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Category: Muscles

dowagers hump massage and exercise
Dowager’s Hump – Massage and Exercise

Dowager’s Hump – Massage and Exercise

Please note that this page is mainly for my personal reference – based on various YouTube resources. Deep Tissue Massage and Manual Therapy for Relieving Dowager’s Hump – Erik Dalton Massage techniques – standing, assess how tight are the sub-occiptal muscles and then reassess when client is sitting. If tone of sub-occipals are tighter when standing implies that there is an input from the pelvis. Side-lying fist into upper traps. Lean in and get client to gently lift shoulder (restricted…

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Massage
Regression to the Mean and Massage

Regression to the Mean and Massage

Or “I’m not as good as I think I am” As a massage therapist, you become aware that there are a multitude of different techniques, styles and modalities that are being taught.  There are proprietary names, three letter acronyms and jargon, jargon, jargon.  There is a growing awareness that the narratives espoused by most of these courses are just plain wrong and that those teaching the courses could be argued are deluded about how their manual therapy techniques are affecting…

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Massage
The Myth that is Massage and Adhesions

The Myth that is Massage and Adhesions

For many years, massage therapists have told their clients to drink more water as it helps flush toxins released by the massage. This always troubled me as it was never clear what “toxins” were being released nor how they were being released. For me, either the “toxins” were normal metabolic waste products that would be removed from the body anyway (with at best massage slightly speeding up the process) or the “toxins” would be chemically bound in the body and…

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Massage for Neck
Massage for Levator Scapula

Massage for Levator Scapula

Most massage therapists would probably consider that the levator scapula is one of the more significant muscles of the neck and shoulder complex. Massaging and changing the tone of the levator scapula can resolve the pain and discomfort that many clients feel in the neck. According to Ian Harvey, aka Massage Sloth, around 80-90% of stiff neck or crick in the neck then levator scapula is the main culprit. Also forward head posture leads to the lev scap being in…

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Coccyx massage
The Benefits of Butt Massage

The Benefits of Butt Massage

A regular posting on massage facebook groups goes along the lines of I had a new client today. After the session she commented that no-one had ever massaged my butt/glutes before. Doesn’t everyone include glute massage as part of their normal routine? The comments typically follow along the lines of Well I always include the glutes or Yes, I hear that all the time or similar such comments. At which point someone will chime in with But that’s crazy…everyone therapist…

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Anterior massage
Face Up First ?

Face Up First ?

My general approach regarding massage is to start with the client lying face down on the table and turn them onto their back during the session so that they finish lying face up. Occasionally this may change (eg for athletes with lower limb issues I may begin by working on their quadriceps/hip flexors) but for most of the normal issues that clients present then I start with them face down. For me there are a number of advantages and reasons…

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Benefits of massage
Massage and Cupping

Massage and Cupping

There has been a lot of chatter amongst massage therapists over the past week regarding the appearance of cupping marks on Michael Phelps during the Olympics. Cupping, for those who are not familiar with the technique is a form of alternative therapy where suction is locally applied on the skin using a vacuum generated within a cup. Check out the wiki page on cupping here The supporters of cupping have been quick to jump up and down at the potential…

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Coccyx massage
Coccyx Massage

Coccyx Massage

Coccyx pain is a relatively common problem which can be range from mildly annoying to quite debilitating for some people. Often it is the result of an impact or fall directly onto the coccyx which can have happened a long time previously. The impact caused structural damage or dysfunctional alignment to the coccyx which may not necessarily lead to pain at the time but only manifest years later. There is some dispute whether a normal coccyx should have some ability…

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Massage for Neck
TMJ Massage

TMJ Massage

A significant number of people suffer from TMJ issues and massage can reportedly help in some cases.  Whilst I have some experience with relieving jaw pain through (trigger point) massage of the major jaws muscles such as the masseter, I do not claim to be an expert as such. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to email or phone me on 0434 631 987. The information on this page is primarily reviews of online TMJ massage videos…

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