Make the Most of Massage

Category: Massage Pain-Free

  • Advanced Body Mechanics: Massage Adjustments

    Advanced Body Mechanics: Massage Adjustments

    What makes a massage therapist durable? It’s whether or not the MT makes massage adjustments.

    Wait. What about the things you bring with you into massage, like old injuries, dysfunctions, etc., that affect how you work?

    Yep, they’re important.

    And how about: Do you do massage in way that is hard on your body?

    Absolutely. Can’t overlook that.

    But most of us get these points.

    What’s less obvious is: Do you make massage adjustments?

    What are Massage Adjustments?

    When I say massage adjustment I’m talking about a change you make regarding how you approach or do massage that keeps you out of pain.

    An adjustment can be part of a plan.

    Or it could be something you do right before the massage.

    Or it could be something you do on the fly (while you’re doing the massage).

    Let’s get specific.

    1. Planned adjustment: This is an adjustment that is scheduled in advance.

    For example, let’s say that you usually use your fists for your primary glide stroke, but recently you strained your left wrist working out. So for the next week you decide that you’re going to use your forearms instead of your fists as your primary glide stroke.

    2. Before the massage adjustment is something you do before the massage to avoid potential pain.

    Joe, a big person, wants deep pressure massage, so you lower your table more than normal so that you have more leaning leverage which makes the work easier on your upper-body.

    3. During the massage adjustment happens on the fly.

    Your right thumb is bothering you as you’re pressing into a trigger point in a calf muscle, so you switch to a T-bar or you switch to your left thumb supported by your right fist.

    Keys for Making a Massage Adjustment

    To get good at making massage adjustments you need to:

    1. Pay attention.

    Basically, you’ll need to tune into your body while you’re doing the massage. The goal is not become hyper-vigilant. The goal is to become aware of when you’re overstressing areas of your body. Once you become aware, you’ll need to…

    2. Connect the dots.

    In other words, you’ll need to recognize patterns that lead to pain. For example, let’s say that you mainly press with your right hand. After a long day of pressing with your right hand, you notice that the right side of your neck bothers you. Once you make the connection, you’ll need to…

    3. Experiment with making massage adjustments.

    Sticking with the example of neck pain, you could experiment with using your other hand to balance out the work load.

    Make Massage Adjustments Work for You

    This is how making adjustments might look like in real life.

    You did a day’s work of detailed work and your hands are aching. So for your last massage, you make an on the fly adjustment by using massage tools to give your fingers a break.

    The next day you work outside in the yard, which gets your hands fired up again. So you decide to use massage tools as much as you can for the rest of the week (planned adjustment).

    As the week goes on you notice that some deep pressure clients are still hard on your hands even with massage tools. So you decide to lower the table more than normal before each deep pressure client (before the massage adjustment). This will allow you to use your body weight to your advantage.

    Adjustments For The Rest of Your Massage Life

    Sounds like a lot of work, Mark.

    A little in the beginning, but after you develop the habit of making adjustments, it’s a cake walk.

    Here’s how to develop the habit of making massage adjustments: (1) Note when pain occurs when you’re working, (2) make a connection to what may be causing it, and (3) then make an adjustment.

    The adjustment can be part of a plan or it can happen right before the massage or during the massage.

    Boom.

    This article will help you with more ways to adapt: How to Eliminate Pain When Massaging: Adaptation.

    Can you be durable and massage pain-free for the rest of your massage career?

    Here’s the online, home-study (3 CEU) massage class that I’ve designed to make sure that you can: How to Deliver Deep Pressure Without Hurting Yourself.

     

  • Advanced Massage Body Mechanics: Get Vertical

    Advanced Massage Body Mechanics: Get Vertical

    As you hunch over your massage table, massage after massage, do you ever get a mental picture of a little, old, humpback woman leaning on her shopping cart in the grocery store? (Suddenly massage body mechanics seem important again, huh?)

    You may have tried to counter the massage room hunching with cobras and pec stretches, but who has the time to stretch?

    Before you beat yourself up for not stretching, ask yourself this question: Do I have to hunch over my massage table?

    The answer is yes.

    Just seeing if you were paying attention.

    Absolutely not.

    In fact, if you do the opposite—get vertical—really good things start to happen.

    When I get vertical during a massage my body feels less taxed at the end of a day, especially my upper shoulders and mid-back.

    Here’s what I mean by getting vertical: While you’re doing a massage straighten up your torso so that your spine is in a neutral position.

    I’m not saying do the whole massage in the vertical position. That would be hard to do (but not impossible).

    I’m saying as you work on your massage body mechanics, try to get vertical 25% – 50% of the time during a massage

    That will be enough time to give your back a break.

    Getting Vertical Formula

    My formula for getting vertical is simple. You just need to pay attention to your butt.

    When your torso is not over your butt, you’re not vertical.

    In this picture you can see that my head is hanging, my upper thoracic spine is rounding and my torso is leaning forward.

    There are key times during a massage when you can get vertical.

    My favorite time is when doing one-hand static pressure.

    1. One-hand static pressure.

    I transition into a lot of one-handed presses when I’m doing two-handed massage strokes.

    Here I’m doing a two-handed, short stroke glide.

    From this position, I simply turn both feet to my right and switch to one-hand static pressure

    My feet are parallel to the side of the table, and I regulate my pressure through my stance. With a wider stance I have less leaning leverage. A narrow stance gives me more leaning leverage.

    If I want to give  my working arm a break, I can turn the opposite way and use my other hand on the same spot or another spot.

    I also like getting vertical when I can squat.

    2. Squat.

    When I squat I can direct my pressure by simply shifting my weight from the back of my feet to the front of my feet or from my heels to the balls of my feet.

    Working on necks and feet are perfect for squatting.

    Here I am pressing into cervical erectors.

    To exert more pressure, I lean in (shift my weight to the balls of my feet).

    Feet are also a time to get vertical.

    The wide stance allows me to get my butt under my torso.

    When you experiment with stances and one-hand static pressure you’ll find your own ways to get vertical.

    Here’s a more complex move that still has good, vertical massage-body-mechanics.

    In this picture I’m using a T-bar on the upper trap/levator scapulae (or where the upper trap and levator scapulae would be if my skeleton was a person).

    To rest my shoulder and neck, I have my arm against the front of my torso, and I’m generating pressure by simply pushing with my legs, not my shoulder.

    Jonesing for Vertical

    The downside of getting vertical during a massage is that it’s addictive. Once you get vertical, you’re going to want to get more vertical.

    This is a one-hand press with a stretch.

    Your back will love this.

    Here’s the going vertical Cliff’s Notes:

    Advanced Massage Body Mechanics: Going Vertical Recap

    1. Keep your butt under your torso.
    2. Go vertical when you switch to one hand.
    3. Go vertical when squatting.

    Body Mechanics CE Course That Will Save Your Body

    If you need more help with massage body mechanics, growing a massage business or making more money, check out my online, home-study, CE course here.

     

  • How to Massage a Bodybuilder

    How to Massage a Bodybuilder

    Science doesn’t know that hands can shriek, but we, massage therapists, do. In fact, it happened to me the other day. Mr. Universe walked into my office looking for a deep pressure massage. AAAHHH!, screamed my hands. (Only dogs could hear it). Then I said, Relax, hands. Remember, we know how to massage a bodybuilder pain-free. Use deep, precise pressure on the tight spots and drop down to firm pressure for the glide.

    You Lost it Bro

    I know what you’re thinking: Mark, you’ve lost it. You’re talking to your hands AND you’re telling me to work deep on tight spots. That deep, precise pressure is going to kill my hands!

    I’ve only half lost it. I do talk to my hands, but the advice I’m giving is not crazy. Let me explain.

    How Not to Massage a Bodybuilder

    Here’s how Mr. Universe can hurt your body.

    As you try to sustain deep pressure throughout the entire massage your body never gets a chance to recover. Your neck, shoulders, arms, back and hands get overworked and bad body mechanics ensue, like reaching too far in a deep pressure glide stroke.

    Trying to sustain deep pressure throughout the entire massage is what I believe to be at the core of many MT pain conditions and injuries.

    Interestingly, I used to be an advocate of sustained pressure.

    Challenging Sustained Pressure

    When my wife, Lisa, and I started our hotel massage business I created a training manual for MTs who worked for us.

    And guess what I taught them?

    Yep, sustained pressure.

    Why I Changed

    Years later, I changed my mind because of pain issues from using sustained deep pressure on clients like Mr. Universe.

    After some experimenting I came up with this formula for working on Mr. Universe: firm pressure for the general massage, but deep pressure for tight spots and areas of requested focus.

    It was a success.

    The proof?

    My body felt a heck of a lot better and Mr. Universe loved the massage.

    He loved the massage even without killer deep pressure everywhere?

    Yep.

    Why?

    My guess is that I scratched the itch. I provided pain relief for his tight spots and areas of concern with deep, precise pressure, and I relaxed him with the  firm pressure everywhere else.

    This brings us back to the concern of killing your hands doing deep, specific pressure on tight spots.

    How to do Deep and Precise Pressure Pain-Free

    It won’t happen if you:

    (1) put yourself in the best position to lean with your body weight.

    That means you have your work in front of and below you. In this position you can generate your pressure through leaning which is ultimately easier on your body than pressing.

    (2) combine body parts to make it easier on your fingers.

    Think of all the ways you can brace and support fingers. In the picture above, most of the pressure is being directed through my middle finger of my left hand. The other hand is there for support.

    (3) use a massage tool.

    See how my hands are relaxed? Here’s how you do that: Massage Tools Can Save Your Hands.

    This is going to sound as crazy as me talking to my hands, but when you’ve got all three things working right, applying deep/precise pressure to tight spots is actually a rest for your body.

    And don’t be surprised if you find yourself actually looking forward to working on tight spots.

    Alright, here’s my 3 step version of how to massage a bodybuilder.

    Massage a Bodybuilder Step-By-Step

    Step #1: Note Mr. Universe’s requested areas of focus.

    Let’s say Mr. Universe wants full body, deep pressure with a focus on traps and neck. Traps and neck should be tops on your parts-to-do list.

    Step #2: Find the tight spots and pain areas within the requested areas of focus and use deep, precise pressure on them.

    Remember that your hands should feel fine when doing deep and precise pressure because you’re going to use good body mechanics, combined body parts and massage tools.

    Step #3: Use firm pressure with your glide strokes, but when you find a tight spot go deep.

    Here’s a hypothetical. I’m starting on one of Mr. Universe’s requested area of focus, his left trap, and I’m going to glide down to his sacrum.

    a. First I find a tender spot in his trap and press with deep, precise pressure until I feel it’s time to move on.

    b. Then I lighten my pressure to firm pressure and start my glide.

    c. At T1, I find a tight spot, so I pause and ramp my pressure up to deep.

    d. I rinse and repeat all the way down the spinal erectors.

    This video should help you out with gliding and ramping your pressure up to deep:

    [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2GcDbM0R5I[/embedyt]

    How to Massage a Bodybuilder Line Graph

    Another way to visualize “deep pressure for tight spots” and “firm pressure for the glide” is to think of a line on a graph.

    The tight spots where you apply deep, precise pressure are the dots (the data points) on the graph.

    The moving with firm pressure is the in-between (lines connecting the dots).

    You start with deep pressure on dot 1 (e.g. upper rhomboid), then glide with firm pressure until you get to dot two (e.g. lower trap).

    You apply deep pressure on dot 2, then glide with firm pressure until you discover dot 3 (e.g., a tight spot in T12 erectors) and on and on…

    This is the what the entire length of the stroke looks like on paper.

    You can see that you’re covering more distance with firm pressure (the lines) than you are with deep pressure (the dots).

    That should make your neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists and hands happy.

    Hans and Franz Short Version

    If you were short on time and read the opening, then skipped down here to the wrap-up, here’s how I massage a bodybuilder in the fewest words possible: Firm on the glide. Deep on the tight spots.

    How to Deliver Deep Pressure Online CEU Course

    Can you be an expert with deep pressure without hurting yourself and for cheap AND get CEU credits without leaving your house?

    Yes.

    Go here.

     

  • Advanced Deep Pressure Transitions: Forearms to Fists

    Advanced Deep Pressure Transitions: Forearms to Fists

    If you use your forearms constantly for deep pressure you may develop shoulder or elbow problems (or start looking Quasimodo). One way to offset the workload is to mix in fists. Yep, it’s going to feel awkward at first, but once you see how deep pressure transitions between fists and forearms can be seamless, you’re gonna want to hug me.

    [bctt tweet=”If you can’t do deep pressure transitions, you’re headed for a broken something.” username=”Mark LiskeyMarkLiskey”]

    Mixing it Up

    But you’re thinking: Mark, I’m doing just fine with my forearms for deep pressure work. I don’t have any pain. Why add in another deep pressure tool, like fists?

    If you’re asking that question, I’m gonna guess you’ve been doing massage for less than 5 years.

    Trust me on this, spreading the workload out among many joints and muscles, will help keep your body happy.

    Deep Pressure Strategies

    Here are 3 ways you can spread the deep pressure workload out:

    1. Become ambidextrous.

    AKA don’t always press with your dominant thumb. Some people are severely one-sided (like my wife, Lisa). If that’s the case, there are other things you can do to spread the workload out, like

    1. Use massage tools.

    I’m seriously addicted to massage tools. Not only can they save your hands, but they can substitute for forearms and fists when doing static, deep pressure.

    This will get you started with massage tools: How to Do Very Precise Pressure

    A third strategy to spread the workload out is to

    1. Use as many body parts as possible to deliver deep pressure.

    For precise, deep pressure, here’s my favorite combo body-part:

    For a deeper dive into combining body parts, check out this video .

    Fists for General Deep Pressure

    For general, deep pressure, fists are an excellent alternative to forearms. And, yes, you can ramp up the pressure with fists no problem. You just have to lean.

    Deep Pressure Transitions: Forearms to Fists

    Deep pressure with fists does require some planning in advance. If you always use your forearm and then suddenly decide to use your fists in the middle of the massage, you’re going to struggle because your table height is going to be too high.

    Which brings us to step one for transitioning back-and-forth between fists and forearms. You need to

    1. Set your table height for your fists.

    This means your table should be set lower than it would be when using forearms. Why? Because you need enough distance between you and the table to lean all your body weight into the client through your fists.

    Once you have your massage table height set for fists, you only have to remember two more things:

    1. Take a wide stance when using a forearm.

    2. Take a narrow stance when using fists.

    How you move from wide to narrow stance and vice versa will be unique to you. Here’s what my footwork looks like:

    Deep Pressure Transitions Recap

    Doesn’t look hard, right?

    But if you’re still completely hooked on only using your forearms (not going to mention any names, Heidi), please let me know, and I’ll let you talk to my left shoulder.

    Seriously, fists are not hard to do.

    You just need to get deep pressure transitions down.

    Here are the steps:

    Deep Pressure Transitions Steps

    1. First, make sure to set your table height so that you can lean into your fists with all your body weight (which means your table is lower than a table set for forearms).
    2. Then transition between forearms and fists by moving into a wide stance when using a forearm.
    3. Move into a narrow stance when using your fists.

    Figure out your footwork as you go along.

    Massage Pain-Free Deep Pressure Online CEU Course

    If you struggle with deep pressure and/or do a lot of it and your body is rebelling, you can do something about it. No, not quit massage. Haha. You can figure out how to do deep-pressure massage pain-free–and I can help you with that.

    Deep pressure killed my body for a lot of my career until I figured out strategies and techniques that allowed me to leverage my body weight onto the client rather than rely on my upper-body to do all the work.

    Once I understood how to deliver deep pressure without hurting myself, I just needed to make it fit smoothly into a massage. This post (Advanced Deep Pressure Transitions: Forearms to Fists) is an example of that.

    So, if you want to do deep pressure pain-free and make it a smooth, signature massage at the same time check out this online, home-study course: How to Deliver Deep Pressure Without Hurting Yourself.