Deep Tissue Techniques

[Lester]

First of all, thanks to everybody for their support. It's so great starting off and having you all here! Just landed a job at a chiro's office. MUCH different then my usual relaxation. I had 8 different people in a four hour span today, and I'm getting ready to ice my wrists for I am not used to this. Do anybody have a good book or advice on how to give a client nice deep work using different techniques? Would love your feedback....

 

[lil_c200516101]

Real Bodywork has 2 great dvds on deep tissue work DVD, I would suggest checking those out. Also remember that your hands are only one of your tools. Try using your elbows, forearms and fists for anything that you can use them for. I save my hands and fingers for areas that only they fit in.

Good luck,
Angie

 

[cigarley]

Deep Work/Different Modalities

I've recently been turned on to Eric Dalton's work (Myoskeletal Alignment) as well as James Waslaski (Orthopedic Massage) -just google their names

What I like about both of them is that they incorporate various techniques including myofascial, nmt, sports, assisted stretching and more. Their dvds are not cheap but well worth it and if you find a therapist who owns one, you can trade, which I've done. Good Luck!

 

[Fillet-O-Fish]

Hi! Boy, do I remember those days, and hopefully I can help

First, remember that it's not how deep you go, it's how you go deep. It's very common to think that "the deeper the better", and you might feel a certain sense of urgency when you have such a short amount of time with each client within which to produce as much result as possible. In situations like this, the tendency is to work more deeply, and to spend a majority of the time doing so.

I'm not sure what training you've had so far, so please forgive me if anything I suggest is redundant or elementary First, if you haven't taken a formal class in Deep Tissue, please don't wait to do so! After that, if you haven't already done so, ask around; your fellow MTs will probably be happy to share some of their favorite techniques with you. Next, I would try to find a good meaty (and probably lengthy) class on St. John-based Neuromuscular Therapy. This class will show you how to relax entire muscles by working slowly and specifically, and also applying static and multidirectional friction to muscle attachment sites. I do this with thumbs, switching techniques at the first sign of ache or fatigue (though if you don't go real hard--which you don't need to--then you can use your thumbtips for quite a while. Make sure to use both together so they support each other).

Also, if you haven't, please consider some training in Trigger Point Therapy and the gentle version of Myofascial Release (not the Grasten (sp?) technique, which is often unnecessarily painful!) You may also want to consider investing in a tool such as the Thumper (or one of its cousins) to help do some of the work for you (and it feels really good to the client, too!) or using some Hot Stones. (For Hot Stones, keep them heated in a warmer full of in hot clean water, and dry them off beforehand to work through clothes. If you get a good set of heat-retaining stones and you keep them at a good temperature, this can feel REALLY good to a client. I almost ALWAYS use Hot Stones (either clothed or unclothed) before doing any deep work. It provides about twice the benefit.

As for your wrists, ice is good! What really saved my behind was a homeopathic remedy called Arnica gel. I think you can pick it up at most health food stores. I remember being instructed to rub it externally only on the affected areas up to 4 times per day. They say it's good for soreness, stiffness, pain, etc, in the muscles and joints, so it seems like a good bet for us MTs And always remember to stretch, if you're not already

Well, that about does it, at least what I can think of. Both my eyes are not yet open, so hopefully I made sense and didn't duplicate anything that's been said

I'm so glad this position is going well for you!
Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[SUPER_TOOTH_FAIRY]

I too work for a chiro and all I can say is elbows, elbowes, elbows!!! I started working there before I was out of school and my thumbs and wrist killed me for the first month. I remember when I was in school my second case study was a deep tissue therapist and I would do 90 min trigger point sessions on her, but mostly using my thumbs. Every day at the end of our session she would say "that was awesome but you HAVE to use your elbows! They will save you!"

Well, it finally clicked. I was so afraid of using them because I didn't have much sensitivity there so I couldn't feel what I was doing. But now I have as much sensitivity in my elbows as my thumbs and when I go home at the end of the day nothing hurts!

Good luck!

 

[karim120292]

Deep Tissue Techniques

In addition to the other replies, I'd recommend table height. You should run the table height very low. I keep my height at my knees(even took the adjustable legs of my portable table to get an extra 1/2" lower). Don't hunch over, bend your knees, stay upright, and always keep the shoulders dropped(the most common injury to MT's is in the rotator cuff)

Use your body weight to apply the pressure(don't "muscle it" to work deep). Make sure to apply movements very slow and as "dry" as possible(preferably lotion). The slow tempo and dryness will have the grab/friction to go really deep. If you can, avoid using your thumbs/fingers as much as possible. I use the heel of hand, fist, double fist, knuckles, forearm, elbow, etc.

Remember, Deep Tissue is not Deep Swedish.

hope this helps

 

[mindset36]

Deep Tissue Techniques

Remember, Deep Tissue is not Deep Swedish.

Ditto