Massage & Bodywork

JULY | AUGUST 2015

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F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 33 Asking Mr. F. to lie on his side with his knee bent (to slacken the nerve), I began to slowly examine his soleus muscle with deep slow friction movements in the direction of the muscle fi bers. The posterior tibial nerve passes through the soleus canal and can be entrapped at that location. Mr. F. was surprised at the level of tenderness involved. This side-lying position is also ideal to examine the tibialis posterior, which was also very tender. To avoid stretching the nerve, I kept his knee bent and his ankle in a slightly inverted position. In this way, I could treat the muscles with deep friction and also positively affect the nerve at the same time. At his second appointment, Mr. F. relayed that he had substantial improvement. To best help the next person I see with similar symptoms, clarifying which strategy works is essential. While this clarifi cation helps my knowledge base, it has relatively little importance for Mr. F. "Was it the muscle or the nerve that created your symptoms?" I wondered out loud. Looking up at Mr. F., I saw a mischievous smile appear. "You don't really care, do you?" I teased. "Nope," Mr. F. confessed. "What is important for you are the reasons; what is important for me are the results!" Douglas Nelson is the founder and principal instructor for Precision Neuromuscular Therapy Seminars and president of the 16-therapist clinic BodyWork Associates in Champaign, Illinois. His clinic, seminars, and research endeavors explore the science behind this work. Visit www.nmtmidwest.com, or email him at doug@nmtmidwest.com. I was carrying some boxes into the house, cutting through the yard. I stepped on a board that wasn't stable and my ankle collapsed to the inside just for a second.

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