When you see me for a massage or shiatsu you will have someone to listen to the story that your body has to tell. Whether you realize it or not, all of your life experiences live within your muscles' memory. When you receive regular bodywork your mind and body have a chance to calm down enough to tune into and then release any pain or tension. As you focus on your body, you become aware of what actions in your life causes you discomfort. On a practical level this can mean becoming aware of imbalanced ways you use your body, or activities that might strain your muscle tissue. Sometimes recognizing the cause of your stress is all it takes to let it go. I can also share stretches and self-massage techniques with you.
Cubicle Syndrome A practical example of the interdependence of Pain and Stress
Many of my clients work at a computer and as a result have tight necks and shoulders. Massage resolves cubicle syndrome in a practical way, it releases the knots and trigger points in the levator scapula, scalenes, trapezius, etc. The cause of this is often poor posture, weak abdominals, improper monitor height and just too many hours in front of a computer. But, there's another factor at work here, the stress of productivity. There's the emotional stress of answering to your boss, managing employees, and problem solving. What happens when we have stressful thoughts? Our muscles tighten up. Slowly the shoulders creep up to the ear. As we think stressful thoughts our facial muscles respond with the corresponding look.
Massage and shiatu resolve cubicle syndrome two-fold: First, by addressing the muscles contributing to the pain; second by helping you reach a state of relaxation. Once you feel your pain subside you will become more aware of habits and situations that cause the pain. This ongoing awareness will help you be in control of the stress and pain. You will start to notice when you feel stress and tension in your life outside of the treatment room. You will eventually begin to notice those shoulders creeping up to your ears. You will make a conscious decision to relax them. You might even make a massage appointment before it becomes a real problem. You'll most likely feel more balanced emotionally at work and able to roll with the ups and downs of your profession.
How often should I get Massage?
Once a Month
The once a month club is perfect for the client that has a moderately active lifestyle and engages in comprehensive self care. These clients tend to engage in moderate exercise and are willing to stretch regularly, do self-massage, and engage in other forms of stress reduction such as walking, meditating, yoga or acupuncture to name a few. Your job is probably not horribly stressful and you don't exercise to the point of injury.
Weekly or Bi-Weekly club
The weekly or bi-weekly program is ideal if you continuously stress your body or your mind. If you don't engage in self care activities such as exercise or stretching you may want to come in more often. Inactivity can cause weak muscles and trigger points. On the other hand, if you exercise or train rigorously you will want to make massage or shiatsu part of your routine to resolve and prevent injuries. If you have a high stress job or life situation and don't participate in other stress reducing activities then you will want to schedule more frequent appointments to cope with that stress. Of course, clients come this often simply because they like to and it helps keep them going.
Injury Rehabilitation
This is for the client who is otherwise healthy, but has an unresolved trauma or injury. This could be a fall, an auto accident or something that is the result of a chronic problem. These injuries usually take 4-6 sessions to resolve per area of the body. These sessions can be done weekly or bi-weekly depending on the client's financial and time situation. These sessions involve trigger point work or erasing scar tissue. A client that engages in a high level of self-care will get better results than one that does not.
How much pressure is enough pressure?
Do you need a light touch or as one client said, "I need a grenade placed between my shoulder blades?" If you are wincing or catching your breath, it's too much pressure. I believe that good pressure is necessary to solve tough problems. However, if it is making you more tense than when we started then it isn't accomplishing anything. The body needs to be able to relax in order to integrate the work. In fact, too deep of pressure can irritate the muscle tissue. It's a fine balance to achieve the correct amount of pressure. Fortunately the combination of experienced hands and good communication gives you exactly what you need.
