The Massage Geek^® Blog

A few weeks ago I realized that a lot of my clients are fellow massage therapists. In one week I worked on 4 massage therapists, one shiatsu therapist, an acupuncturist, and a retired family physician. I’ll take it as a compliment that other healers like my work and are willing to pay for something from me that they could probably trade for with someone else.

One massage therapist said:

“You are a massage god! You should be famous. I would bet all my money that you are the best massage therapist ever.”

Wow. Am I the best massage therapist EVER?? Well, probably not:

• A, I wouldn’t know because I can’t experience my own work. I can only depend on feedback I get from my clients.
• and B, I know that I am good at what I do. But what I do is not good for every body. Most people really like my work. Some do not.

Here is what makes my massage different from other therapists:

• I have advanced training in Anatomy and Kinesiology.
• I have very good palpation skills (finding things by touch)
• I have high mechanical aptitude
• I have artistic sensibilities

This means that I can quickly identify problem areas based on description of activities. I can find just the right spot that is causing the discomfort and focus on releasing the knot without overworking the areas around it.  All that combined with graceful strokes that make it feel complete and nurturing, not abusive.

I use my mechanical reasoning to move limbs and joints into just the right position that allows me to access the knot. I can work very deeply in areas that other therapists can’t reach or even find. Most of the time I work with my eyes closed. I become so intimately in touch with the muscles that when I open my eyes I am surprised to see the skin over the muscles.

You should come to see me if you:

• have old injuries that have been bothering you for years.
• have chronic headaches
• have an unexplained pain that doctors suggest is all in your head
• are completely dissatisfied with other therapists who just don’t work deep enough and keep missing the good spots
• depend on a strong and efficient body for your livelihood (musician, dancer, athlete, performer)

One thing that I really love about my job is being able to validate people’s pain. I can say “Yes. Your head hurts because you have a big knot here in your left shoulder.” Many people with chronic pain are made to think that there is no explanation for the pain and that it is all in their head. But when I work on them I can exactly touch the spot that hurts. I can feel it, measure it, describe it, predict a referral pattern, and trace the boundaries of it. I wouldn’t be able to do that if it were all in their head. You can imagine how relieved they are when another person can validate the pain and identify the source.

By touching a body, we touch every event it has experienced. For a few brief moments we hold all of a client’s stories in our hands. We witness someone’s experience of their own flesh, through some of the most powerful means possible: the contact of our hands, the acceptance of the body without judgment, and the occasional listening ear. With these gestures we reach across the isolation of the human experience and hold another person’s legend. In massage therapy, we show up and ask, in so many ways, what it is like to be another human being. In doing so, we build a bridge that may heal us both.

Tracy Walton,
“The Health History of a Human Being,”
Massage Theray Journal, Winter 1999

A few weeks ago I posted a blog on the definition of massage and outlined what I thought to be the three overall categories of therapeutic massage based on desired outcome.  Well, after seeing Dara Torres with her trainers I had to create a new category.

So here is the new list:

Four Types of Therapeutic Massage

1. Relaxation Includes Swedish, Full-body, Fluff-n-buff, etc.
2. Corrective Includes Deep Tissue, Clinical, Medical, Orthopedic, etc.
3. Conditioning Includes Sports Massage, Resistance Stretching, etc.
4. Energetic Includes Shiatsu, Reiki, etc.

The new category is “conditioning.”  A Conditioning Massage is one that seeks to improve the texture, flexibility, and strength of healthy soft tissue with the overall goal of enhancing performance and endurance.

Wow!

The Olympics are so much fun to watch. I’m especially interested in the career of Dara Torres as she and I are the same age. The difference is that she has an exquisitely sculpted body. While I don’t. NBC aired a feature of Dara Torres receiving a massage and stretching routine from two trainers. It was waayyy different from a relaxation massage and different from the corrective massage that I do. Perhaps I will have to add a fourth category to my list of massage types.

Would the new category be Sports Massage? I just taught a class on Sports Massage and it didn’t include anything like what I saw being demonstrated. The trainers were literally mashing Dara’s muscles with their feet before some stretching. I did some research and discovered it actually is called “mashing” (!) and “resistance stretching.”

Currently, the type of corrective massage that I do is best suited for athletes who have chronic issues with old injuries. I do my share of mashing and it’s good stuff.  I sent an email to the trainer who developed the protocol, Bob Cooley, asking about training and certification in this method. I can’t wait to hear from him!

Here are some links and articles about this type of massage/stretching:

• Olympic Swimmer Credits Trainers With State Ties
• Dara’s current trainers
• Bob Cooley and his story
• The Today Show video
• Training Secrets of Dara Torres A great article with very practical tips for even the most modest athlete.
• Dara Reveals Her Secret Weapon This link was recommended by a reader of my blog.

I did a quick search on YouTube.com for Bob Cooley and also for Dara Torres.  Both searches resulted in a few good videos.

Are you an athlete undergoing intensive training in the Minneapolis area?  Would you be willing to let me practice this technique on you?  Send me an email!

Speaking of massage therapy for cancer patients, this article appeared today:

Massage therapist works with cancer patients

This past week I stumbled upon an interesting website called Yedda.com. It is a free site where people can share their information and expertise. Just ask a question and someone else answers! And you can answer other people’s questions in your area of interest.

I did a quick search for massage-related questions and found this one from hotkit22f. The response I submitted is below.

Question submitted by hotkit22f:

Massage Problem
Why is it that massage tharapists require cancer patients to have a Dr’s note before they will give them a massage? I went to get a massage and was turned away when they found out that i have had cancer in the past and I didn’t have a Dr’s note.

My Answer:

Hotkit, I am so sorry that happened to you. I hope you have received a massage by now!

There is no reason to turn away a client who has been diagnosed with cancer in the past or who is currently receiving treatment for cancer. You should have been able to get a massage that day.

When I was in massage school, we were told by our instructors to not work on anyone who has cancer or anyone who is pregnant. They drilled it into our heads that a therapist had to be specially trained to work with those populations and that we shouldn’t work on them at all with out permission from the doctor. The instructors were very competent to teach and certainly well-meaning, but misinformed. The result was that most students became scared to touch anyone with a special condition.

The instructors had assumed that since massage increases blood and lymph circulation, it could therefore increase the chances of the cancer metastasizing. The current understanding is that massage should not increase the risk of metastatic cancer. The blood and lymph already flow through the body at a very fast clip. A massage is not going to increase the speed or distance covered by any particular cell in the stream.

Most people assume that “doctor knows best” and even “doctor knows everything.” Massage therapists do not want to put anyone at risk or be blamed for negative outcomes. So they may require an MD to sign off on the treatment. But the truth is that 99% of doctors have NOOO idea what massage is, what it does, and what the different types of massage are. Even fewer will know if massage is indicated or contraindicated for a certain condition.

The massage performed may vary depending on the type of cancer and the stage of development. At the very least, the therapist could have given you a light relaxation massage. A lighter pressure massage poses no more danger to the body than tossing and turning in bed or giving someone a hug. We certainly aren’t going to stop hugging people with cancer!

The obvious contraindication is massage on the tumor itself. Massaging the tumor could break it up and release cancer cells. (Who knows?! In five years we may realize that is wrong too!)

I am very fortunate to have a contract with the local university hospital to provide massage therapy to cancer patients WHILE they are receiving their dose of chemotherapy. It is quite a trick to maneuver around the wires and tubes, but it can be done! The patients are very appreciative. It really does bring some solace to the situation and soothes the worn out nerves.

About a year ago, during a routine massage on a healthy female client, I found a lump on her neck. I told her what I found and moved on to massage other areas. It turned out to be a malignant tumor and I am sad to say that she will not be with us much longer. I just visited her in hospice this week to provide one last massage.

One of the experts in this field is Tracy Walton. I defer to her on all points.

Look for future posts on The Massage Geek Blog on these topics:

• Massage Tutorial for MD’s
• Indications and Contraindications for Massage
• Massage and Nerves