Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1013756
With a fi rm knowledge of anatomy (structure) we can fi gure out physiology ( function). And once physiology/function is understood, we can then reason through and understand pathophysiology; from there, we can critically think to determine the appropriate assessment and treatment. IT ALL STEMS FROM ANATOMY Unfortunately, most of us learn anatomy with the intended goal of passing exams, after which we promptly forget much of what was learned as we turn our attention to the more appealing subjects of pathology, assessment, and treatment. This is somewhat understandable. After all, anatomy is little more than a naming game in which we assign names to all the structures of the body. And this process requires memorization, which is not exactly exciting; in fact, it can be quite boring. Yet, learning anatomy is the dues we must pay in order to truly learn and understand physiology, pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment. In other words, if we fi rst memorize anatomy, then we can fi gure out all the rest. But if we do not fi rst learn our anatomy, we are doomed to memorize physiology, pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment. Not only is this labor- intensive, it also encourages rote memorization as the approach to our manual/movement therapy practice, which then encourages our tendency toward looking for cookbook recipe treatment techniques. But armed with a fundamental knowledge of anatomy, we are empowered to critically think through the mechanism(s) of our clients' conditions. This then allows us to creatively apply our hands-on assessment and treatment techniques. So even though memorizing anatomy might be onerous, once done we are armed with a knowledge and understanding of the structure of the body and a language we can use (kinesiology terminology) to discuss and understand all the function, altered function, assessment, and treatment we will need to know to appropriately treat our clients. 56 m a s s a g e & b o d y w o r k s e p t e m b e r / o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 I t is my belief that the fundamental basis for all orthopedically oriented hands-on manual and movement therapy, whether it is assessment or treatment, is a fi rm understanding of anatomy. This is true for palpation or orthopedic assessment testing, soft-tissue manipulation massage, stretching, or joint mobilization treatment.