The thumb seems to live in its own reality. That's because it does. In this episode of The Rebel MT, Allison describes how the thumb is like a digit that has gone rogue and explains how getting to understand its plane of existence can help how you approach this funny piece of anatomy. Watch: It takes a surprising amount of muscles to move this powerful little digit. Learn about the anatomy of the thumb and how the push and pull on this particular phalanx can cause an awful lot of tension ..read more

Inflammation may not be romantic, but William Shakespeare was on to something. In this episode of The Rebel MT, join Allison as she merges the worlds of the repetitive strain disorder known as trigger finger (or stenosing tenosynovitis) and the form of poetry known as iambic pentameter into Iambic Digitorum Pentameter ..read more

Disney’s The Lion King is one of my favorite stories. The tale of a boy confronting his devious uncle in an attempt to avenge his father’s death, a theme borrowed from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, evokes the pain in each of us that grows when wounds don’t heal. Yes its about the anguish of a son who has lost his father, and the ache of a community after their noble leader has fallen. But also it is the story of a man who stands in the shadow of his brother and the hardness that develops when that darkness suffocates him. In my opinion, the uncle in the story is one of the most intriguing char ..read more

What if self-care isn’t about caring for the self but more about caring ABOUT the self? This is the self-care episode. In this episode, Allison defines the anatomy of care and what it means for you, your practice, and your clients ..read more

Breath is powerful for a lot of reasons. But if we get down to the sticky details about the lungs, the important components of our soft tissue and how they interact, we could make a lot of comparisons to how this is similar to our abilities of resolution. In this episode of The Rebel MT, Allison does just that. Respiration and resolution, it turns out, have a lot in common ..read more

Thoracic outlet syndrome is a lot like TMJ—known more for its dysfunction than its function. But if we take a moment to understand outlets, their design, and their purpose, we might be able to approach the famous one we own with a little more finesse. In this episode of The Rebel MT, Allison dismantles our thoracic outlet and the syndrome and symptoms that show up here ..read more

Here’s a fun fact. There’s a fifth quad muscle. Who knew? Well, maybe some of you. But I am only just now learning about this. Which makes me think two things: 1 - what we know about our own anatomy is, truly, constantly being updated and evolving. And 2 - What do we do with this information? I mean, not just that there is a fifth muscle in a group of muscles that were named for the fact that there are four of them. But also, how does this change our approach? My first thought is more of an ongoing reflection about what we think we know. And this is a great topic of conversation but not the on ..read more

The shoulder is complex, meaning it gives us a lot of movement. But with more mobility, we get less stability. And there is a lot of mobility in this crazy joint complex of ours. In this episode of The Rebel MT, host Allison Denney dives in to dissect what’s going on in the shoulder and to explain why it reminds her of a caramel apple ..read more

In the restaurant world, the back of the house is a noisy, chaotic mess. The back of the knee isn’t much different. With a lot of elements clamoring to keep things moving, it’s no wonder things can get sticky and dysfunctional. In this episode of The Rebel MT, Allison breaks down how understanding the frantic mayhem is fundamental to your role as a “fixer ..read more

A Touch of Costa Rica Costa Rica reached out to chat with me! Well, not the whole country. But a very cool people at a very cool school there who produce a very cool podcast. It was a fun conversation and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed getting to know CRSMT. (PS - click on their link to explore their awesomeness) Who am I as a massage therapist? It is a common question that bodyworkers ask during their journey in the industry. Allison Denney has amassed more than 54 million YouTube views inspiring fellow professionals to operate in their authenticity, and she joins us fo ..read more