Massage Therapy Books

Donna Finando, licensed both in acupuncture and massage therapy had been practicing since 1976. From her extensive study in the field of pain management in New York, along with her specialization in myofascial meridian therapy and myofascial release techniques, she came up with a book, “Trigger Point Therapy for Myofascial Pain” whom she co-authored with Steven Finando, a physician and a licensed acupuncturist with equally extensive years of experience. Focusing on their specialized techniques in dealing with chronic and acute pain, along with other dysfunctions, the book contains 244 pages and 5 chapters of concise information on muscle pain treatments packed with detailed illustrations.

As myofascial pains and it syndromes are becoming commonly encountered by physicians, massage therapists, acupuncturists, and physical therapists among their patients, this material could come as a very handy reference tool for evaluation and treatment of different forms of muscle pain. Both easy to use and comprehensive, every chapter is filled with the necessary guide to better help practitioners identify pain patterns, pinpoint causative factors and employ the necessary techniques to alleviate the pains involved. Each muscle group is discussed in depth along with the trigger points, movements and diagnosis techniques. But the appendixes on meridian pathways, cutaneous zones and common acupoints would also be very helpful for therapists on top of the included index of symptoms and guide to effectively use the manual.

With how the information is presented and laid out, it would be more convenient and effective for professionals and students who have prior background to massage therapy. Otherwise, if introduced to beginners, they might not have a very good grasp of the information as the most basic starter information have been left out from the 5 chapters and medical terms are used throughout the context. Generally, the book is a wonderful reference material that covers all the advanced and experts’ resources needs. Most reviews about the book were are positive and many finds its price truly friendly. At $19.95 (a few dollars less on certain places even, try Amazon), it is a worthy investment for anyone who is in the field of physical and massage therapy as well as any pain management treatment in general.

If you’re one of those who are learning the wonderful art of massage therapy, having a reliable resource material would come in really handy. As shelves of bookstores are lined with so many massage therapy books written by just about any author, knowing which one would be very useful to you might be a little hard to determine. Lucky if you can borrow the book from a library or get a little sneak preview on the book’s contents online (thanks to google books), otherwise, you would only know a book’s quality once you already have paid for it and brought it home. With online shopping becoming more and more popular because of its convenience, it also helps a lot to dig a little and read some reviews on the book you intend to buy before actually purchasing it.

Among the most commended massage therapy books I came across with, something I believe comes truly useful both for beginners and experts alike, is the “Basic Clinical Massage Therapy: Integrating Anatomy and Treatment” by James H. Clay (co-authored by David M. Pounds). A 443-paged hardcover material published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a reputed publisher of the best medical books and references, it is easy to tell the quality of this material. As the book suggests ‘basic’ techniques, the 10 chapters of information between those covers have been found even by the advanced and well-trained therapists an awesome reference as well. Apart from that, its well-presented, easily comprehensible information and illustrations makes it an effective client education tool. Any therapist knows he should always be ready to explain to his patients where a problem may lie so they would understand the type of therapy they are to receive.

The carefully chosen visuals laid out in the book are perhaps among the very things that make the whole material most easy to understand, especially for patients and beginners. As the book is divided into two parts, the first part focuses on “Foundations of Clinical Massage Therapy” and assessment techniques and practices, while the second part leans more on treatment approaches. The therapy techniques in the book’s second part is presented in clear and accurate details emphasizing chapter by chapter one area of the body after another – - – the treatment for head, face and neck comprising one chapter in itself; shoulder, chest and upper back in a whole separate chapter; and the rest of the chapters focusing on the specific treatment for the target area: arm and hand, vertebral column, lower back and abdomen, the pelvis, thighs, and the leg, ankle and foot.

For those with background knowledge on message therapy, the clear and practical manner of how the information was laid out makes it a perfect review material for certification exams. In the DVD included, demonstrations of massage techniques from the book contains equally clear and amazing computer-generated illustrations, with details of anatomy structures, muscle groups to be targeted along with surface landmarks where the therapists’ hands should be positioned. The demonstrations contained in the DVD not only help students see which muscle groups are being worked, they also get to see exactly how the techniques are done as laid out in the book.

Containing more useful tools like references of prefixes and suffixes, kinetic terminologies, a guide to the muscle groups and even a list of related studies are included to enable students get the best of their massage therapy learning, or any person interested in the subject to fully understand the whole concept. Glossary and index pages at the end of the book are provided as well. Loaded with useful and practical information from cover to cover, the book is definitely not most of the thousand pages book packed with filler materials. So to say, it is very organized and concise and has exactly what any patient, beginner, or advanced therapist need from a massage therapy book. The book is normally priced at $64.99, but online bookstores and marketplaces like Ebay and Overstock have it up in special offer between $40 to $45. Amazon offers you new prices and used prices if you want to get the most of your money. But for a truly valuable resource material, its regular price is definitely already a great bargain in itself!