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Praise for Save Your Hands! Second Edition

"We've used Save Your Hands! in our program for many years. This expanded edition contains a wealth of accessible and well-illustrated career-extending, even career-saving, knowledge and advice regarding injury prevention strategies, ergonomics, conditioning, and other topics of critical importance for students and practitioners of massage therapy."

-- Lucy Liben, MS, LMT, Dean for Massage Therapy, Swedish Institute of Health Sciences, New York City

"I feel (Save Your Hands!) is an excellent work that should be required reading for every manual therapist, in or out of training.  Furthermore, I think many other professionals including physicians, nurses, chiropractors, DOs and others ought to be familiar with its contents. I wholeheartedly endorse the book - it is a unique and valuable resource."

-- Emil Pascarelli, MD, author, Dr. Pascarelli's Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury, Emeritus Professor of
   Clinical Medicine, Columbia University

“Save Your Hands! provides excellent practical suggestions for improving safety of the provision of manual therapy services. The authors have been thoughtful and comprehensive in their approach and provide valuable information to the practitioner regarding how to protect themselves from injury, how to deal with injury if it does occur, and how to extend the time that they will be able to provide manual therapy services to their patients and clients."

-- Jeff Lau, PT, DPT, OCS, CMPT, Program Director, PTA program, Provo College, Utah

"If this book does not help you prevent injuries as a manual therapist, nothing will. I was especially gratified to see the new section on injury prevention in the spa setting. As one of the largest employers of manual therapists worldwide, the spa industry has unfortunately experienced many such injuries. If the advice in this volume were practiced industry-wide, it would save untold suffering, prolong thousands of careers and save spas a bundle in the bargain. Well done."

-- Steve Cappelini, LMT, spa educator and author of Massage Therapy Career Guide, The Royal Treatment and
   Massage for Dummies

"Whether massaging, manipulating, mobilizing or palpating, the hands and their support systems are vital and precious, and yet, because of lack of awareness of ergonomics, poor posture and inappropriate use of the self, they all too often suffer wear and tear, overuse and misuse. The book provides clear descriptions, choices and methods. If the well-presented advice it contains is taken, that will allow practitioners and manual therapists to perform their work safely and effectively throughout their professional lives. Quite simply, the book is excellently conceived and constructed, and is very well presented, and I highly recommend it."

-- Leon Chaitow, ND, DO, Honorary Fellow, University of Westminster, London

"Anyone who plans a career in manual therapy should read Save Your Hands! first. Greene and Goggins' comprehensive book offers invaluable voice-of-experience advice about everything from choosing a table to neutral working postures and dealing with job-related pressures. Loaded with useful information, this book will prove a lifesaver for those looking for answers to hand and arm pain, and should be required reading in manual therapy training courses."

-- Deborah Quilter, author, teacher & consultant, The Repetitive Strain Injury Recovery Book and Repetitive Strain
   Injury: A Computer User's Guide

"Save Your Hands! has been a required textbook in our core curriculum for nearly a decade. The 2nd Edition brilliantly incorporates practical techniques for preventing and treating injuries with the added awareness of how emotional factors play into our ability to work safely and keep good boundaries. It is a "must read" for all massage students and practicing therapists to ensure injury-free longevity in their field."

-- Mary McDaniel, LMT, Academic Director, Cumberland Institute of Holistic Therapies

"The second edition of Save Your Hands! is even more comprehensive than the first. The text benefits richly from Greene’s dedication to the subject over the last decade as well as the wisdom of co-author Richard W. Goggins, massage therapist and ergonomics expert. Save Your Hands! reflects the complexity of the issue and underscores to therapists that ergonomics, self-care, and attention to psychological factors are implicit priorities. Students as well as seasoned practitioners will do well by arming themselves with insights from this thorough, well-organized, and well-illustrated text."

-- Leslie A. Young, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Massage & Bodywork Magazine, VP Communication, ABMP

"As a practicing physical therapist assistant (PTA) and certified massage therapist, and a teacher of both professions, Save Your Hands! has given me new knowledge of prevention and many practical tips. I recommend to each of my PTA and massage therapy students to invest in this book and add it to their tool box. The book's illustration of correct and incorrect body mechanics along with the easy to read text that includes accessible captions, sidebars, and headings is an excellent resource for both the novice and the experienced manual therapist."

-- Ashlee Esplen, PTA, MS, CMT, Associate Professor, ACCE PTA Program, Massage Therapy Program Coordinator,
   Butler County Community College, Pennsylvania

“Employers in the spa industry have been in need of a guide to help them retain and care for highly skilled therapists as well as to reduce worker’s compensation claims.  My hope is that this text will be part of every massage school and training program and in the office of every employer of massage therapists.” 

-- Seraphina L. Ashe, LMT, Spa Treatment Manager, The Spa at Sea Island, Georgia

"Great work on this second edition!  I found the revised version very easy to access and very informative. I value the organization and appreciate the reflective tone and positive approach to the topic of caring for the most valuable tools of the manual therapist. I especially appreciate the addition of physical conditioning, as it is a place where many practitioners do not attend to their self care and development.  Bravo!"

-- Dawn M. Schmidt, LMP, Director of Education, Cortiva Institute - Seattle

"Self-care is a basic premise for remaining in any hands-on profession. Save Your Hands! is a necessary component to the curriculum for massage therapists and other healthcare occupations involving repetitive movements, that must include body mechanics training and safety education. DSM has required this book for our Introduction to Self-care and Professional Development course for many years. We look forward to the new edition and its additional contributions. Well done!"

-- Nancy Dail, BA, LMT, NCTMB, Director, Downeast School of Massage, Maine

"Taking care of ourselves while we care for others is a high priority!  Your book offers an excellent overview of the issues related to MSDs, and how the treating clinician can work on self-awareness and self-modulation of positions and forces during patient/client care.  I think it is a well-rounded look at ourselves and our environment, to keep us working in a healthy manner, i.e., to practice what we teach."

-- Patty McCord, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT, Evergreen Physical Therapy Specialists, PC

"The new Save Your Hands! is more comprehensive and detailed than Greene's earlier version, with improved graphics, and a substantially enlarged exercise and conditioning section for those who have the foresight to heed the authors'  advice for the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This book should at the very least be in the hands of all instructors and administrators of manual therapy schools. Students need this kind of information to prepare for long and discomfort-free careers. With the rise in training in mat-based modalities like Thai massage, information on body mechanics in that context is a valuable addition."

-- Victoria Stone, NCMT, Academic Director/Instructor, Blue Ridge School of Massage & Yoga, Virginia

"Save your back, your wrists, your psyche, your career. The authors have provided all bodyworkers with important information on biomechanics, ergonomics, self-care, injury assessment, and remedies. This book is destined to become an essential textbook for serious bodyworkers and an invaluable resource for those who learn and utilize its information and guidance."

-- Martin Ashley, LMT, Author, Massage: A Career at Your Fingertips

"This book is an invaluable resource for all manual therapists. From novice to expert, it is never too late to step back, evaluate your manual techniques, and incorporate changes that will prolong your career. It's not often that a book comes along that encourages you to take care of yourself so you can help others!"

-- Sheila Yakobina, OTR/L, CHT and Stephanie Yakobina, OTR/L, CHT

"I'm the Massage One instructor at the Palmer Institute and think your 2nd edition is fabulous. I always have recommended your first book to all my beginning students and will highly recommend this one as well."

-- Joyce Colahan, LMT, Palmer Institute of Massage and Bodywork, Massachusetts

Praise for the First Edition:

Save Your Hands! First Edition is an Associated Massage & Bodywork Professionals "Recommended Read"

"Save Your Hands! provides a definitive and groundbreaking analysis of the most common biomechanical problems faced by bodywork professionals. Ms. Greene details causes, descriptions, solutions and prevention strategies in a readable text with copius illustrations. This book will soon be required reading for every student, practitioner, teacher and Education Director in the massage field."

-- David Palmer, Executive Director, TouchPro Institute of Chair Massage, author The Bodywork Entrepreneur

"The massage therapy profession needs to practice the preventive medicine it preaches to clients. After clapping their hands in applauding the publication of this common sense book, massage therapists (especially those who are burning out trying to rescue others) owe it a careful reading."

-- Rafael Tuburan, Editor, Massage Therapy Journal

"Save Your Hands! will literally do just that - save your hands. This text is deep in its information and rich in its suggestions for prevention and treatment of massage related injuries. Lauriann Greene has successfully addressed all aspects of extremity injury from a holistic perspective. Not only do I urge all massage students and professionals to read this book, but I also recommend that all massage schools include this book as a text in their clinical curriculum. This information easily translates to a guide for treating clients with a variety of RSI's as well as a self-treatment tool for the massage therapist. Further, I suggest that all students read the 'Recommendations for Massage Schools and Faculty' Appendix and encourage and support their teachers to maintain a healthy learning environment."

-- Diana L. Thompson, L.M.P., author of Hands Heal: Documentation for Massage Therapists

"Since there are so many books out on the market about carpal tunnel syndrome, it is a relief to see someone put the information together in a coherent, cogent fashion. Lauriann Greene's book is appropriate for both beginning and advanced students.

This book should be essential reading for any massage therapist who is beginning to experience symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, and for those who want to know more about what they can do to take better care of themselves."

-- Maja Evans, author of The Ultimate Hand Book, Massage Magazine review

"Lauriann Greene has written "Save Your Hands! to provide both practicing massage therapists and massage therapy students with a resource for the prevention and treatment of RSIs. She writes in a clear and consice style that allows her to provide a readable yet in-depth treatise on a rather complex if relevant subject. I believe that this book should be required reading for every student of massage therapy and for every practicing massage therapist.

Save Your Hands! is a readable, informative, and timely reference for practicing massage therapists and students. It is well written and richly illustrated. It merits complete understanding by people who depend upon their hands for their livelihoods, so that RSIs can be prevented. The book should be read by all who perform massage therapy so they can avoid this physically, psychologically, and economically crippling injury."

-- Joseph Bosco, M.D., review in Massage Therapy Journal

"Don't start massaging before reading this book! If you teach massage, you should read it before taking another class so that you can pass on this valuable material to your students.  Lauriann . . . has researched the topic thoroughly and compiled an excellent text. It should be compulsory reading for all therapists looking to work in the profession for most of their career.

I have ordered my copy of this book and will be working through all of my techniques to modify the ones that could potentially prevent me completing the next 15 years of massage practice and surviving in one piece."

-- Colin Morley, Australian Massage Therapy Association, AMTA Newsletter review