Joseph Said:

I want to go to massage therapy school but.....?

We Answered:

If you have bad credit and poor money handling skills being a massage therapist won't help you much. It is a hard career to make money and start your own business when you are in debt over your head. You don't sound very motivated which is what it takes.

Work and clean up your finances.

Guy Said:

Ive struggled with herniated discs, L5/S1, c1,c2,c3,c4,c5, c6-7, T1, T2...pain etc.. i want go to a gym?

We Answered:

You've got the right idea. There's a point at which the mechanical things take a back seat to a chronic pain state. Without getting into nitty gritty details about what happens to the brain and nervous system in chronic pain, let me just say that there becomes a point at which addressing mechanical things (muscle tightness, "subluxations", trigger points, etc) becomes pointless because the neurosignatures made in the brain and nervous system are in overdrive. Your brain begins to misinterpret sensory input, biochemical changes occur and chronic pain ensues.

Beginning a general cardiovascular exercise program should be a part of almost any chronic pain rehabilitation program. You may find that you have to find the "right activity" for you and have to do a very gradual exposure to the activity. Start with low impact activities: swimming, cycling, ellipitical. Your pain may increase somewhat during the exercise, but it should subside to your baseline pain shortly after the activity is ceased. start with a very conservative amount of time: 5-10 minutes and increase by no more than 10% each week. As long as you aren't experiencing progressive focal motor weaknesses (such as profound loss of grip strength), your legs giving out on you and that you aren't having difficulty urinating (which is an emergency in those with LOW back pain), starting a general fitness program is acceptable and in most cases, necessary.


If you'd like some more information on what happens to the body in a chronic pain state, I'd suggest two books:

Butler, David "Explain Pain"

Mosley, Lorrimer G. "Painful yarns"

Lawrence Said:

Hematoma in arm, caused by a blood draw. Now PHYSICAL THERAPY?

We Answered:

It really depends on the size of the hematoma and what, if any nerve or tissue damage their was. You had to keep it immobile for awhile in the sling in order to protect it, but this unfortunately also makes the progress of your ability to straighten the arm a little delayed. Now that you are out of the sling, you should see much more progress. I would predict a few more weeks of PT...maybe more if the contracture was significant. ...hard to say without knowing more details...how long ago was the injury, what is your current range of motion, etc. For now, keep moving it!

I would report the incident to the head of the phlebotomy lab...even if you choose not to pursue litigation, it's important feedback for the department so they can improve their safety.

...and I would not follow Douglas' advice..you had trauma to a blood vessel that is trying to heal...putting undue direct pressure on it is only going to cause further trauma to this vessel which is much more suseptible to compression injuries (putting pressure on it) as opposed to tensile forces (stretching it) which can help it be more flexible.

Eleanor Said:

Why does my 4yr old fall over all the time?

We Answered:

Shes probably absolutly fine. Children sometimes have their thoughts elsewhere and aren't really concentrating at least on walking. My son used to run full speed into everything. It just wasn't safe. Thank goodness he made it thru that stage. His forehead was a walking bruise.However Next time you go to the doctor have them check her ears just to make sure she doesn't have an infection. Sometimes that can cause balance problems. Best of Luck:)

Troy Said:

Is $10k reasonable for tuition for massage therapy?

We Answered:

That's a reasonable amount for a good school, not for one of these business schools that decide to throw in massage because it's popular now. The free job placement is good and so is the free continuing ed. You will want to address your back issues before making a decision, massage is a physically demanding job. Also discuss it fully with your fiance, she may have problems with you touching other women for a living. You might be better off going straight into PT.
Good luck whatever you choose to do.