Increasing unwillingness to bear even small pains

Running across this article Prescription drug abuse surged 400 percent in past decade I was amazed how resonant this topic was with my own thoughts; those that I was mulling over for a while and that were troubling me. From the article: ”A new White House study found a 400 percent jump in prescription drug abuse between 1998 and 2008. Experts blame a lack of monitoring programs as well as Americans’ increasing unwillingness to bear even small pains.“  A rather strange explanation. Rather not really an explanation at all, but replacement one unknown with another one.  Most are aware of addictions and their terrible outcome.  “Small pains” whatever this means are not life-threatening. Why would people be jeopardizing their health and the very life by consuming “legally prescribed” narcotics? I think what pushes people to take drugs is the exhaustion and desperation due to constant suffering from painful skeletal muscular disorders and mostly from stress.  Stress that crawls from all cracks of modern life and attacks, attacks, attacks.

A rather strange explanation. Rather not really an explanation at all, but replacement one unknown with another one.  Most are aware of addictions and their terrible outcome.  “Small pains” whatever this means are not life-threatening. Why would people be jeopardizing their health and the very life by consuming “legally prescribed” narcotics? I think what pushes people to take drugs is the exhaustion and desperation due to constant suffering from painful skeletal muscular disorders and mostly from stress.  Stress that crawls from all cracks of modern life and attacks, attacks, attacks.

1. Stress always awakens and increases muscular tone.
2. Mainly, people carry stress in the neck and upper back region, abdominal and lower back region.
3. It expressed in muscular tensions/elevated muscle resting tone.
4. Stress causes muscular pains and aches.
5. As we all know in the last 10-15 years, due to The Internet and new communication media, declining economy, terror acts, and many other factors people are exposed to much greater stress on a daily basis.
6. When one develops painful orthopedic disorders related to trauma or due to chronic skeletal muscular conditions, stress contributes to and fuels pain as well as, in most cases, do not allow sustaining normal muscular resting tone within the injured area.

Why then massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, professionals whose primary focus is a treatment of painful skeletal muscular disorders and stress management cannot stop this epidemic of drug addiction?  I think it’s because as an industry we failed. One of the reasons is – massage therapy community is divided, and therefore general public has a hard time choosing between 1000s alternative names for massage therapy.   During the Last 13 years many of my colleagues, pretended to be scientists, “developed” treatment methodology of their own, denying 1000s year history of clinically proven safe and effective Oriental medicine and scientific discoveries and clinically proven methods of the conventional Western massage that was developed in previous centuries. By all means we have to work with physical therapists, as well as chiropractors together, for the sake of people, and not to be driven by egos and politics. I have a strong suspicion that these distractions and the “new movements” are the heavy contributors to the “400 percent jump in prescription drug abuse.”

Please note that the offered statistics spans the period between 1998 and 2008. It doesn’t look today in 2016 that there is any change for the better. I am saying “we failed,” because it is scientifically and clinically proven that massage therapy is the most powerful methodology in stress management, designed to take care of harmful side-effects of stress and thus alleviate public of all the aforementioned “small pains” in the grand scale. Yet, of course, the reasons for the failure are not only internal contradictions within the massage field.  Many of our colleagues constantly do a great job, providing orthopedic massage, stress management massage, protocols for fibromyalgia cases, etc. and achieving results. The problem is that those great results are not sustained, and when symptoms come back people move back to consuming drugs. To achieve sustained results not only a therapist has to provide, at least, 15 treatments twice a week, but also to understand adequate treatment concepts, such as, for example, the fact that all trigger points have to be patiently discovered and compressed for a thirty seconds producing ischemia. It is also important to understand that trigger points are the results of muscle/fascia dysfunction /insufficiency and in order to achieve sustained results we have to address those dysfunctions appropriately.  Consider the difference between functional potentials of connective tissue and muscular tissues.

By all means we have to work with physical therapists, as well as chiropractors together, for the sake of people, and not to be driven by egos and politics. I have a strong suspicion that these distractions and the “new movements” are the heavy contributors to the “400 percent jump in prescription drug abuse.”  Please note that the offered statistics spans the period between 1998 and 2008. It doesn’t look today in 2016 that there is any change for the better. I am saying “we failed,” because it is scientifically and clinically proven that massage therapy is the most powerful methodology in stress management, designed to take care of harmful side-effects of stress and thus alleviate public of all the aforementioned “small pains” in the grand scale. Yet, of course, the reasons for the failure are not only internal contradictions within the massage field.  Many of our colleagues constantly do a great job, providing orthopedic massage, stress management massage, protocols for fibromyalgia cases, etc. and achieving results.

The problem is that those great results are not sustained, and when symptoms come back people move back to consuming drugs. To achieve sustained results not only a therapist has to provide, at least, 15 treatments twice a week, but also to understand adequate treatment concepts, such as, for example, the fact that all trigger points have to be patiently discovered and compressed for a thirty seconds producing ischemia. It is also important to understand that trigger points are the results of muscle/fascia dysfunction /insufficiency and in order to achieve sustained results we have to address those dysfunctions appropriately.  Consider the difference between functional potentials of connective tissue and muscular tissues. Introductory To Myofascial Release Techniques

Superficial and deep Fascia Release Part 1

Superficial and deep fascia release Part 2

Myofascial Mobilization Summary Part 1

Myofascial Mobilization Summary Part 2

However, in my personal clinical observations, as well as in talking to many other practitioners, I came to the conclusion that in today’s world even the perfect quality of treatment is not enough to secure sustained results.  Because causes of stress are many, are constant and unavoidable – the stress management efforts also have to be just as constant.  In other words, in order to sustain results, a home program must be included. I feel that all of us has to contribute to this struggle for health.  I did my part by creating 8 self-massage medical massage educational videos, where I extended medical massage protocols to self-massage techniques and where I’m offering step-by-step instructions in teaching these protocols, including stretching, and exercise program.

To get familiar with this works, please click this link. I also am very happy to announce that the management of my company is offering a special deal for all 8 medical massage educational videos.  For a short time, all 8 self-massage medical massage educational videos are offered at $100 plus $15 shipping and handling, or you can purchase each individual medical massage educational video for $20 +7 dollars shipping and handling.

Best wishes,

Boris