In this issue, we finalize the results of our 2019 JMS’s International Case of the Month contest. Last year, we had exceptional contributions from SOMI’s former and current students. We are deeply thankful to each therapist who participated:
- Laura M. (Bennetti) Righter, CMMP, LMT: ‘Medical Massage vs. Trigeminal Nerve Neuralgia’
- Mike Devo, LMT, CMMP: ‘Medical Massage vs. Soft Tissue Contusion’
- Steve Smith, CMMP, LMT: ‘Medical Massage vs. Parkinson’s Disease’
- Nancy McNamara, CMMP, LMT: ‘Medical Massage vs. 30 Years of Pain and Misery’
JMS’s readers selected the clinical case, ‘Medical Massage vs. Parkinson’s Disease,’ as the winner of our 2019 International Best Case of the Month contest. This case was submitted by Steve Smith, CMMP, LMT, from Littleton, Colorado. Steve is one of SOMI’s recent graduates, and he has already developed a successful Medical Massage practice. We hope his example will encourage other therapists to learn and practice Medical Massage Therapy.
Editor in Chief, Dr. Ross Turchaninov
Here is JMS’s interview with:
WINNER OF 2019 BEST CASE OF THE MONTH CONTEST
JMS: How did you get into massage therapy?
S. Smith: First, I would like to thank all readers who voted for my submission to JMS!
I have always been interested in health and fitness. In 2008 I opened a CrossFit gym. After a few years, I became interested in helping my clients recover from the intense workouts. I started studying and found Trigger Point Therapy. I observed firsthand how effective manual therapy is. To help my clients even more, I enrolled in the Berkana Institute of Massage, from which I graduated in May 2014. I learned some great tools of massage therapy, including Swedish Massage techniques, Trigger Point Therapy and Myofascial Release, just to name a few.
JMS: Please tell our readers more about your practice.
S. Smith: My practice, which I named Virtus Medical Massage, consists almost entirely of Medical Massage. I focus on helping individuals with chronic pain and dysfunction or pain as a result of trauma. Many of my patients have tried other avenues of Western Medicine to no avail. Medical Massage was able to help them decisively.
JMS: What is your opinion of Medical Massage, and how has it helped your practice?
S. Smith: Medical Massage is amazing. It has provided me with very direct, effective treatment protocols for addressing specific issues. It also helped me grow professionally since it encourages me to constantly adjust and customize treatment strategy. To do that, I have learned how to methodically evaluate my patients’ situation from all aspects (from psychological to the locations of reflex zones) in order to provide a specific, effective therapy with the goal of providing lasting and clinically effective results.
JMS: What is your opinion of SOMI’s Medical Massage Certification Program and its clinical validity?
S. Smith: SOMI’s Medical Massage Certification Program has been a tremendous help. I have learned and continue to learn so much about many different conditions, clinical modalities and rules of their application and integration. In fact, the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn.
The education has been excellent: from the observation of a new patient during the first meeting, to clinical evaluation, to the treatment selection and to the therapy itself. I continue to attend sessions to further develop my skills, and it has had a tremendous impact on my practice and on the lives of my patients.
JMS: What is your favorite type of bodywork?
S. Smith: I like it all, but I especially appreciate the variety of cases that I am exposed to. Each case presents its own unique challenges and an opportunity for me to help someone in pain.
Category: Person of the Month
Tags: JMS 2020 Issue #1
