Aryana Libris

Author : Cassar Mario-Paul
Title : Handbook of clinical massage A complete guide for students and practitioners
Year : 1999

Link download : Cassar_Mario-Paul_-_Handbook_of_clinical_massage.zip

Foreword. The message of massage is universal: you can use your hands to help literally anyone. Massage is one of the simplest ways to help us achieve and maintain good health, to show someone that we care, to comfort and soothe. In the 1960s, when I started as a professional therapist, massage was barely used in this country. At that time massage, in many people’s minds, was connected with the pampered rich or with burly footballers. Nowadays that picture is transformed and massage is in the mainstream. Massage therapy is now one of the fastest growing professions, with reports that at least 20% of the population now use complementary medicine. Massage is to be found in hospitals and hospices, in offices and in sports and health centres. With this growing interest in massage, and the increased use of massage in the medical setting, comes a need for increased professionalism and knowledge. Mario-Paul Cassar’s book addresses this need. Massage is probably one of the oldest healing therapies known to mankind. It is an extension of a basic instinct seen in animals and humans alike; apes groom each other, animals lick their wounds, humans rub away their aches and pains. The basis of massage is touch – the most fundamental of human needs. Touch is so essential that if it is absent or withdrawn all sorts of problems can ensue, ranging from a failure to thrive in babies to irritability and bad behaviour in children and depression in adults. One of the many reasons for its increased popularity is that massage allows us to reach out and touch each other. Massage is formalized touch; giving us a licence to touch within clearly defined boundaries. I am often asked where massage fits into the overall picture of complementary therapies, but the fact is that massage is sui generis (of its own kind). Massage is an independent therapy. For thousands of years it has been a central factor in medical and psychological practice around the world. In this it is surely unique. We in the profession do not ally it to, or divorce it from, any other procedure or practice. However, with the trend of integration of massage and other complementary therapies into mainstream healthcare, the benefits are being scrutinized. The fact that (almost without exception) people feel better after a massage is not enough. There is now a need for research-based evidence that these therapies work. Examples of research are given throughout the book, addressing this need and giving credibility to the use of massage. Massage is a generic term for a wide variety of techniques and this book has been designed to ensure that the techniques are easy to follow. They are well illustrated and clearly described, with explanations of how and when the different techniques should be used. In addition to the well-known effects of relaxation and emotional support that massage offers, its benefits influence a number of body processes. In this book, Mario-Paul Cassar has described the application of massage as it relates to the various systems of the body, and deals in depth with the application of massage for common disorders and malfunctions. He also looks at ways to help the practitioner assess the suitability of the massage treatment and guidance is given on the use of the appropriate techniques for each region of the body, and their use as an adjunct to conventional treatment. Contraindications to massage treatment are highlighted throughout the text, emphasizing the need for safe and effective treatment. It is a common mistake to assume that a good massage requires only that the massage therapist has strong hands and considerable physical strength. In reality, the most significant requisite for an effective massage is good technique applied with the minimum of effort. To achieve this it is essential that the therapist uses the correct posture and uses body-weight instead of strength. Agood posture is one in which the therapist feels well grounded while having the freedom to move. In this book the author discusses the various postures for massage and throughout the text there are examples of the correct posture for the technique described. I have known Mario-Paul Cassar for many years and was delighted to be asked to write this Foreword. I read every chapter of this book with great interest and imagine that it will become a well-thumbed reference for practising massage therapists, as well as an excellent textbook for those learning the art of massage. In short, this book is a cornucopia of information, to be used as thoroughly as a favourite cookbook. It should inspire and encourage all of us for whom massage is more than just a job, but is a way of life. Claire Maxwell-Hudson London 2004. ...