Video Course: Fascia Fundamentals: What Every Massage Therapist Needs to Know
Rachelle Clauson, David Lesondak
This course has closed captioning. Click "cc" on the video player to view.
With fascia finding its way into the limelight in research, therapy, and popular health and fitness culture, it can be challenging to know exactly what to think about it, but fascia is definitely more than the latest shiny, new thing. Join Rachelle Clauson and David Lesondak as they reveal the many faces of fascia and replace fad with fact. Gain a better understanding of what fascia is, where it lives, and what it looks and feels like. Learn how fascia organizes the human body and how it behaves and misbehaves. Striking images, clear explanations, and specific examples will give you a strong fascia foundation from which to develop deeper understandings. This course was featured during the 2022 ABMP CE Summit: Fascia.
Note: This course includes still images and videos from human dissections.
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Course Outline
- Part One: Rachelle Clauson
- What is fascia?
- Where does fascia fit?
- What is fascia made of?
- The many faces of fascia
- Fascial organization
- Part Two: David Lesondak
- Fascia forms
- Fascia informs
- Fascia connects
- Fascia senses
- Fascia repairs and regenerates
Learning Objectives
Having viewed the online massage therapy CE course, participants will be able to:
- Understand that fascia is both a tissue and a tensional network system.
- Recognize the organizational and architectural differences between superficial fascia, deep aponeurotic fascia, deep epimysial fascia, and visceral fascia and their relationships to each other and other tissues.
- Identify what distinguishes loose and dense connective tissue from each other and explain their functions in the fascia network.
- Identify the proper role of hyaluronan (hyaluronic acid) within the fascial system.
- Be introduced to biotensegrity as a holistic biomechanical model.
- Recognize the sensory aspects of fascia.
- Understand how mechanical input aids in repairing/regenerating fascial tissue.
Instructors
Rachelle Clauson
Rachelle Clauson, BS, BCTMB, is a board-certified massage therapist, owner of Flourish Bodywork in San Diego, California, and co-director of ANATOMYscapes, where she teaches gross anatomy workshops through a fascial system lens, designed for touch therapists. Rachelle serves on the Fascia Research Society’s Fascial Net Plastination Project (FNPP) Committee and has worked as a volunteer in several roles since its inception in 2017. Rachelle co-produced Fascia in a NEW LIGHT: the Exhibition in Berlin at the FRC5, which debuted the world’s first human fascia plastinates. She is a contributing author for Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications (CRC Press, 2021), The Myofascial System in Form and Movement (Handspring Publishing, 2022), and Massage & Bodywork magazine (September/October 2018). Learn more at anatomyscapes.com.
David Lesondak
David Lesondak, BCSI, ATSI, FST, FFT, is an Allied Health Member in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). He serves as the senior structural integrator and fascia specialist at UPMC’s Center for Integrative Medicine. He serves on the Executive Committee of the International Consortium on Manual Therapies.
David is the author of the international best seller Fascia: What it is and Why it Matters, currently in nine languages. His follow-up book, as editor, Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications, was nominated for a 2021 British Medical Association award. In addition to contributing chapters to numerous other publications, he hosts the podcast BodyTalk with David Lesondak. Learn more at davidlesondak.com.
Topics and Techniques
Date
This online massage therapy CE course is available to you on demand to access, learn, and earn CE whenever and wherever it’s most convenient for you!
FAQ
Visit the ABMP Education Center FAQ page for a full list of resources.
Q: Is this CE course approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) for CE credit?
A: Yes! All of the courses are approved under ABMP’s NCBTMB Approved Provider account (451086-09).
Q: How do I earn a CE certificate for this video-based course?
A: After you complete the webinar video, a quiz will appear on the page. Earn a CE certificate by scoring 70% or higher on the course quiz.
Q: Can I earn a CE certificate for this course more than once?
A: Learners can earn one CE certificate for each course.
Q: How do I access my CE certificates?
A: CE certificates are available on your “My CE Transcripts” page and on the course page. Visit your “My CE Transcript” page by clicking “My CE” on the navigation bar at the top of your screen.
Copyright Statement
All of the ABMP courses contain materials that are proprietary to ABMP. None of the course material may be used without the express written permission of ABMP. Materials may include, but are not limited to, video, audio, images, documents, and slides. Course materials are only for the use of students enrolled in this course and may not be shared publicly or shown to groups. Unauthorized retention, duplication, distribution, or modification of copyrighted materials is strictly prohibited by law. Check your state’s defined scope of practice for massage therapy before practicing any new modalities or techniques.
Reviews
"Thank you! This information is very relevant to my practice as a massage therapist. I appreciate the vital and very detailed information delivered in an easily digestible format."
"This was a GREAT review with excellent images and illustrations. The education was clear to understand. Thank you, Rachelle and David!"
"Although I have been an LMT for 21 years I was impressed that the information was given in a manner that a relatively new grad would be able to understand and enhance their knowledge of fascia. Yet the material was interesting and valuable to those of us in the profession for a long time."
"I truly enjoyed this presentation! Rachelle and David did an excellent job of bringing the education of fascia to us in a way that as a massage therapist I could comprehend and understand the different aspects of the tissue we are influencing! The analogies and visuals of various forms of fascia was very helpful!"
