For years, Boris Prilutsky, LMT has made great contributions to our Journal by sharing with readers his knowledge and clinical expertise. Boris is also an active blogger, and he posts his clinical cases online and shares his thoughts and experiences with therapists. We decided to publish some of Boris’s previous blog posts to give readers additional information about the clinical aspects of Massage Therapy and give Boris’s posts ‘new life.’
Dr. Ross Turchaninov, Editor in Chief
POST-TRAUMATIC BRAIN REHABILITATION USING MEDICAL MASSAGE
From the very beginning of my professional career, I learned and practiced all aspects of Medical Massage, from trauma and injury to abdominal massage/visceral work. Having been a competitive athlete in my younger years, I was always interested in post-trauma rehabilitation.
One of my teachers suggested I get special training in the MEDICAL MASSAGE PROTOCOL for the rehabilitation of post-concussion brain dysfunction. At that time, I wasn’t aware that the implementation of this protocol was such a necessity. I didn’t even know that so many people, especially in professional sports, suffered from such intense brain trauma that they had to be rehabilitated. In 1973, I finished my CE training in post-concussion rehabilitation.
When I started to work in the USA, I didn’t suspect the epidemic proportions of brain trauma and post-traumatic brain dysfunctions in the US, since patients in general don’t have regular access to massage rehabilitation after concussions, due to the absence of this treatment option in the arsenal of traditionally accepted therapies. All of that made the implementation of this protocol so critical.
The urgent sense of necessity to share with other therapists the clinical effectiveness of the MEDICAL MASSAGE PROTOCOL for Post-traumatic Brain Dysfunction came to me almost 7 years ago. I happened to be sitting in the hospital’s cafeteria with a group of physicians and scientists whom I was advising on the MEDICAL MASSAGE PROTOCOL for the treatment of Essential Hypertension. A specially designed protocol can indeed be very helpful in managing Essential Hypertension:
Medical Massage and Control of Arterial Hypertension
I had just finished a successful treatment program for patients with severe uncontrolled Hypertension, and we were eating lunch while continuing to discuss the details of the hypertension protocol. I was also explaining the physiological effects of Medical Massage, the goals of the treatment, etc.
Suddenly, there was breaking news on TV, “Domestic violence in the NFL!”, and security camera footage appeared in which Ray Rice punched his girlfriend in the face, knocking her out.
The entire nation condemned this action and demanded decisive action from the NFL commissioner. This pressure was so significant that the NFL banned Ray Rice from playing for good. Later footage showed Ray Rice asking for forgiveness and promising to take anger management classes. At the end of his apology, his head went down, and he said, “I don’t even remember what happened.”
I commented that Ray didn’t appear to be a violent person and that his behavior had a medical explanation. Having had repeated concussions, he had most likely developed behavioral disorders, which are a typical consequence of repeated mild to moderate brain traumas. In these cases, after a violent episode is over, patients with frequent concussions often don’t even remember what happened.
While at the table, one of the physicians asked me if there was a MEDICAL MASSAGE PROTOCOL for post-traumatic brain rehabilitation. I said yes, that such therapy existed and had been developed through scientific and clinical research. Briefly, I explained the concept and what to do in such cases. Therapists can access this protocol by reading the two-part article published in the Journal of Massage Science.
When I got back to my clinic, I immediately asked my partner to find out when Ray Rice had last suffered a concussion. Sure enough, it had happened the same year as his violent act against his girlfriend, and he had also had several prior concussions. Certainly, it was terrible to witness a man punching his girlfriend as well as to see her lifeless body dragged out of the elevator, and I absolutely understand the public’s emotional outcry and the reaction of the media. To me, Ray had suffered a post-traumatic brain injury, and he should have been correctly rehabilitated first, rather than everyone labeling it as a case of domestic violence. I am sure that if he had been treated appropriately, he wouldn’t have exhibited such violent behavior.
Another equally important source of mild brain trauma is car accidents. I think readers will agree that the treatment of car accident injuries has become a very profitable industry. Everyone concentrates on body trauma and local injuries, while a very small number of therapists practice post-traumatic brain rehabilitation. An additional problem which complicates the situation is that mild concussions due to car accidents are very frequently misdiagnosed and not addressed at all. These patients may suffer for years from chronic headaches, sleep disorders, behavioral changes, depression, anxiety, etc.
Since that conversation in the cafeteria, for more than 7 years, I have been constantly expanding my practice in post-concussion rehabilitation, because these patients don’t have other treatment options. During my long career, I have learned, practiced, and taught a great variety of MEDICAL MASSAGE PROTOCOLS. In October of 2018, I presented a post-concussion massage protocol seminar. I was very excited, and I would say it was my best seminar ever.
Now I would like to come back to the injustice to Ray Rice. We may consider that he had job-related trauma, and he needed correct therapy rather than national condemnation. The following link shows a clinical case from my clinic which illustrates the necessity of timely and correct post-trauma brain injury rehabilitation: Patient Testimonials | Medical Massage Therapy Results
If not for Medical Massage, this patient might have exhibited the same episodes of violent behavior as Ray, but successful rehabilitation by means of a specifically designed MEDICAL MASSAGE PROTOCOL helped him recover completely.
Category: News
Tags: JMS 2019 Issue #2
