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ABMP Podcasts for Massage Therapists & Bodyworkers

Image of microphones on booms with the ABMP Podcast App Icon overlaid on the left side

 

Exploring the issues and challenges unique to the massage and bodywork community.

Subscribe to The ABMP Podcast in the Apple Podcast Store, Google Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you access your favorite podcasts, or click on an episode below to listen online.

Send questions, topic ideas, and guest recommendations to podcast@abmp.com, and we may answer your question on a future podcast.

 


Trauma fundamentally alters our sense of safety, overwhelms our normal coping mechanisms, causes us to feel helpless, and becomes an instant habit. Chris Smith is a trained professional in trauma touch and takes us through recognizing trauma in ourselves and in our clients, addressing long-term physical and emotional effects. Chris gives listeners advice for recognizing trauma on the massage table and the dos and don’ts of working with clients, all the while cognizant of scope of practice.

What happens when a bone that forms a major pivot point in the wrist falls apart? A friend of a massage therapist is looking for some self-massage ideas as she recovers from a pioneering surgery on her wrist to repair damage from a rare and painful condition called Kienböck’s disease. Or lunatomalacia. Or avascular necrosis of the lunate. Kienböck’s disease? What is it? And why does it lead to wrist reconstruction surgery? And will massage therapy make this worse?

What does bodywork volunteerism look like? When finding your philanthropy path, ask yourself these questions: What are you good at? What does the world need? What brings you joy? Listen in as Angie Parris-Raney and Kristin Coverly discuss their background and experiences with helping people and organizations through their hands-on skills. From donating their time at races and sporting events, to helping children in Peru, these two practitioners talk about using their bodywork as a gift to their communities and around the world.

Listen for an exploration of an extraordinarily complex autoimmune disorder with elements of lupus, scleroderma, and muscle inflammation. Includes short tangents on the etymology of the term pathognomonic and CREST syndrome (no, not the toothpaste.) Can massage help? Or is it off the table?

There are leaders and there are followers. This is true in life and in the world of muscles. But what happens when a follower is thrown into the position of a leader? In this episode, Allison examines the world of prime movers and synergists, the confusion that exists among them, and the philosophical pickle of the coracobrachialis.

Eric Stephenson tells us about maintaining mental health, overcoming adversity, finding motivation in non-negotiable routines, recognizing and reacting to defining moments, and the lasting power of social support. 

A client had brain surgery and now has severe and painful spasms in their back. Is this a complication of surgery? Is this a precursor to total paralysis? Will massage make it worse? Listen for a brisk review of nervous system function and what happens when parts of the nervous system are injured. Upper or lower motor neurons—it makes a difference!

Did you know 15 million registered businesses are on the ’Gram? Or that 1 billion people are on the platform and that 50% of them follow at least one business to learn more information? It’s time you take the deep dive into using Instagram to expand your bodywork practice. Elicia Crook, the Rebooking Ninja, breaks down each component of an Instagram account (from bios to feeds, from hashtags to Stories and Reels, and analytics) and lets you know how to drive this “Porsche or Ferrari” of social media.

In this episode we do a deep dive into varicella zoster virus and the many confusions about chickenpox, shingles, and a weird invisible form of shingles. Is shingles contagious? Can you get it more than once? Where does the chickenpox vaccine fit? It can be very confusing! Tune in for some useful clarifications.

In this episode of “The Rebel MT” with Allison Denney, we investigate why the pride of the pectoralis major is both a good and a bad thing, and how we as bodyworkers can use this knowledge to our advantage.

Low-back pain is certainly one of the most, if not the most, pressing issues practitioners will face when working with clientele. More than 70 million people visit doctors each year with low-back pain, so as an MT, knowing the what and how of working with this population can be valuable.

A client comes back to the massage table after a long pandemic-related break. Her therapist notices something new: as the client relaxed, her legs began to twitch and jump, and she felt “tingling” on the top of her foot. What is going on, and can massage therapy help?