As a massage therapist, I typically only see adults, but three years into my career, I treated a 16-year-old for whiplash following her doctor’s recommendation. In the beginning, her shoulders were stiff. She would only speak when addressed and rarely looked up. But the last time I saw her, she

In the fall of 1990 when I was in eighth grade, my family moved further north in San Diego County, away from Mira Mesa where I had lived since first grade. Before we moved, many questions and uncertainties swirled in my brain with hundreds of “what ifs.” What if I

Lomi lomi massage is part of the traditional Hawaiian healing practice that uses different techniques to address many of your body’s pains. It’s not a single style of massage, but rather has many different unique linages, each with its own techniques, preferences, and focuses.  Lomi lomi done by native Hawaiians

In early 1985, Jill R. Lawson of Silver Springs, Maryland, gave birth to Jeffrey Lawson, who was prematurely born at 26 weeks. After her son underwent heart surgery to fix a blood vessel near his under-developed heart, Jeffrey passed away five weeks after the surgery at Children’s Hospital National Medical

I remember having low back pain as young as eight when I was visiting my family in Macau back in the summer of 1985. My mom, who also had chronic low back pain, said to me, “You can’t have back pain. You’re too young!”  She believed that children should not

A dowager’s hump, which is a type of hyperkyphosis, often refers to the excessive curvature of the thoracic spine near the neck base. Most medical professionals agree that a “normal” range of the thoracic spine is between 20 to 40 degrees.  Any degree greater than 40 is classified as “hyperkyphosis”

Many proponents of lymphatic drainage massage (sometimes called manual lymphatic drainage or MLD) can reduce swelling and other symptoms of lymphedema, but current scientific research do not have a strong support for such claim. A 2020 study that was published in Medicine found that such lymphedema massage “might not add

A muscle spasm is a strong involuntary muscle contraction, which is often quite painful. That’s the definition used by researchers and clinicians who study and treat what causes spasms and what can be done to treat them. Although the causes are not fully understood, there are things you can do

In 2005, a relatively healthy 88-year-old man in Taiwan sought medical treatment after falling down due to weakness in his arms and legs. He turned out to be experiencing acute kidney failure and fever as well. In taking his history, his healthcare team learned that he received massage therapy for

Tight muscles get blamed for a lot of things. Don’t feel good when you bend down to feed the dog in the morning? It’s because your back muscles are tight. Having neck pain while you sit at your desk to work or texting? It must be tight muscles. Pulled a