A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Well, what if a picture costs you $1000’s and a lot of unnecessary pain and strife? That’s exactly what an MRI can do. MRI technology is a relatively new diagnostic tool. Most of us have had an x-ray, but never an MRI. Now that MRI’s are used to quickly take a snapshot of what may be causing something such as low back pain (LBP), an image that reveals a ‘bulge’ is often seen as not only the route cause of the LBP, but is also the trigger that justifies an immediate surgical intervention.

Tim Flynn, PT PHD, recently shared a post on his blog about the overutilization of diagnostic imaging in the management of musculoskeletal disorders. He discusses a recent post in the New England Journal of Medicine that reveals the resolution of a lumbar disc herniation without surgery.

Too often, I have seen this or read stories of patients who were scared into going under the knife when the imaging revealed this ‘abnormality’, only to later realize that not only is the pain still present, but the dissected area has been compromised and weakened, further aggravating their symptoms.

Surgery is a necessary part of physical medicine for good reason. However, so is physical therapy and manual therapy. Too often, images such as this seem to draw a bold line from symptoms to causation, prompting a surgical intervention. This recent post shows how more conservative measures of rehabilitation may reduce a herniation without the need for surgery. Read More.

Sprain vs. Strain; What’s the Difference?

Sprain vs. Strain; What’s the Difference? So you think you might have sprained or strained something. How do you know which it is, and does it matter? You’ve heard the two terms your entire life, but did you know that there is not only a major difference between them, there are also varying grades and…

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Complimentary Consultations for Members

As we unveil the newest membership perk at The Boston Bodyworker, our Recovery Lounge, we wanted to reach out to our members to introduce them to one of its many features; Me! As the owner of The Boston Bodyworker, my goal is to help people ‘feel better’. However, that means different things to all of…

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Life Hack: Vagus Nerve Stimulation

As I discussed in our March Newsletter, Vagus nerve stimulation has the potential to help those suffering from various health conditions, including but certainly not limited to anxiety disorders, heart disease, some forms of cancer, poor circulation, leaky gut syndrome, Alzheimer’s, memory and mood disorders, migraines and headaches, fibromyalgia, obesity, tinnitus, addiction, autism and autoimmune…

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Sleep In This Weekend

Raise your hand if your sleepy right now? Great! Now, put your hand down because your boss is wondering why you’re raising a hand at work. Even if you can’t physically acknowledge that you are sleepy, we have some exciting news that we know you’ll want to stay awake for. It turns out, that getting…

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30 Day Challenges

Over the past few years, I have been seeing and uptick in these 30 day challenges. Being in the industry as long as I have, I immediately have issue with any workout that is done every day. The science is as clear as crystal. The days off are where the magic of tissue remodeling and…

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Life Hack: Close Your Windows

If you suffer from season allergies, then this season is said to be the worst for many of you in a long time. I won’t get into the debate about climate change and how it is said to have an impact on the latest seasonal allergy warnings. I’ll try to keep this hack as simple…

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The Power of Suggestion

We have all heard the term “Placebo”. A placebo is a treatment that decreases symptoms only because the client imagines a benefit, not because the treatment itself has any effect. For example, a sugar pill can be a placebo that will improve a headache only if the person taking the pill has an expectation that…

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Is All Knee Pain Created Equal?

As a massage therapist, it is outside our scope of practice to diagnose any condition we see. However, that does not prevent us from evaluating, assessing and working off this information. Often, we have patients who come in with a “google-osis”, meaning they just googled something like “knee pain” looked for whatever symptoms seemed to…

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Members Recovery Lounge

At The Boston Bodyworker, we are constantly motivated to honor our mission to help you “Feel Better”. Coming this April, we are delighted to unveil our newest membership advantage; our Recovery Lounge. Members will enjoy a dedicated space….exclusive access to a private/semi-private room that has been transformed into a place for you to arrive early…

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Life Hack: Yellow Mustard to Reduce Cramps

Runners are always seeking an edge, especially on race days. Well, the biggest running race of the season is creeping up quickly and the only thing that will creep up faster are cramps along the marathon route. Have no fear, we have a simple solution for you; Yellow Mustard! That’s right, mustard Seeds of its…

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