Journal - Massage & Fitness Magazine

massage therapy independent contractor employee

Massage therapist, are you treated as an independent contractor or employee?

Erin Jackson, MA, JD October 21, 2019

Avoid common mistakes in massage employment that invite government scrutiny and penalties “Our therapists are 1099 employees.” “I’m an independent contractor, but without the independence.” “My independent contractors have all signed a non-compete agreement.” “They’re not employees because they choose their own hours.” These statements misconstrue the distinction between

Applied Pain Science in Manual Therapy Worldwide, Part 2

Nick Ng, BA August 6, 2019

This morning, I had a barrage of various blogs, infographics, and PubMed articles on my Facebook feed on various myths and outdated ideas about pain from Jarod Hall, Lars Avemarie, and Andres Cepeda. There was even a rant from Bodhi Haroldsson who asked why dogma in massage therapy education and culture still exist, (even among

Why Massage Therapists Should Understand How Pain Works

Nick Ng, BA August 4, 2019

Recently, I had a client who told me that not only his right shoulder felt “tight” and sometimes painful when he retracts it, he also “could not retract” as much as his left side could. Although I could not find any significant differences between both sides (he could almost pinch a

Foot Massage Increases Oxytocin, But There Is a Catch

Nick Ng, BA May 17, 2019

Could a simple foot massage make your brain produce its own supply of oxytocin to help reduce the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Some researchers think so. A recent study from The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute in Chengu, China, explored non-invasive and non-pharmacological ways to increase

Applied Pain Science in Manual Therapy Worldwide, Part 1

Nick Ng, BA May 13, 2019

When I met physiotherapist Rheysonn Cornillia, who practices in Cavite, Philippines, at the 2019 San Diego Pain Summit, I wasn’t too surprised to hear the problems he faces in his profession are the same as most of my manual therapy friends in Canada, U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Given

San Diego Pain Summit 2018 patient panel

2019 San Diego Pain Summit Season Five: Emotions, Connections, Resilience

Nick Ng, BA February 28, 2019

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”T1″ _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font_size=”14px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] It’s still too early for me to say whether my communication skills at work has improved or not after a week-long boot camp at the 2019 San Diego Pain Summit. Nearly all clients

knee osteoarthritis pain massage therapy

Massage for knee osteoarthritis provides short-term pain relief, studies find

Nick Ng, BA February 6, 2019

A 2018 cross-sectional study from Duke Integrative Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, found that massage therapy (Swedish style) can alleviate pain among people with knee osteoarthritis. It was better than groups that received light touching or “usual care.” However, the benefits of massage therapy lessened after eight weeks. By week

Three Reliable Predictors of Running Injuries and Biomechanics Is Not One of Them

Nick Ng, BA February 6, 2019

A recent study of 300 recreational runners, who were injury-free in the last six months, found several factors that are reliable factors in predicting who would be more likely to get injured. Researchers kept track of these runners for two years and found that that being female, having knee stiffness

2018: A Journey Halfway Around the World—and Back

Nick Ng, BA December 31, 2018

“You don’t speak Dutch?” said the middle-age gentleman who sat in front of me at a bench inside a Starbucks in De Meern, Netherlands, while I was compiling the feature story for the Summer 2018 issue on my laptop. I looked at him, mildly surprised that would say that to

Is ‘Explain Pain’ as good as listening and paying attention to low back pain patients?

Nick Ng, BA November 8, 2018

A few years ago, I recall seeing many of my friends and acquaintances in physical therapy talk about how great “Explain Pain Supercharged” was in helping them and their patients understand how pain works. Although I have not yet read the whole book, I had read a few passages when

Do Post-natal Women Need Core Exercises for Pelvic Pain?

Nick Ng, BA October 2, 2018

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.29.3″ text_font_size=”14px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”] A recent Dutch study challenges this idea about strengthening or activating core muscles to reduce pelvic pain. Using ultrasound to measure the thickness of the TVA among a sample of post-pregnant women with and

Massage Therapy No Better Than Dynamic Stretching to Improve Sprinting Acceleration

Nick Ng, BA July 13, 2018

Should you get a massage before sprinting or any sport that requires bursts of speed? Probably not. A study that was published recently in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that massage therapy alone is no better than dynamic stretching or a sham ultrasound treatment to improve acceleration in sprinting. (1) For

Journal - Massage & Fitness Magazine - Page 23 Articles