Massage Therapy by Jack Stella

02/14/2026

02/14/2026

Enjoy the rest of your day my friends. Plenty of restful zzzzzzz's on the way.

THOUGHTS FROM MY READINGS

Whatever we can do to ease the burden of another, no matter if
it is something large or small, in some way it will help us all.
We are all connected in some way, shape or form. One good
deed leads to another and another....

The measure of your intelligence is not your ability to acquire knowledge but how you handle uncertainty and navigate through it and behave when you don't know what to do.

Listen to the need, not the tone it's expressed in. It is so hard to remove the charged emotion from your reaction. You will solve the problem & diffuse the situation if you can listen for the need the other person is expressing.

02/14/2026

Grateful to a colleague for this very interesting look at KNEE PAIN.

A good reminder for massage professionals to conduct a "thorough devil is in the details" intake with clients complaining of knee pain.

" Good morning Jack, hope all is well with you. Check this out. I like these diagrams. because it shows that my surgeon never considered any of these things when I had “youth knee pain” and now I’m partially disabled." Joseph

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF KNEE PAIN

SLIDE 1- NO TRAUMA OR INJURY
Generally, all managed with structured rehabilitation program initially except….
- Red flags: Infection (unlikely to miss) and tumor which is very rare, difficult to pick up clinically, imaging will help if not improving with rehab or not clear clinical picture.
SLIDE 2 - KNEE PAIN IN THE YOUNG - “Youth Knee Pain”
- Trauma: Refer:
* Meniscus,
* PF dislocation
* Ligament: if trauma and instant swelling- i.e. a hemarthosis think Ligament.
- No trauma: Look at other joints, consider wider inflammation. Rehabilitation first.
- Red flags as above

02/13/2026

This is one of the most damning moments of this administration.
History will remember this image.

She didn’t turn around. She didn’t look at them.

They were right there looking at this heartless PE*****LE PROTECTER.

She could have arranged to get their contact information.

She could have shown a scrap of sympathy, compassion and empathy.

But Pam Bondi wouldn’t even look them in the eye.

And that was a defining moment.

I STAND WITH ALL THE SURVIVORS. YOU?

02/12/2026

Before chow......... Salmon on the grill with Kale salad, some thoughts from my recent reading.

Given the breadth and depth of his work, I would have enjoyed a long conversational dinner with Mr. Voltaire

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire

“If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize.” Voltaire

"A lie is halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes"

02/12/2026

After a great day with clients, Decompression Chamber Time. Lupine Loop × 2. Wonderful aroma / Momma Nature's Aromatherapy.

02/11/2026

After a full day of clients, time for weights and TheraBand's.

TOUGH CHOICE FOR COMFORT FOOD ON A RAINY DAY.

Take 30 minutes a day to learn something new as it relates to your profession. Doesn't sound like much. But believe me those 30 minutes add up over time.

Remember when studying anatomy learn both the details of individuality e.g. origin, insertion and innervation, and also, it's functional/ global effects on the system.

G MAX is a good reminder.
[FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY]
⠀
The GLUTEUS MAXIMUS is the source of power for human function and athleticism (sprinting, squatting, jumping, throwing).
⠀
Conventionally thought of as a hip extensor and external rotator, it has many moment arms and functions depending on the position of the femur and the fibers that are creating pull.
⠀
'G' in this diagram represents the line of pull of the Gmax, which changes depending on the position of the femur (insertion of muscle). For instance, in this photo you see the origins of the GMax with corresponding "individual" fiber bundles (light purple):
- Ilium
- Sacrum
- Coccyx
⠀
Each of these attachments creates functional subdivisions within the Gmax itself.
⠀
When the hip is in neutral as in standing, the Gmax divisions are well positioned to perform extension and external rotation. This diagram shows the distal border of the Gmax in standing (D).
⠀
When the hip moves into 90 degrees of (sitting, squatting), the distal border of the Gmax shifts superior (A in diagram). This prevents crushing of the muscle into the ischial tuberosity when sitting (* in diagram).
This position creates different pulleys for the muscle fibers with the Iliac fibers now creating INTERNAL ROTATION of the hip at 90 degrees of hip flexion.
⠀
Many athletes have limited hip internal rotation at 90 degrees of flexion or in a deep squat (pinching pain in groin). This can be easily diagnosed as Femoro-acetablular impingement, but perhaps it's just lack of functional/positional Gluteus Maximus and gluteus minimus strength?
⠀
Know your functional anatomy, not just what the books say. It will make you a better massage professional.

02/10/2026

WHO REMEMBERS?
Today in 1964, 73 million households tuned in as The Beatles made their debut on the Ed Sullivan show. Among them were an entire generation of future musicians.

02/10/2026

Ahhh. My favorite way to begin to unwind after a busy day with clients. Delicious teas with fresh Organic Ginger Root.

02/10/2026

My dear friend and mentor John Harris taught me to work these tissues. We have great success with client complaints in this area.

ILIOLUMBAR LIGAMENTS VS. SCIATIC NERVE ENTRAPMENT
⠀
The primary role of the iliolumbar ligaments (ILL) is to prevent excessive lumbar side bending, but these ligaments can contribute to sciatic nerve (SN) entrapment when injured.
⠀
A traumatic event such as a bending and twisting maneuver while attempting to lift a heavy object, may strain the ILL and their multifidi neighbors.
⠀
As the ILL weaken, they lose the ability to prevent the fifth lumbar vertebra from shifting forward on the sacrum which may cause contralateral narrowing of the intervertebral foramen, facet arthrosis and possible SN entrapment.
Corrective exercises such as planks and bird-dogs may, in time, restore strength and stability to these stretch-weakened ligaments.
⠀
In extreme cases, slippage of the fourth or fifth lumbar vertebra may result in spondylolisthesis, where the pars interarticularis cracks from excessive pressure, allowing SN entrapment on one or both sides.
⠀
Yet one of the lesser-appreciated areas for SN occlusion lies beneath the anterior ILL. First discovered by famed anatomists Drs. Philip Hanson and Bill Sonesson, these taut bands are on the anterior surface form “fascial hoods” over the L4 and L5 nerve roots.
⠀
Once the greater SN leaves the spine, it must traverse through these taut bands. In a nicely aligned pelvis, this usually presents no compression problems. But visualize how a torsioned pelvic bowl could bind the anterior ILL against the pelvic bowl occluding the underlying SN roots.
⠀
In the beginning, the client may or may not experience symptoms depending on the brain’s perception of the degree of threat. However, prolonged nerve root compression may begin to obstruct axoplasmic transport of proteins and other cell parts to and from the neuron’s cell body. Clinically, this breakdown of nerve conduction may lead to what Harvard University plastic surgeons Albert Upton and Alan McComas called “double crush syndrome.”
⠀
This term refers to scenarios where compressed axons at one site cause the nerve to become especially susceptible to damage at another site, such as under the piriformis muscle.

02/07/2026

SILENCE IS NOT REQUIRED AT THIS TIME!

The racist “young” staffer posting from the White House at 2:40 am.