Mobility Work Out of the Day!

If you are into manual types of therapy, especially functional movements concepts check out the following link www.mobilityWOD.com for some great ideas in the world of functional movement.

Enjoy!

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? | Video on TED.com

William Li: Can we eat to starve cancer? Video on TED.com

Kelly Starrett PT performing Upper Extremity STM techniques

Kelly Starrett PT teaches some great self STM techniques.

American Nutrition: We know it is wrong, but what is truly wrong?

The hot topic is Social Networking

Reading this blog right now puts you in a category of social networking. So how do you use social networking in your business ventures?

It seems as technology advances we, as therapists, must still find ways to interact and share our vision. We know that our hands and treatment modalities are what truly secure our clientele, but the big question is what ways are we able to bring new clients into our practice. Social Networking is the wave of the future, the question is which mode or modes will be the most effective?

It would be nice to know how you use social networking in your massage therapy practice?

Post comments and feedback with your experience of using different modes of social networking.

Withlacoochee Technical Institute
AMTA NMTAW
"Action Research Project"

On October 29th, 2009 Withlacoochee Technical Institute massage therapy students participated in the 4th annual W.T.I. AMTA NMTAW Action Research Project. Fifteen students spent weeks planning, preparing and finally participating in a fully fledged research project to answer the following question: "Which method decreases systolic and diastolic blood pressure; a 15 minute chair massage or sitting down for 15 minutes?" With the help of Registered Nurses and the Director of Citrus Memorials Women's Heart Program we were able to complete this action research project.

A total of 80 participants went through multiple stages of the project. The first stage of the project was completing the AMTA NMTAW Intake Form and a Medical History Report, provided by Citrus Memorials Women's Heart Program. While going through this stage participants that had a randomly placed yellow highlighted "control group" slip on their paperwork would be placed in the control group that would sit out for 15 minutes after their first blood pressure reading.

Designated W.T.I. students, referred to as Floaters, would move participants to the second stage which was the blood pressure station. Registered Nurses from the Citrus Memorial's Women's Heart Program would take a pre blood pressure screening on the participants left arm and document the participants blood pressure on the participants BP Form.

Floaters would then move the participant to the third station, either the 15 minute chair massage station or 15 minute seated control group station. Both groups would receive a post blood pressure screening on the participants left arm, while remaining seated, at the end of 15 minutes and the participants blood pressure was documented on the participants BP Form by the Registered Nurses from Citrus Memorial's Women's Heart Program.

Finally Floaters would move the participant to the fourth station, the exit survey station, where W.T.I. students would collect BP Forms and ask participants to complete a survey on the 15 minute chair massage.

Overall the experience for the students of the W.T.I. Massage Therapy Program was an excellent learning opportunity. The students planned, prepared and now have answers to the question "Which method decreases systolic and diastolic blood pressure; a 15 minute chair massage or sitting down for 15 minutes?"

Jeffery B. Wood LMT, COTA/L, B.S.
W.T.I. Massage Therapy Program Director

Participating W.T.I. Students:
Emily Bauer
Jamie Bussell
Kimberly Canfield
Sara Denny
Bradley Fye
Sarah Green
Ashley Heitman
Jason Krick- AMTA Student Member
Herbert Mack
Heather Mills
Lisa Mills
Sharon Munroe- AMTA Student Member
Sheryl Niemiec
Krystle O'Toole
Jessica Spiddle