Massage?

[chazzybabe]

Hey need a bit of advice I seem to struggle when I massage and have been getting pains in my elbows shooting pains and dull aches, it has now gone to a few other places like fingers and my underarms, the dull ache stays throughout the day I find I can comfortable do 3 hours of massage but any more and I get really tired and ache! I don't do that much massage now but I used to in my old job being a spa, am I massaging wrong do you recon? Is there anything I can do to help with the pain?

 

[twid]

Could it be RSI?

 

[chazzybabe]

Could it be RSI?

I don't know what that is

 

[lores]

Sounds like you have RSI (repetitive strain injury). The shooting pains in the elbows are often caused by tension but these commonly come from the neck area, specifically the trapezius muscles. You will also experience a dull ache.

I had very similar issues when working in a spa where I did hours and hours of massage. I found a good neck a shoulder massage and yoga stretches of the upper body helped me.

I also had physio, but found this never worked for me.

If you hold your arm out to your side level with your shoulder, turning your fingers down to face the floor and press your palm up to a wall this will stretch your whole arm. If you have pain which then travels from your wrist through your elbow up into your under arm with some finger and elbow tingling, this is exactly what I had. This problem is mainly caused by neck and shoulder tension having a secondary effect on the arms so getting yourself a good quality massage will help.

Make sure you get some good advice and try stretching on a daily basis before it effects your ability to work! You also really need to asses your posture when you work and make sure your massage couch is at the correct height. As my tutor at college always said, 'Bend at the knees not at the waist' and to maintain a good stance at the side of the couch!

Hope this makes sense and has been of some help :biggrin:

 

[chazzybabe]

Thank you for your reply, I had refresh training last week for massage techniques and was taught posture and hand moves the trainer said there was nothing wrong with stance and my moves, but when I asked her about the pains in my elbow, she was concerned it may be the start of tennis elbow and told me to keep an eye on it, just thought I would get some more advice on here and if it gets worse ill see a gp! X

 

[catface]

ahh, sorry to hear that! It's a worry when pain or injury kicks in when you use your hands to make a living.

Have you thought about training in hands-free massage techniques? There's CPD courses available around the UK ( various titles - " Injury Prevention Massage" , " No Hands Massage" etc ) - it's usually a one day workshop where you're shown techniques using the soft front of your forearm to avoid strain on the wrists, elbows etc . It's great stuff! You're taught to lever on the pressure purely through your own body weight, so there's no strain .

Meantime, go see your doc!

All the best with it!

 

[jcpark]

Thank you for your reply, I had refresh training last week for massage techniques and was taught posture and hand moves the trainer said there was nothing wrong with stance and my moves, but when I asked her about the pains in my elbow, she was concerned it may be the start of tennis elbow and told me to keep an eye on it, just thought I would get some more advice on here and if it gets worse ill see a gp! X

Just noticed your location - where did you do your refresher training?

 

[gillian w]

You do need to listen to your body no hands massage is a good thing to learn also adding in hot stones and mechanical massagers into your treatments helps.

 

[chazzybabe]

Just noticed your location - where did you do your refresher training?

Hertfordshire

 

[BeautyJade]

Hi, if you are thinking of going down the no hands massage you could look into Hydrotherm. It's not quite no hands but is certainly easier on us therapists. And a lovely treatment.
Hope your pain goes soon.

 

[catface]

ohh, yeah, Hydrotherm's lovely! Takes the pressure right off , as the water-filled cushions give you support as you work under the client. I saw on their Facebook page they have offers on just now, not sure whether they;re on training or systems, but worth checking out!

 

[hippy-chick]

as said before look at alternatives.

Massage is my most popular treatment, but I do a lot of different styles of massage plus I use tools to massage with such as bamboo, stones, shells, compresses. I also did a hands-free massage course and a deep tissue course so use forearms, knuckles and elbows too.

Make sure you massage from your core NOT your hands, do you sway and lunge when you massage?

 

[Lolla]

as said before look at alternatives.

Massage is my most popular treatment, but I do a lot of different styles of massage plus I use tools to massage with such as bamboo, stones, shells, compresses. I also did a hands-free massage course and a deep tissue course so use forearms, knuckles and elbows too.

Make sure you massage from your core NOT your hands, do you sway and lunge when you massage?

Hi hippy

How beneficial did you find the hands-free course? I ask because I was recently chatting with someone who teaches it but basically she said there's no real benefit to doing the course as it's something you could just teach yourself as long as you've done body massage courses before...? I mean I've seen no-hands techniques on YouTube but not sure I'd go using them on a person without having properly trained?!

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[fozzyo]

I've done several courses with the No Hands company. The foundation / transforming touch course is very good. You really don't need to do the follow on stuff ... I did it a good few years ago when much cheaper on a good deal.

I now use mostly no hands with some Swedish movements.

 

[hippy-chick]

I like to be shown how to do it, so a course is in my opinion, invaluable.

 

[fozzyo]

It is actually a lot harder to do properly then you would think.

 

[Lolla]

Training course it is then ;-)

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