Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy: A Decision Tree Approach (LWW Massage Therapy and Bodywork Educational Series): A Decision Tree Approach (LWW Massage Therapy and Bodywork Educational Series)

This book is a valuable resource for all massage therapists because it contains important and useful information for a massage on anyone, even someone who does not present with a medical condition. The coverage of the elements of massage therapy is applicable to all massage and provides an invaluable guide to fundamental elements of massage including pressure, speed, rhythm, and intent. The book provides practical guidance for massage in a spa setting in which the client comes in for a relaxation massage and is not focused on any medical condition, yet the massage therapist must identify and adapt for any medical conditions. Of course, the main focus of the book is a decision tree approach to massage for specific medical conditions. The approach to medical conditions is principle-based as well as using a decision tree approach. The result is an outstanding comprehensive methodical approach to adapting massage for various medical conditions. I am a licensed massage therapist and nationally certified. I highly recommend this book to all massage therapists, even those in a spa setting.

At a time, when we are trying to raise the bar in terms of the professional status of massage therapists, and to have our work respected and accepted by the mainstream medical world, along comes Tracy Walton with an easy-to-use, concise, yet comprehensive guide on how to do our work safely and with confidence.In today's world where massage therapists see more and more clients whose lives are impacted upon by chronic and lifestyle illnesses, this book is an absolute necessity.The extensive online training resources are also an invaluable tool for trainers.I use this as a reference text in my practice and it is a prescribed text for my students.

Kindle Ed: excellent tool but the Kindle edition needs to be revised. The graphics that have text overlays are missing the underlying graphic! That seriously limits the utility of the Kindle edition. Anyone wanting to make serious use of this book/technique should have at least the paperback copy, with the kindle version as a backup or portable reference.

This book has lots of information, but is geared towards making a diagnosis which is COMPLETELY out of scope of practice for any massage therapist. In instances where it is absolutely crucial to obtain a written note from a treating physician that massage is or is not appropriate for a client, no such instructions/advice is provided. This book can prove dangerous for clients and a career ending situation for the therapists.This is absolutely not a decision tree for massage therapists! This is a diagnostic tool for those licensed to practice medicine.It can be used to become more familiar with various diseases, and considerations for massage once written medical clearance has been provided.

It was what I was looking for

I thought I knew what to be on the lookout for when working with clients of certain conditions, but there was so much more I had yet to learn. Tracy Walton facilitates analysis for the massage therapist so that you understand why you should be thinking about certain key components: pressure, certain symptoms, longevity of conditions, and more. Now, when I work with my clients, I'm already thinking in the decision tree style. The results have been me educating even more than I already have, and my clients love learning 'why'. This, has truly restored my confidence in providing therapeutic massage.

Whether I am in my office or in the classroom, this book is always close at hand. Tracy Walton has taken a tremendous amount of information and organized it concisely and clearly. "Medical Conditions..." can serve both as a quick pathology reference and as a thorough text on best practices and clinical reasoning. Most importantly, while she certainly includes plenty of cautions and contraindications, Walton focuses mainly on what is supportive and helpful for clients, making the book empowering as well as informative.

I'm sure this book is very helpful to some people but, it was not to me. The reason I purchased this book was to help my clients who have medical conditions which I thought I could help with massage. According to this book, it will tell you which technique to use and to avoid. Well, I looked up three conditions and it wasn't in the book. For example, Restless Leg Syndrom, Bursitis, and Diverculitis. This book would have been perfect if it did.

Brilliant book, I highly recommend this.I teach massage and I always bring the book and show my students.There is so much that you can learn and it truly helps you to make an informed decision on whether you ought to refuse treatment, if you need to refer to the doctor or ways that you can adapt your treatments.It’s expensive but worth every penny.

This book is written with great organziation and thought and is very easy to follow. Tracy does a marvelous job of sharing stories and insights in to patients and carers. It is a must have for anyone practicing massge.

Excellent book. I am a physiotherapist and a massage therapist so I can combine the two perfectly in my treatments. But if you are just a massage therapist MUST buy this book. It is very helpful.

Good book and lots of good info. Happy to have it.

Fabulous text book!