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

2025 THIRD EDITION

You became a therapist to help people—not to end up hurting yourself.

In the demanding professions of manual and massage therapy, pain and injury don’t have to be the price of doing the work you love. Yet many massage therapists and other hands-on practitioners experience painful hands, achy backs, and repetitive strain that can eventually take a toll on your body and health.

You can change this scenario. Save Your Hands! Third Edition empowers you with numerous prevention strategies, and easy-to-apply tips to help you work with more ease and self-assurance. You'll learn how to work smart not hard. You can build a successful, healthy career as an accomplished therapist for many years to come.

Drawing on decades of experience and expertise in this specific subject, Lauriann Greene offers therapists a comprehensive, evidence-based, and authoritative self-care resource that many practitioners use throughout their careers. Combining extensive information on injury risk factors, biomechanics, ergonomics, and self care therapy activities, this revised and expanded edition and guide to self care translates essential information into techniques and habits you can use every day.

Inside, you'll discover:

• Practical ergonomics strategies to improve body mechanics, reduce unnecessary strain, and work with more confidence and efficiency.
• Guidance for setting up your workspace to provide effective treatment with more ease and less effort, and promote a way of working that is relaxed and comfortable.
• Body-saving techniques to help reduce the physical stress of hands-on work.
• Conditioning and self-care programs designed specifically for the demands of manual and massage therapy and to refresh your body and mind.
• Tools for managing your workload and creating a sustainable practice, whether you’re a student, new practitioner, or experienced professional.
• Numerous Illustrations, checklists, and daily job help ideas to make this important information accessible and easy to apply.

Don't wait until pain forces you to change your work life. Start by identifying your risks, improving your workspace, refine your techniques, and building habits that support your body as well as your clients. You deserve a pain-free career, have less emotional stress while helping your clients and demonstrating your expertise - Save Your Hands! Third Edition shows you how.

Order Save Your Hands! Third Edition today.

The Third Edition has won acclaim from top experts in manual therapy, like Sandy Fritz, MS, BCTMB, CMBE, Author of Mosby’s Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage: " I recommend this book for students, educators, and seasoned professionals ”; and David Palmer (the “father” of chair massage):“ I have always considered your book to be a major contribution to our profession.” Count on Save Your Hands! Third Edition to protect your hands, back, neck, shoulders and emotional well-being throughout a long, healthy career.

For students and professionals in all the manual therapy professions, including massage therapists, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapists, hand therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, nurses, athletic trainers, and more.