Adverse Childhood Experiences can have a connection to becoming a chronically sick adult. A study showed a link between 10 types of adverse childhood experiences to chronic stress, ill health, and social problems in adulthood. There is also ways to help deal with these connections.

“How Childhood Trauma Can Lead To Chronically Sick Adults” – Meleni Aldridge

There is lots of research showing how therapists speak to their patients can have a dramatic affect on their clinical outcomes. This is very important when it comes to people who are suffering, which we may see on a regular basis. Here is some great info on just how to speak with them.

“How To Speak To Someone Who Is Suffering” – Kate Bowler

This is going to be an increasingly hot topic as cannabis and cannabinoids become more popualr and legal. How do we differentiate the difference between medical and recreational use and their purposes. Here’s some knowledge on that and also it’s use for pain.

“Cannabis And Cannabinoids For Persistent Pain?” – Bronnie Lennox Thompson

I don’t remember which textbook it came from, or which person I heard this from in college, but there was a point where I believed we couldn’t massage a pregnant womans ankles or we could induce labour. Fortunately I have learned better since, and it’s also fortunate other therapists are willing to share their knowledge and look at the evidence.

“Can Reflex Points On The Ankles Induce Labour? A Look At The Evidence” – Alice Sanvito

This is a great video which shows us how psychology can and does play a part in people’s pain. Even when red flags are ruled out and there is no pathology, it can be quite frustrating for patients to still deal with pain, maybe sometimes they just need to be heard.

“Psychology In People With Pain – Why It Matters” – Tamar Pincus

We know that squats are a great exercise that has an effect on several muscle groups. However, new research is showing it is also a great adductor exercise.

“Squats Are Secretly An Adductor Exercise” – Greg Nuckols

This is very interesting, especially for those of you who work with kids. This study showed that depressed adolescents have decreased functional connectivity between several brain regions involved in emotion processing, but increased connectivity between brain regions known to be involved in rumination. Might be something good to know if one of the adolescents you treat is dealing with depression.

“Altered Functional Connectivity Observed In The Brains Of Adolescents In The First Episode Of Depression” – Eric W. Dolan

As therapists, it is important for us to promote resiliency in our patients. One of the big ways we can do this is by showing a patient their capacity for load, (especially on an injured area), where load can also be a way of relieving pain. Therefore, it is important to understand load vs. capacity, so this article should help that out.

“Load Vs. Capacity: The Good And The Debate” – Kevin Maggs

We are constantly attempting to help our patients who deal with pain and a host of other issues that may come up with them. Turns out there may be a genetic factor that is influencing some of these things, so it would be good to take this into account as well.

“New Genetic Study Links Chronic Pain To Depression, BMI, Schizophrenia, Arthritis, and PTSD” – Keira Johnston

Would you like some free pain education? Check out this course being offered and see if you can start to help your patients just a bit more by offering them simple explanations for why they are experiencing pain.

“Free Pain Education” – Melissa Farmer

We hear lots about taking courses where you can add another “tool” to your toolbox. This is usually centered around courses teaching a new technique, or modality. We REALLY need to start challenging that and focusing our efforts into other learning that will be more beneficial to our patients and this article does a great job explaining why.

“Your Hands Are Great, Who Cares?” – Lauren Cates

When I started out in this profession, all I wanted to do was ‘deep’ work and tear people up. However, I was fortunate enough (and so were the patients I treated), to realize how folly this approach was. It’s important that we change and start treating our patients according to up to date research, so an article like this is long overdue.

“To Relive Muscle Tension, Deeper is Not Always Better” – David Lauterstein

We all know how effective massage therapy can be for helping people in pain. Australia is developing a national plan for pain management and as we know, massage therapy should be part of that plan.

“Is Massage Therapy Part Of Australia’s National Pain Plan?” – AMT

I’m guilty of asking each of my patients how they are doing when they come in for treatment. However, I haven’t taken a step back to consider how answering that question may affect them. This is something we should certainly be taking into account, so maybe this article will help you understand this better.

“Answering ‘How Are You?’ As A Person With Chronic Illness” – Adira Bennett

Mental health is constantly becoming more recognized and one of the major things getting more recognition is PTSD. This next article is a great example of how a veteran is using massage therapy to help others dealing with PTSD and has some great takeaways for all of us.

“A Healing Touch: Veteran Provides Massage Therapy To PTSD Patients” – Staff Sgt Kaylee Dubois