Category Archives: Massage Issues

Don’t use a knife when you could use a massage…carpal tunnel

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Sometimes I chat with people on the street. Being a massage therapist your always watching people, the quality of their movement and their general posture. If your good, just by keen observation, you know where the person is feeling pain, even the source of their problem. Nevertheless, I don’t like to jump to conclusions. So when I work with a client I start from scratch and try not to make to many assumptions. Not everyone is that careful.

I’m not a doctor, so I don’t presume to diagnose diseases or disorders. It’s not my place. When it comes to the diagnosis of Carpal Tunnel sometimes the doctor misses the boat, so  to speak. It can be confused with other problems based up higher in the arm or shoulder area, even the neck, as my Chiropractor reminded me. See what this doctor has to say about carpal tunnel misdiagnosis.

So when I see a person I don,t know wearing a splint I wonder what they have been told is wrong with them. If they have the wrong diagnosis, surgery will not help them get better and they could be much worse off. Even when the diagnosis was presumably correct this study demonstrated improvement in the condition with the use of massage. In this case, self massage. Maybe you need a cannon, but maybe you only need a pop gun to solve your malady.

 

 

 

 

 

Massage Fears for women

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Over the years of providing massage you hear things. One reason some women don’t go for massage is they are so afraid or ashamed of their body to even consider being looked at by a massage therapist. Too bad, because massage offers so many benefits to it’s recipients. Most of this self concern is not warranted. There is no perfect body or person for that matter. 

Guess what your therapist is not concerned about body image, he or she is just trying to help you feel better in your baby suit, so to speak. Feeling good in your body is step one to improving your self image. Massage can help.

If you are afraid but still want to try…u can work your way up the baby steps of massage. Perhaps, start with a seated massage, your fully clothed. It’s a good way to break in to the world of massage.

Another approach you might take is to have your therapist just work on an exposed area. Get your hands and feet worked on for example. Great, now your swimming in the shallow end of the massage pool. You can do it.

No matter what your body looks like, you are not your body. I know I see people all day long, not bodies.

Top Massage Companies

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Many massage clients, and perhaps massage therapists,  often search the Web in quest of finding  the best massage companies. In both cases the quest is futile because there are no best massage companies. Why? because massage is a one on one endeavor. 

For example, after signing up for a health plan most people want to select their own doctor. They don’t want the assigned one. Pick one that you feel comfortable with, that you  trust, that you can work with, one that’s competent.

When your enrolled with a massage chain they give you a therapist, you did not select. In  big massage chain operations you end up having to pay for the whole operations, the owner,the staff, the facility, and the therapist. In these times, there is just not enough money to go around. The therapist is unhappy and cannot give you their best effort. They are often newcomers  to the profession, underpaid and overworked. Those same therapists are googling, searching the  Web, also, to find “top massage companies” because they are looking for a better place to work. Ah, we have come full circle.

 

 

How to become more flexible people

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One of the best ways to get that flexible feeling is by getting regular message work. If you have received massage before think back to how you felt right afterword. Probably you felt wonderful. Maybe you noticed that you seemed to be able to move in ways you could not, without restriction. Is that a real effect? Yes it is.

Sometimes that benefit is lost, or forgotten about. Some times the day after the massage you feel really sore. After that very common experience many people give up on massage wrongly thinking that they were hurt by the massage. Not so, The soreness passes after a day or so then your feeling fine. If you receive regular massage you don’t even have the soreness after. That’s your body muscles responding positively to being worked on. 

 Contrast massage to starting up an exercise program at the gym after a long period of non activity. Injury is a real possibility because your putting a real demand on your muscles when they likely are not ready, or flexible enough to lift that weight or do those high impact aerobic classes . Massage before starting up at a gym could actually reduce your chances of being hurt by improving your flexibility. 

 

How good is massage envy….?

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In a article, “Massage envy affordable…….” at About Spas.com, author Anita Brown reviews massage envy’s service. As it turns out Anita was happy with her result. Of coarse she insisted on having an experienced therapist   do her massage. She was able to book a therapist with 10 years experience. As she pointed out, Massage Envy has a reputation for mostly hiring therapists fresh out of school therapists. There are only so many experienced therapists to go around.

What the author did not point was why so many fledgling therapists? The answer is, to replace the “old” ones leaving the company. In my opinion, massage envy is a real turn style operation.You know, high turnover.

So what kinda of massage will you receive. I don’t know. But your therapist will likely be fresh out of school. Not everyone will be able to book the experienced therapist. Like musical chairs.

Couples Massage……Too many chefs ruin the broth

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What is couples massage? Well, actually it two people receiving two massages, from two massage therapists, at the same time and place. Maybe it should be described as quadruple massage, after all, there are 4 parties present, yes?

Maybe, the two therapists present just don’t count. 2 plus 2 equals 2, huh? Though I’ve been asked to participate in “couples massage” before I always resisted, it just rubs me the wrong way. It cheapens the profession somehow.

In a ehow article, What is couples massage…..Massage benefits it’s recipients because it’s “useful for relieving the stress that can build up between two companions, that it brings two people together in a shared experience”, other articles suggest couples massage improves bonding, helps couples to get to know each other,,”etc. To me that just hype.

Yes, massage can reduce stress in individuals, but it does not enhance communication between a couple. To do that, the couple has to relate directly with one another.

Say your in marriage counselling , would you prefer 2 psychologists present during the therapy session, one for me..one for you. Would that help or hinder in conflict resolution.?

“Shared experience”, enhanced communication, reduced stress etc. All these benefits ascribed to couples massage just don’t add up.

If you want to share a massage experience, excellent,then learn how to massage each other. That way you will actually gain  real skills that will improve your relationship.