When a massage therapist has been working for a while, it can seem as if some body parts are talking during the session. Well, not verbally, of course, but spinning a yarn, letting it hang, somehow bringing their troubles up on the table. Hey, we touch folks know verbiage and the written word are not … Continue reading If This Bicep Could Sing….
When will this get better? When will my pain be gone? When can I do what I want to do – when I want to? Tough questions for us massage therapists to handle. Truth, we don’t usually know. Massage does marvelous things for the mind, body and soul – but what it does is often … Continue reading Offering Reassurance and Hope to Your Clients
Effleurage & the Flaming Snowplow Most massage therapists make a habit of getting massages, as do I. A good massage is always appreciated, but at times it is hard not to be a “back-seat” massage therapist. Recently I was looking forward to some relief for a strained deltoid when the effleurage began on my … Continue reading Effleurage & the Flaming Snowplow
My massage clients are much smarter than I, and that is why they need my help. I am, of course, very smart myself, that is why my spouse likes to call me “hala kahiki po’o” (pineapple head) when I’ve done Einstein-ed myself into some predicament. Case in point: When I was learning to stretch, I … Continue reading Give the Gift of Stretch
A regular table massage client loves to two-time this massage therapist every chance she gets. I do not mind at all. My client has fibromyalgia, travels frequently and loves to get chair massages. The service she uses most often is at an airport near her employer’s national headquarters. She looks forward, especially on a day-hopper … Continue reading Seated and Ready
We massage therapists see a lot of people seeking relief. If it isn’t the upper back and neck, it is the lower back and legs. I’m a fan of giving people something they can do, on their own, to loosen up. Most people go from doing a lot of movement in their salad days to … Continue reading Playground Moves
Massage therapists learn many ways to push on trigger points and stuck areas. I’ve often wanted to see if pulling on these spots would help open them up. Yet, of course, we are taught that pulling is bad body mechanics. Massage therapists who pull rather than push don’t last long on the job. They … Continue reading Negative Pressure Massage
Is it OK to stretch a client’s adductors? What if the client is female, the therapist male, and the wind is whistling through openings in the drape? Oh my, the topics that come up for question in a massage clinic. One of my friends had a complaint from the husband of a couple whom had … Continue reading Best Intentions? Massage and Permission
A client stopped in last week a bit worried about her neck. She had been on vacation, feeling very tight in the neck and shoulders and stopped for a chair massage. Eager to get rid of the tension, she asked for a 30-minute massage. Toward the end of the massage, she started to feel faint … Continue reading Dizzy Chair Massage
Knots have the element of surprise. Massage clients are often very perturbed that they have a knot, and then the inevitable question…why is that knot there? I try to offer some explanations – to much time using a mouse, too many repeat micro-movements of muscles in a static hold, etc. Working under too much … Continue reading Whys and What Knots