About the Book
The physically demanding work massage therapists and other manual therapists do puts them at risk for musculoskeletal injury - it's a proven fact. Students and professionals know what it's like to have sore hands or an aching back at the end of the day, and as a result, starting to limit the work they do and eventually feeling burned out.
But injury is NOT inevitable! Save Your Hands! Third Edition gives you the proven injury prevention and ergonomics techniques and practical advice you need to protect your health and your investment in your career.
There are usually a number of factors that cause injury. That's why working on your body mechanics is NOT enough to prevent MSDs. .Save Your Hands! gives you many different strategies for preventing musculoskeletal injury, so you can protect your investment in your career, work with more ease, and stay in the profession you love.
In an accessible, richly-illustrated format, Save Your Hands! Third Edition shows you how to:
Design your treatment space so you can work safely and efficiently
Find alternative techniques to protect vulnerable parts of your body
Improve body mechanics to work with less physical strain and greater comfort
Use a physical conditioning program developed specifically to keep you healthy as a manual therapist
Recognize early symptoms and address them effectively before they lead to injuries that can affect your work and your life outside of work.
This essential resource offers the comprehensive information you need to save your hands, back, neck, shoulders and emotional well-being throughout a long, healthy career. For all massage therapists, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, hand therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, athletic trainers, and more.
About the Author :
Lauriann Greene, has been a leading writer, speaker and researcher on injury prevention and ergonomics for manual therapists since 1995. She studied at Brown and Harvard Universities before graduating in 1993 with honors from Seattle Massage School. As a former professional orchestral conductor and pianist, Lauriann was interested in working with other musicians to reduce playing-related upper extremity injury. This interest led her to write an article on musculoskeletal disorders among musicians that appeared in Massage Therapy Journal in 1994.Lauriann used this research, as well as her own experience with an MSD while at massage school to develop the Save Your Hands! Workshopsfor massage therapists. After passing her state boards in 1993, she taught these in-person workshops to hundreds of students and professionals across the U.S. and Canada. Based on the anecdotal evidence she obtained from workshop participants and existing research on musculoskeletal disorders, the first edition of Save Your Hands! was published by Infinity Press in 1995. It was the first comprehensive book on injury prevention for massage therapists ever published.Since that time, Lauriann wrote numerous articles for publications including Massage Therapy Journal, Massage Magazine, ISPA PulseMagazine, Massage & Bodywork and Positive Health Magazine. She also wrote a regular column in Massage Magazine called "Helping theHealers" for two years. Speaking at industry conferences like ABMP and IECSC also helped her get the word out about this important subject. In 2005, Lauriann joined forces with ergonomist and massage therapist Rick Goggins and the ABMP on a a survey that produced the first reliable statistics on the prevalence of injury among massage therapists and bodyworkers. The results were published in 2006 in Massage& Bodywork. Lauriann also completed training to become a Certified Ergonomics Assessment Specialist (CEAS) at that time. Lauriann nowoffers a range of injury prevention and ergonomics consulting and educational services including CE courses to therapists, schools, clinics and spas. Richard W. Goggins, MS, CPE, LMP, is Board Certified as a Professional Ergonomist, and is a Licensed Massage Practitioner in Washington State. He has a bachelor's degree in biology from Columbia University, and a master's degree in Human Factors/Ergonomics from the University of Southern California (USC). During and following his time at USC, Rick worked for Hughes Space and Communications in El Segundo, Calif., helping them to establish their ergonomics program. From there, he moved north to work for the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, where he is now Senior Ergonomist with their Division of Occupational Safety and Health. Through his work at Labor and Industries, Rick has helped employers in a variety of industries prevent injuries among their employees. He isfrequently asked to present talks and workshops on ergonomics at conferences around the country, and has written several articles on the subject for publications including Professional Safety, Journal of Safety Research and Massage & Bodywork. He is a past president of the Puget Sound Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and worked with that group on a project to educate schoolchildren on computer ergonomics.Rick first became interested in massage after receiving excellent treatment from several different massage therapists. He did his massagetraining at Alexandar's School of Natural Therapeutics in Tacoma, Wash., an experience that he still counts as one of his favorites. He is a professional member of the American Massage Therapy Association. Rick combined his in-depth knowledge of injury prevention and manual treatment work in his collaboration with Lauriann Greene on the first-ever injury survey among massage therapists, and on the 2008 second edition of Save Your Hands! Janet M. Peterson, PT, DPT, has been performing injury prevention services for for over twenty-five years; she has had her own practice inergonomics consulting since 1998 in Seattle, Wash. Janet earned her master's degree in physical therapy from Stanford University and her doctorate in physical therapy through Temple University. She was on the Board of Directors for the American Physical Therapy Association and is a past president of the Physical Therapy Association of Washington, receiving the 2003 "Physical Therapist of the Year" award. She is a member of the Puget Sound Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and the Pacific Northwest Ergonomic Roundtable.
Review :
This inexpensive softcover book is a good investment. Any professional who does hands-on treatment should have it on the shelf.
-- Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy
Save Your Hands is a book that I truly wish I had discovered 35 years ago. This resource stands out for its exceptional organization and thoughtful design, making it highly suitable for anyone who practices manual therapy. Protecting ourselves is essential to maintaining a long and healthy career in this field. I encourage you to do yourself a favor and read Save Your Hands. -- Bruce Baltz LMT, BCTMB, Founder SpiriPhysical and Director of Education for Pura 1st Wellness
Save Your Hands! Third Ed. offers practical, evidence-informed guidance based in occupational health science . . . (with) massage-specific strategies, including massage application, workspace setup, tool use, scheduling, and self-assessment. This book is especially valuable . . . (in) how it encourages practitioners to consider equipment choices, client positioning, and environmental factors . . . There is practical information on common injuries . . . how to heal and avoid reinjury . . . also informs employers on how to provide a safe and supportive work environment. The book frames self-advocacy and self-care as central tenets of sustainable practice-underscoring relevance for educators, students, and practitioners alike. I recommend this book for students, educators, and seasoned professionals. -- Sandy Fritz, MS BCTMB CMBE
If this book does not help you prevent injuries as a manual therapist, nothing will. As one of the largest employers of manual therapists worldwide, the spa industry has unfortunately experienced many such injuries. If the advice in this volume were practiced industrywide, it would save untold suffering, prolong thousands of careers and save spas a bundle in the
bargain. -- Steve Capellini, LMT, spa educator, author of Massage Therapy Career Guide and The Royal Treatment
We've used Save Your Hands! in our program for many years. This expanded edition contains a wealth of accessible and well-illustrated career-extending, even career-saving, knowledge and advice regarding injury prevention strategies, ergonomics, conditioning, and other topics of critical importance for students and practitioners of massage therapy.
-- Lucy Liben, MS, LMT, Dean for Massage Therapy, Swedish Institute of Health Sciences, New York City
Save Your Hands! now has a new 3rd Edition that's been greatly expanded and updated. The first edition helped me a lot as a massage therapist... the 2nd Edition was even better... twice as long and much more information on less- stressful techniques, body mechanics and ergonomics.... very professionally laid-out and illustrated. I really recommend it... the 3rd edition is like a totally new book. -- Liza P., LMT
This book helped me tremendously as a new therapist on the verge of quitting due to pain. Thank you for all the information. -- Raquel T., LMT
Going through a local LMT course it's a book I found myself picking up constantly. I can't wait to get the latest edition! -- Lacie W, LMT
I love and preach your book! You've done wonderful work for the industry. -- Michael W., LMT
A Classic in our field! -- Mirra G., LMT
