The Book of Massage, written by Lucinda Lidell, was a very educational read. It was very thorough, and came with a lot of images which makes the techniques and strokes extremely easy to follow.
In my perspectives class we were blogging online over the subject of, “what we want to do after college.” I choose to look into physical therapy. I play sports, and always have, and that made the decision simple. With physical therapy, you deal with all kinds of people; however a lot of the time physical therapist deals with athlete’s injuries and rehabilitation. When it came time to find a book that covered physical therapy, I found myself having very hard time finding a book! I looked at the school (Kennedy High School) which I attend, at the local library, and at the local Barnes and Noble.
At the last place I looked, Barnes and Noble, I came across a section of books all about massage therapy. It seemed the closed thing to physical therapy, than it clicked. My junior year at Washington High School I broke my collarbone. I went to the best local Physical Therapist, John Tomberlin, who not only did physical therapy, but I remembered that had performed massage therapy on my shoulder too. When I remembered this I figured I could intertwine the two and be able to write about a broader category.
The purpose this massage book is to teach teens and adults the purpose of massage therapy and the correct way to do it. The knowledge this book provided was outstanding, and can help people live more peaceful and healthier lives (which many people do not understand). The book was filled with images that went along with each stroke that was discussed, and there is even a DVD that can go with it! With all of the images and the DVD that was available, it made it that much easier to learn.
Before I got the book I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I knew about massage therapy. I always thought that I knew how to give a good massage, but after reading it I realize how much more there is. The basic strokes that I knew were just kneading with the thumbs, the “karate chop,” and rubbing with your palm. After reading this book I found out that there are hundred of strokes, all with different purposes. I found out that it can actually increase baby’s strength and development when they are young. Before reading it, I figured I would end up knowing how to do some more massages, but never would have thought that the book was going to be so in-depth.
The most interesting part, (and the reason I chose to blog about physical therapy) was learning about how massage therapy can help athletes perform better, and how much it can help improve a baby’s growth.
