Yok Thai Massage

07/12/2024

Posterior knee pain often gets blamed on things like the popliteus muscle or a Baker's cyst. What typically gets overlooked is the plantaris. It's right there behind the knee, between the two calf muscles, serving as a knee flexor, medial tibial rotator, and plantar flexor. Soft-tissue work on this muscle is best left to the pro's, however. With the nerves and blood vessels in the area, it can be a bit of a minefield.

06/13/2024

Unless specifically asked to do so, I don’t see it as my place to tell clients with multiple complaints which one ought to be their priority in terms of treatment. I typically want to know which issue is affecting the client the most in terms of pain, function, and quality of life -- according to THEM. There’s usually a clear front-runner. That’s what I go after first, and it leads where it may.

09/14/2023

The long thoracic nerve provides motor innervation to the serratus anterior muscle, an important stabilizer for the shoulder blade. It frequently becomes entrapped by the serratus anterior, leading to weakness of the serratus anterior. This creates winging on the scapula and poor shoulder stability. I routinely have clients come in with winging scapulae so severe I can grab the shoulder blade between my thumb and fingers. After releasing the entrapment, the strength and muscle tone returns instantly.

09/13/2023

The occipital nerves at the back of the head and neck are notorious for contributing to headaches, especially when they become entrapped by the neighboring muscles. I use Active Release Techniques to free those entrapments.

09/13/2023

The serratus posterior inferior is a respiratory muscle near the low back. It helps with exhalation, torso rotation and stabilization of the upper lumbar and lower thoracic areas. It tends to be chronically under strain (due mostly to faulty breathing patterns) and this can lead to adhesion. Among other things, it commonly adheres to the latissimus dorsi muscle, leading to spasm and restriction in both muscles. Rolling out the lower lat, in the area where the two muscles overlap, with your arm overhead can help restore relative motion to the area.

08/30/2023

A symptom returning between visits does NOT mean that what was addressed previously has come back. What it usually means is that there are simply more facets to the problem that haven't yet been addressed. Once all these have been resolved, the symptoms go away and stay gone. Many problems, especially those that have had time to develop, simply can't be fully resolved all at once.

05/06/2023