Or, why I love practicing massage therapy.
People almost always get up off my table happier than when they came in. I am fed by that calm, refreshed energy on a daily basis. In a culture where we love to live vicariously, this is my ultimate. (more…)
As a massage therapist and person who loves computers, I experience soreness, tension, and sometimes pain in my wrists, thumbs, and forearms. Repetitive use my hands leaves me with hypertonic muscles that can feel like little rocks and connective tissue that feels like metal rods. During the last months of massage school, the pain was becoming unbearable and it became hard to use my pincer grip (thumb & forefingers) because pain would shoot up my arms. This was quite a predicament, since my new career as well as my old career depended on me constantly using my hands! I became a bit frantic and very worried. I could not live in pain I am supposed to help heal pain! What was a new MT to do?
Before too long, it hit me. Castor Oil! During the hydrotherapy week of school, we learned about the drawing and lubricating properties of castor oil combined with heat. All it took was a couple treatments for me to feel relief! I went from constant aching and shooting pain back to normal. This amazing treatment is pretty simple and very accessible!
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic musculoskeletal condition expressed in widespread pain over the entire body coupled with fatigue and sleep disorders. It effects approximately 7 million Americans and is more frequent in women than men. The cause is mostly unknown and no absolute cure exists, so many FM sufferers seek alternative modalities in search of relief. Massage is an effective method of pain management and can increase the quality of life for those suffering from FM. (more…)
This occurred to me some time after I completed my first session of KMI: The way my practitioner looks at me brings to mind a sculptor studying a statue as it emerges from stone. Said Michelangelo, In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it. Or, more concisely, I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free. (more…)
Yesterday, I met Tom Meyers… while in my underwear. When signing up to be a KMI (Kiensis Myofasical Integration) Practice Client for student practitioners, I didn’t realize that I would be assessed by the originator himself! This is a truly unique opportunity.
This session was the first in a set of 12 that aim to correct structural misalignments that my body has created through the years. In particular, the first session works with the Superficial Front Line, which is Anatomy Train that deals with superficial fascia on the front side of the body.
The work was deep, slow, repetitive, and required a lot of slow movement on my part. Mostly, I was quite comfortable and it was easy to focus on the work because of the movement required. A few times I experienced mild pain because of some tender musculature, but nothing unbearable.
Tomorrow, I go back for session 2 which will work the Superficial Back Line. The KMI series of 12 sessions are subdivided into 3 groups; the first 4 sessions are the sleeve (superficial fascia) sessions, the second four sessions comprise the core (deep and visceral fascia) sessions, and the last four sessions are the integrative (girdle-balancing and functional) sessions. I will receive all these sessions over the next 2 months, completing in mid-January.