Understanding the skeleton and its numerous roles it plays within every system of the body is crucially important for massage therapists and manual therapists. Most bodyworkers learn a very basic understanding of the skeleton, it usually goes something like this: “the skeleton provides the framework for which muscles and connective tissue attach to”. This type of thinking is overly simplistic and while somewhat true does a disservice to not only the bodyworker but the client.

The skeleton does much more than provide structure. It creates red blood cells, lymph, and hormones such as calcitonin. Problems associated with bones such as bone edema, a break, or misalignment effect many different outcomes and have a down stream effect to many different systems. It is important to recognize the integration between these multiple systems of the body and how they relate to the skeleton. In our practice of bodywork we have divided this integration between soft tissue work and chiropractic work. Both are very much needed but should not have been separated into multiple modalities.

Anyone who has had a 5 minute adjustment at a chiropractors office knows typically how that ends up feeling about 30 minutes later. Or the other side of the equation anyone who has gone to get a massage with a rib that was out of place and got light soft tissue work with out setting the rib into position knows that it doesn’t do anything to address the problem. The fact of the matter is that these two practices should be integrated to some degree. Chiropractors should take soft tissue way more seriously and massage therapists should learn how to assess and correct the underlying skeleton. That does not mean that massage therapists need to become chiropractors who do quick torsion adjustments of the spine and neck but as a massage therapist you should know how to address the skeleton through the soft tissue to make corrections.

The skeleton is floating in the body it isn’t attached to anything but connective tissue. Just as the last ribs are floating ribs the entire rib cage is actually not attached to a underlying foundation that holds it down. The skeleton is made to move that is what it does, and therefore if you get the muscles and connective tissue (tendons and ligaments) lose enough you can make corrections quite easily within the skeleton. Which is exactly why a 5 minute adjustment at the chiropractors office does not tend to last long. If the goal is pain management and long term health systems of the body must be integrated not separated.