As one of the country's most experienced bodywork professionals with over forty thousand sessions of experience, John Gifford, has helped thousands of people find relief from muscular pain and tension. He has spent the last thirty years as a lecturer and seminar leader throughout the United States, a provider of trigger point sports massage, and a board certified provider of Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy® and Exercise Therapy through his company Motionwise®. Mr. Gifford carries the professional title of Board Certified Bonnie Prudden Master Myotherapist® and Exercise Therapist. There are fewer than 50 practitioners in the United States with this unique certification. His most recent book is Essential Stretches (you'll actually use).
At the age of nineteen, John Gifford became one of the youngest people to graduate from the Bonnie Prudden Institute for Myotherapy and Physical Fitness holding diplomas from two educational programs offering training in the original Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy - The Bonnie Prudden School for Myotherapy and Physical Fitness and The Academy for Myotherapy and Physical Fitness. He entered the two-year Bonnie Prudden School for Myotherapy and Physical Fitness in 1984 and during the second year of his training, the Bonnie Prudden School ownership was changed to an entity named The Academy for Myotherapy and Physical Fitness. The Academy maintained the 1300 hours of content and instruction required for the Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy & Exercise Therapy diploma and eligibility for certification while adding an additional 290 hours of related course content. Therefore, upon graduation from The Academy of Myotherapy and Physical Fitness in 1986, he was also awarded documentation to verify he also fulfilled the requirements to have graduated from the Bonnie Prudden School for Physical Fitness and Myotherapy.
Immediately after graduation, in 1986, he sat for and passed his board examinations, and has re-certified every two years to maintain his title as a Board Certified Bonnie Prudden Myotherapist® and Exercise Therapist. Additionally, he has worked as staff myotherapist at various medical and dental offices, and has consulted for various pain clinics, and has served as the company myotherapist for Eric Johnston's Detroit Ballet.
John has served as adjunct faculty at the Bonnie Prudden Institute for Myotherapy in their division of intensive Training Programs and Physical Fitness and at Baker College of Clinton Township, Michigan, teaching sports massage and anatomy of movement. He also sits on the massage advisory board for the same institution. He has conducted workshops and has created CEU programs for allied health professionals including dentists, physical therapists, massage therapists, and pain management professionals, teaching them how to incorporate advanced massage therapy techniques and Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy® into their specific fields of interest. His common sense message on how to have a life with less pain has been discussed frequently on Channel 2 and nearly all metro Detroit radio stations. His programs and products have been featured in Newsweek, Detroit Monthly, Corporate Detroit, and Oakland Press.
As a seminar leader, his presentations receive top ratings from Fortune 500 companies, universities, and national conventions. Past clients include IBM, University of Michigan, Ford Motor Company, Michigan Dental Hygienist Association, College and University Human Resource Association, Chrysler Motor Company, and Eastern Michigan University. His most popular keynote presentation, "Managing Your Muscles Under Stress," focuses on teaching people how to use simple stretches and other self help techniques to ease pain and alleviate stress. Humor, enthusiasm, and common sense explanations are the trademarks of his "HIGH ENERGY" presentations.
He has published several stretching posters and has written articles for various publications. As a co-founder and past president of Bodysavers Systems Inc., he authored the first stretching software program and accompanying Pain-Free Workbook to reduce computer-related pain and injuries. In 1989 he created, co-produced and hosted forty-five episodes of Michigan's first children's exercise television show called Keep on Moving, which taught youngsters about their bodies and how to make exercise fun.
Memberships
International Myotherapy Association
American Massage Therapy Association
National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals
National Academy of Sports Medicine
John Gifford has been an approved provider of Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy®, sports trigger point massage, and advanced bodywork therapies for over 36 years. As of 2021, he has performed over 40,000 sessions of hands-on muscle therapy and assisted stretching sessions. Additionally, through his educational programs, products, and consulting services, he strives to empower people to exert a greater level of impact towards the reduction of their muscular tightness and tension. Below is a summary of John Gifford's professional background and experience.
For more detailed information, view John Gifford's full Curriculum Vitae. For verification of John Gifford's Michigan License - #7501000405 - please visit the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to learn more. John is also Nationally Certified by the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. In the first quarter of 2015, he was selected as a member of the Ethics & Standards Committee for the National Cerification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, a national organization that oversees the board certification of nearly 70,000 advanced bodywork therapists.
John resides in Berkley, Michigan, with his wife Cathy and their children, Jackson & Cassidy. Photo: 2017
• Michigan Licensed Massage Therapist
Author, Essential Stretches You'll Actually Use
• Board Certified Bonnie Prudden Master Myotherapist
• Board Certified Bonnie Prudden Exercise Therapist
• National Certification Board Massage & Bodywork
• National Academy Sports Medicine Trainer
• Corrective Exercise Specialist NASM
• Vice President, International Myotherapy Association
• Continuing Education Provider NCBTMB
John Speaking at the
Suburban Showplace
John Gifford, CBPM, LMT, BCTMB, CPT
Clinician, Author, Lecturer, Continuing Education Provider
John on set at Fox2 News Detroit with 5 great tips for a wonderful massage.