I've been doing some research on avoiding injury for massage therapists and came across this:
NO HANDS Massage

Has anybody tried it? Trained in it? What do you all think?

Any opinions would be welcome.

I think it's a good concept, as I do a lot of massage and do get concerned about aching hands and wrists, so I'm wondering what my alternatives are.

I wish id done it years ago.
My wrists are a right state now through all the years ive done massage.I dont do much now ,just a few hours a week as opposed to many hours a day so i wouldn't do it now ,but i think if you are just starting out be very aware of the toll massage can take and if there is anything that can help do it.

im sorry but what is a no hands massage

hi i have read and heard alot about it but i found the courses very expensive which has put me off. As long as you limit yourself to the amount of massage you do and make sure you exercise your hands and wrists first then you should be ok.

I went to a no hands seminar last year and it was very interesting but...I thought that the massage itself didn't look that relaxing.(however it wouldn't really look that relaxing bearing in mind the massage was carried out in front of over a hundred people and was stopped and started whilst the lady explained techniques etc

I have read several stories regarding this practice and in theory it seems to work but as I have said I really dont know what it feels like.

I use my elbows and inner wrists when carrying out a deep massage,in particular a male massage or client who's muscles are really tight.It saves an awful lot of strain on your wrists and thumbs.As long as the moves are carried out slowly and you know what you are doing.

Saying this,as I have grown more experienced I now always check that I am not putting myself under any undue strain,if using thumbs I am forever reminding myself that without my joints working correctly I will not be able to continue my job.

Hi

I am a NHM advanced practitioner. I absolutely love it, and would highly recommend it. I do think that it's either for you or not though.

The first TT course is not expensive, and gives you everything you need to use techniques on the back of the body - sounds odd maybe, but the most popular massages tend to be back massages anyway.... and what you learn can be adapted to use with what you have already learned, although thats maybe not ideal, as the best table height for NHM is lower than it is for swedish/remedial etc.

There is another (cheaper) alternative, IPM at Injury prevention massage. I have had both NHM and IPM trained therapists work on me, and I do prefer the NHM – hands on heart, that’s not showing bias because of the path I chose to train in, but it might be worthwhile for you to seek out therapists in both to try them and see what you prefer.

If you have any more questions I am happy to try and answer them – you can also find people talking about NHM at the www.healthypages.net forums - there are a few NHM trained therapists there.

Hope this helps!

I don't think No Hands Massage Co did seminars last year - maybe that was Injury Prevention instead? Its similar but different. No Hands is trademarked so can't be used by any other people training in hands-free techniques. Was it an american woman called Jennifer that took the seminar?

Massage without using the hands is absolutely wonderful,i can vouch for that.

I actually learnt it together with swedish and aromatherapy massage at my college while i was doing level 3.

And as babs said its VERY effective for deeper massage providing you know what you are doing,a syou could do more damage if not trained properly.

I would strongly recommend it as an add on to treatments,and the feedback from clients is so positive.

Yes it was an American lady bit disappointing though tbh

Yes, that would have been IPM then.

NHM they would usually do the treatment first and the explanations second. You should try one sometime - if I was nearer I'd ... umm.. 'give you one' as it were because it really has to be experienced to be understood.

PMSL yes I would like to try it out just to see what it felt like and also to see if it would be good to add it to my training.Maybe this should be something I could try out as massage is one of my favourite treatments to give and I do a lot,especially remedial(deep)

Do you do it at your salon then? If you do, I'll make an appointment because I only live up the road from you!

I have been doing massage for about ten years now, and sometimes I find that I fall into bad habits of posture, overuse of thumbs etc. Massage is my most popular treatment, so anything that will help me to give a more effective treatment has to be a bonus!

Thanks for your replies, everyone. It's most interesting to hear opinions from people who have actual experience of it.

I have had a no hands massage and absolutly loved it!! It was a very deep massage, perfect for me. I would love to add it to my salon as I think it would be popular.

I'm dying to learn this technique! There's a place in Hebden Bridge nr Huddersfield that does it with a guy called Gerry Pyves.I bought his no-hands massage book off their website and it's really interesting. The courses they offer were very good value. I know a therapist who has done one and said it was intense but excellent. They have a fab tecnhique x
NO HANDS Massage

this is a really useful thread for me, i've always liked the idea of training in massage but was a little fearful of the strain to my wrists and thumbs, having suffered a bit with carpal tunnel when i was pregnant i was a bit put off by stories of aching hands after massage, however having this further training on top of a massage qualification might be the answer, is there only one board for training, i have seen somewhere in bournemouth offering it x