Let’s go over an interesting clinical case from our clinic. If therapists would like to read previously published Clinical Reasoning cases (#1-10) please follow the link below:
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The patient presented with a diagnosis of Chronic Sinusitis. She had previously undergone treatment with multiple courses of antibiotics, steroid nasal sprays, saline irrigation, and even balloon sinuplasty performed by an ENT physician, yet experienced no significant improvement. Recently, the intensity of facial pressure and pain increased. Examination revealed mild swelling on the right side of the face, and even light palpation over the right maxillary and frontal sinuses triggered pain.
A friend suggested that she try Lymph Drainage Massage to help relieve her chronic sinus symptoms. However, what are the real clinical clues to her condition visible in the photograph below?
The image indicates that the true cause of patient’s Chronic Sinusitis was significant tension within the anterior cervical muscles. Although she did not report any pain in the anterior neck, both the sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalene muscles demonstrated visible shortening and bulging when the head was rotated to the left. Thus, therapists who mentioned visible tension in both muscles as a trigger for the Chronic Sinusists were correct.
There is another aspect of this clinical case. How does hypertonicity of both anterior cervical muscles cause Chronic Sinusitis?
Significant tension in sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalene muscles compressed the external jugular vein and impaired venous drainage from the right side of the face, including the sinuses. As a result, chronic congestion developed, contributing to persistent sinus pressure and pain.
The photographs below illustrate the results after four sessions of Medical Massage focused on decompression of the anterior cervical muscles.
The image on the left shows the initial presentation, with the blue arrow indicating the barely visible, compressed external jugular vein.
The image on the right demonstrates the clinical results of the Medical Massage protocol, with complete elimination of hypertonicity in the sternocleidomastoid and anterior scalene muscles and restoration of the cross-section of the external jugular vein with its entire anatomical pathways now clearly visible.
Once normal venous drainage was restored, the sinuses resumed their physiological drainage, and the patient’s facial pressure and pain were completely eliminated.
Therapists who are properly trained in Medical Massage can deliver remarkable clinical results daily, helping patients when both traditional and alternative treatment approaches have failed.
If you would like to deliver consistent clinical results and truly change patients’ lives, stop chasing educational sources that are often based primarily on personal opinions. Instead, explore and study the science and clinical application of Medical Massage as developed through decades of modern medical research and clinical experience. SOMI accumulated and delivers this precious knwledge and skills to the therapists who would like to mastermind Massage Science!
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Start your professional journey at the Medical Massage Theory and Soft Tissue Evaluation Live Webinar on August 1-2. The program will open your eyes to the clinical application of Massage Therapy from a medical science perspective.
Category: Blog
