Mark D. Seem, Ph.D., L.Ac., President, Tri-State College of Acupuncture, author of Bodymind Energetics, A New American Acupuncture, and Acupuncture Physical Medicine
:
"Knowing how to touch the human body when it is in distress is the skill that links bodyworkers with physical--and oriental--medicine practitioners. Nowhere is this knowledge more developed than in the seminal work on trigger-point release of Drs. Janet Travell and David Simons. Their magnum opus now becomes eminently accessible in this clinically pragmatic manual.
Informed Touch belongs in the office of every professional practicing a physical medicine of any kind."
Roberta F. Shapiro, D.O., Albert Einstein College of Medicine
: "Never before have the disciplines of myofascial pain release and meridian therapy been so beautifully and practically connected. Simply put, this book is a must for all practitioners of hands-on medicine."
Marilyn Freedman, P.T., certified childbirth educator : "Donna and Steven Finando have married some of the finest techniques that eastern and western physical medicine have to offer. Incredibly, they have done this in a single text, with excellent graphics, charts, and guidelines to specific soft-tissue work. This essential guide takes the place of many large volumes, especially when information is needed immediately. I highly recommend
Informed Touch for not only the experienced practitioner, but for students as well."
Roberta F. Shapiro, D.O., Albert Einstein College of Medicine :
"Simply put, this book is a must for all practitioners of hands-on medicine."
Steven L. Rosenblatt, M.D., Ph.D., L.Ac., founder and past president of the California Acupuncture College : "This insightful book points out a new direction in medical therapeutics. It clearly delineates where the energetic field of the body intersects and animates the physical structure. By acting at this intersection, true healing can take place."
Tami Brady, TCM Reviews : ". . . in addition to those professional healing touch practitioners wanting to stretch their skills or needing a good myofascial pain reference book, that I also suggest this book to those who suffer from chronic pain and those that do any sort of physical activity that could result in muscular pain and fatigue."
Charlotte Michael Versagi, Massage Magazine, Nov-Dec 2005 : ". . . written carefully and thoughtfully, as if gently guiding the reader into an intimate understanding of what's happening in the body when a trigger point is present."
Diane Donovan, Bookwatch, April 2006 : "Any who suffer from muscle pain will find her methods specific and useful, based on her acupuncture and massage background and studies with Janet Travell, MD, a pioneer in pain management."
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
What a great book. Know first of all that it's written more for clinicians, such as massage therapists. If you have no medical background, you may get confused with some of the medical terms such as abduction.
Having said that, for practitioners who treat musculoskeletal pain, this book is the best trigger point therapy book I've come across. After spending a few chapters covering some of the basics on topics such as the nature of trigger points, Qi, informed touch, etc, the book gets right to the reason why you probably bought the book- the trigger points.
The book does an excellent job of covering all the muscles of the body and their associated trigger points. But that's not where it ends. Besides having some of the best muscle pictures you could ask for, each section on a particular muscle ALSO covers pain patterns a specific trigger point could produce, as well as stretching and strengthening exercises- nice!! While the stretches are clearly depicted, the strengthening exercises are only described- but they are certainly clear enough to follow.
A couple of appendices on meridian pathways, cutaneous zones, and acupoints are also included.
Lastly, the book ends with two indexes. The first is a pain pattern index, which is really a picture reference guide on trigger point referral patterns for the various muscles. The second is a symptoms index. Using this index is as easy as looking up a particular area of the body (such as the shoulder) where you'll then find various symptoms and their potential cause (trouble with reaching up....problem with latissimus dorsi).
All-in-all, it's a great resource for anyone who deals with clients that might have muscular pain and the book could also double as a patient education tool with its great pictures of all the muscles and their trigger points. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for practitioners who deal with a lot of shoulder patients.
