Palpation and Assessment in Manual Therapy

Book excerpt: As the title suggests this book has been written to assist manual therapists to understand and hone the palpatory skills which are essential to their effectiveness as practitioners. Skilful palpation is the foundation stone of all effective manual therapy assessments and treatments. The ability to use subtle and sensitive touch to examine and assess patients is essential for an accurate interpretation of the underlying problems of fascial and muscle function. The accurate interpretation of palpatory findings is difficult and comes with experience. This book aims to increase awareness of how to palpate and understanding of what is being felt. In this fourth edition of his now well-established and much loved book Leon Chaitow has introduced references to the latest research findings relating to fascia and its role in health and disease, so that practitioners can apply this knowledge in interpreting what they palpate. In addition to the author, six notable contributors from Europe and North America enhance the work's range and authority. All manual therapists, whatever their professional background, will benefit from the wealth of experience- and research-based information presented in this book.