If you’ve taken a few continuing ed courses, you already know the pattern. A weekend of soft tissue release training usually looks like this: learn a handful of grips, find a tight band, apply pressure, wait for a “melt,” and hope the tissue “lets go.” Sometimes it works beautifully. Sometimes it feels like you’re doing good work, but the change doesn’t stick. And sometimes you’re left with that nagging question… “Am I actually changing tissue… or am I changing the nervous s

If you’ve ever finished a treatment day thinking, “I helped… but I wish I could get more consistent, repeatable change,” you’re not alone. A lot of good therapists are doing good work, yet still getting stuck in the same loop: Try a few broad techniques Hope the right thing “lands.” Reassess… kind of Move on because time is gone The problem isn’t effort. It’s signal-to-noise. General inputs tend to create general results. And when your treatment input is broad, your outcomes

Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) is one of those conditions that frustrates both clients and therapists. You already know from your RAPID training that pain is rarely “just mechanical”—and frozen shoulder is a perfect example of this.   What’s Really Going On Research shows frozen shoulder isn’t only stiffness—it’s both inflammatory and fibrotic : In the early (painful) stage, immune cells drive inflammation and make nerves hypersensitive. Over time, fibroblasts build e

When you first look at this image, your eyes immediately go to the heel spur. It’s striking, no doubt about it. But while we might find it fascinating as therapists, the person living with it certainly doesn’t feel the same way. And when someone walks into the clinic with a spur or plantar fasciitis, we know it often means a tough session working on the bottom of the foot. Let’s be honest — feet aren’t always fun to treat. That’s exactly why we need to work smarter, not harde

Disney-itis? Poor Rob on our recent family trip with our not so little littles, he developed a sharp stabbing pain on the top of his ankle. Yep- his talus was out, just a little 3 minute tweak and he was off and running again (but seriously - the kids put the miles on us --120km's in 10 days!) And as you can clearly see- we just love sensible shoes. (doh!) In our own clinic we have seen all kinds of pain -both chronic and acute, and we always wondered, what's the deal with

Like it or not -every manual therapist is working with the nervous system, whether they realize it or not. Every touch is an input to the nervous system. Skin, fascia, and muscle are filled with sensory receptors that send signals to the brain The nervous system decides the outcome — whether that’s pain relief, relaxation, more movement, or simply comfort. Muscles don’t relax on their own. They release tension because the brain receives the right input and allows them to let

I’ll never forget the day a client pointed to their shoulder and said, “Right there — that knot has been ruining my life.” They were convinced it was a ball of muscle that needed to be kneaded, pummeled, or “broken up.” So, like most of us were trained, I did exactly that. They felt a bit better for a day — but by the next week, the “knot” was back, angrier than ever. That was the moment I started to wonder -if we’re actually fixing the muscle, why does the pain keep returnin

Move It to Prove It -Rewiring the Brain Through Safe, Active Movement“Motion Is Lotion”… But That’s Only Half the Story   You’ve probably heard the phrase “motion is lotion.” It’s catchy — and true to a point — but it only tells part of the story. Yes, movement helps joints glide, muscles warm up, and circulation improve.But when we look at pain through the lens of modern neuroscience , we see something much more profound- Movement doesn’t just lubricate tissue — it re-educat

If you’re a manual therapist, you already know that continuing education isn’t just a box to tick, it’s the lifeblood of a thriving, relevant practice. The field evolves, research expands, clients expect more, and our own passion for helping others keeps us seeking deeper understanding and better tools. That’s where investing in the right training becomes essential. And for many therapists across North America, one of the most transformative experiences is taking a Manual The

Manual Therapy Course in Edmonton . If you’re a massage or manual therapist in Northern Alberta or the Edmonton area, you already know this city has something special. Edmonton’s therapy community is curious, skilled, and always hungry to learn more. Whether you’re a registered massage therapist, physiotherapist, or chiropractor, there’s a growing demand for continuing education that actually changes the way you practice, not just adds a few new techniques to your toolkit. Th

When therapists first hear about RAPID NeuroFascial Reset, they often assume it’s another myofascial release training . After all, we work with fascia, movement, and touch, so it must be the same thing, right? Not quite. RAPID isn’t about releasing fascia. It’s about communicating with the nervous system to reset protective tone and restore function. Once you understand this difference, your entire approach to pain and mobility changes. What Is Myofascial Release Training? My

For years, osteoarthritis (OA) has been explained as nothing more than wear and tear on the joints, but that story is incomplete. Research now shows OA is far more complex. It isn’t just cartilage thinning with age or overuse. It’s a whole-joint condition, shaped by the immune system, inflammation, and biomechanics. Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening inside an osteoarthritic joint and why this matters for us as therapists. Low-Grade Inflammation — the Silent Driver

Abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care—but not all abdominal pain comes from the organs. In class we often(always) joke about learning to treat the abs in massage school-you learn the muscles but then learn the "poop" massage as the one and only treatment for abdominal pain. We all know the medical system treats abdominal pain in much the same way- tummy hurts...here's a laxative.  Abdominal Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome (ACNES) is a

Be honest—you'd love to know how to treat the body's most pain sensitive tissue- here's how.   When it comes to treating pain, most therapists think about muscles, joints, and maybe even fascia. But one of the most sensitive—and most overlooked—structures in the body often gets left out: the periosteum.   The periosteum is the thin layer that covers your bones, and it has the densest sensory innervation of any bone tissue. It’s packed with Aδ and C fibers arranged in a fish

In the ever-evolving world of manual therapy, continuing education isn’t just a professional requirement. It’s a way to reignite your...

We know many of you were hoping to join us for our Calgary class this October, but it sold out super early! Don’t worry, though, it’s not...

Chronic and persistent pain can be one of the most frustrating challenges for both therapists and clients. When tissue restrictions and...

When most people think about chronic pain, they imagine sore muscles, stiff joints, or inflamed fascia. But there’s another, often...

Let’s be real for a second Most of us weren’t taught how to treat  pain. We learned how to manage it. To support the system. To stretch,...

The Biopsychosocial model is a comprehensive framework for understanding health and illness, but at its core, pain is the determining...