One more deep breathing test and my patient reported that her breathing had returned to normal! She was totally amazed at the results of only one session of Medical Massage. Her pulmonologist was greatly impressed by her sudden progress.
From a personal perspective, I, like my patients, am continually amazed at the power of Medical Massage. Learning, embracing and utilizing these concepts has allowed me to realize that we, as massage therapists, are in a unique position.
In many clinical situations, we are the only real option for patients, whether it’s helping a patient breathe easier, restoring normal range of motion or restoring the normal balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system.
I pray that more and more therapists embrace Medical Massage and SOMI’s training for the sake of the patients and our entire profession!
LESSONS
- The highest level of professional expertise for a massage therapist who practices any application of clinical massage is his or her ability to actively participate in the treatment of visceral disorders using the reflex mechanisms of Medical Massage Therapy.
- Every visceral abnormality carries a somatic component, which has a different level of clinical expressivity. These pathological somatic changes are called reflex zones, and they form secondarily as the body’s reflex reaction to the visceral abnormality.
- Another equally important mechanism is the restoration of balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system through soft tissue manipulations and correct activation of the peripheral receptors.
- Medical Massage is an important supplementary tool to help patients with visceral abnormalities, but it is much more critical for patients with pulmonary disorders, because the respiratory muscles are the engine of respiration and their normal function equals proper oxygenation of the blood. This case is a great illustration of the Medical Massage Concept for the treatment of patients with pulmonary disorders.
Science of Massage Team
Category: Blog
Tags: JMS 2019 Issue #4
