Ask the Massage Therapist

"Two years ago, I began experiencing considerable, constant pain in my right hip. I was going to be at an event across the country that a friend who is an advanced massage therapist was also going to be at. I scheduled an appointment with him, knowing it was likely to bring me temporary relief and, wow, did I want and need some relief by then!

As it turned out, the single massage gave me a lot more than temporary relief. While he was working, the massage therapist told me what he was noticing in the tightness of my hip and leg muscles suggested that I was probably turning my right foot inward while walking. I'd never noticed myself doing that, but, sure enough, he was right.

A reader asks:

A reader asks:
 

A reader asks:

"I am not sure where to post my question. I am attending a massage school and have a student therapist. I generally have stiffness around my neck from sitting at a computer all week. What should I ask my student therapist to do to release the tension from my neck and shoulder area?"

Thanks for asking your question! And yes, you posted it in exactly the right place.

I'll do my best to answer specifically what your student therapist can do to help your neck. I'll also include some suggestions of things you can do to help minimize the strain on your neck outside of the massage room.

First, you have to understand that a student is a beginner and is not going to have the skills that a more experienced therapist may have. Their palpatory skills are not going to be as well developed yet. In addition, there are advanced techniques that should only be taught to experienced therapists. However, there are still things a student therapist can do to help a person with a stiff neck.

Perhaps the easiest type of back pain to resolve is simple muscle strain from overuse. Most of us have experienced this at some point in our life. We may have spent too much time working in the yard on a nice day when we haven't been accustomed to the activity. Perhaps we've been sitting too long at the computer, in meetings, or on a long car ride. Fatigue and overuse take their toll and we find ourselves feeling stiff with a dull, nagging ache.

Such a simple strain can respond well to rest and perhaps modest use of non-prescription pain relievers. It often will resolve itself in a day or two, although the symptoms may linger for longer periods. If this common back ache will pass with time and rest, why use massage therapy?

Have you experienced a particular benefit from massage therapy, either at my hands or at the hands of another therapist? Would you be willing to share your story? By sharing your experience, you could make a difference in someone else's life.

If you have found relief from pain, either chronic or acute, please tell us. It might help someone else find their own way out of pain.

Mark asks, "Can you explain how massage helps each of the different types of back injuries: spinal (disc), nerve, and muscle (or tendon)?

Are there injuries where rest or exercise is the better treatment?"

That's an excellent question and a complex one. I'll try to answer as concisely yet thoroughly as I can, but the short answer is this: back pain can be a complicated problem and there is no short and easy answer to the question. However, in most cases I've encountered, massage therapy can be a helpful addition to other treatments, such as rest or exercise, and promote faster and more thorough recovery.

Do you have a question about massage therapy?

If you have you never tried it but are curious and would like to know more, this is your opportunity to ask questions. Don't worry, your questions are not silly! If you are thinking of them, someone else is probably wondering the same thing, too. Do both of you a favor and go ahead and ask!

Are you an existing massage client who has questions? Please ask! I'd love to try to answer them.

Russian Massage is unique in that it is a system of massage entirely based on physiology. Developed in the former Soviet Union as a medical massage, sports massage, and part of their physical therapy, it is supported by over 150 years of serious scientific research. What this means is that they have investigated the various strokes and examined exactly what physiological changes each of these strokes, when done in various ways, produces in the body.