Save Your Hands!: The Complete Guide to Injury Prevention and Ergonomics for Manual Therapists

By Robert A. Greene and Lauriann Greene

Book Overview

The physically demanding work massage therapists and other manual therapists do puts them at risk for musculoskeletal injury - it's a proven fact. Students and professionals know what it's like to have sore hands or an aching back at the end of the day, and as a result, starting to limit the work they do and eventually feeling burned out.

But injury is NOT inevitable Save Your Hands Third Edition gives you the proven injury prevention and ergonomics techniques and practical advice you need to protect your health and safeguard your investment in your career.

There are usually a number of factors that cause injury. That's why working on your body mechanics is NOT enough to prevent MSDs. Save Your Hands gives you many different strategies for preventing musculoskeletal injury, so you can protect your investment in your career, work with more ease, and stay in the profession you love. The Third Edition has been extensively revised, updated and expanded to give you the most complete information on this vital topic for all manual therapists.

In an accessible, richly-illustrated format, Save Your Hands Third Edition shows you how to:

Design your treatment space so you can work safely and efficientlyFind alternative techniques to protect vulnerable parts of your bodyImprove body mechanics to work with less physical strain and greater comfortUse a physical conditioning program developed specifically to keep you healthy as a manual therapistRecognize early symptoms and address them effectively before they lead to injuries and burnout that can affect your work and your life outside of work.

This essential resource offers the comprehensive information you need to save your hands, back, neck, shoulders and emotional well-being throughout a long, healthy career. For all massage therapists, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, hand therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, athletic trainers, and more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0967954924
• ISBN13: 9780967954929
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Illuminate Press
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A Must-Read for Bodyworkers!!!

I purchased this book after I graduated from a fabulous massage program, while awaiting my license. In the first 10 minutes of reading it, I realized I should have had this information BEFORE I started school! The information is concise, practical, and so very important for those of us who heal with our hands. Now that I'm practicing, I refer to it every couple of weeks, especially when I start feeling any pain in my hands or wrists. It gently reminds me to check my own body mechanics, and that there are other ways to help others ~ without hurting myself.

Great Book for massage therapists

This is a great book for any massage therapist. It will tell you how to protect your best tool your hands.

Recommended reading for LMT's

This book is an awesome guide to anyone studying the healing arts. It is a must-read book for how to extend your massage therapy career by saving one of the most valuable tools, your hands. It indeptly describes guides of prevention, exercises to strenghten hands, and tips every therapist needs to know. If massage therapy is your career, this is one book that should not be left out of your collection.

good book, well written, practical info

As a first trimester massage therapy student, I am already seeing several of my classmates with wrist & hand injuries that could easily become serious. This book should be a required textbook for students beginning massage school. The information is easy to understand, and the exercises are quite effective. Thank you, Ms. Greene.

Vital knowledge for the massage therapist/bodyworker

Massage therapy schools can be lacking when it comes to teaching developing therapists how to prevent injuries as they develop their skills and clientele. This book gives valuable information, exercises, and instructions to fill in this vitally important area . I strongly recommend it for anyone who wishes to have a long and pain-free career in the massage therapy field.