If you have ‘Frozen Shoulder‘ or ‘Low Back Pain‘, massage therapy may well be worth trying. You might have found massage has helped in the past, but have you ever wondered if your massage therapist really focused on you?
Earlier this year, I attended an Advanced Clinical Workshop in Low Back Pain with the Jing Institute of massage based in Brighton. I found the course really useful because it incorporated a combination of eastern and western techniques and importantly, included methods to protect the therapists body and mind. While the course helped to make my own posture more comfortable, it also made it easier for myself as a therapist to focus on ‘connecting’ and ‘disconnecting’ with each client.
In order to operate effectively as a massage therapist and to focus entirely on each individual client, it is vital that the more technical skills of assessment, palpation and appropriate soft tissue techniques are not the only requirements. Equally vital is the therapists ability to ‘connect’ and then ‘disconnect’ mentally. It takes time and effort to do this properly, however it is a key factor in effective treatment.
Clients must feel that they are the focus of the massage therapists attention and that the therapist to whom they have entrusted their precious body to is not distracted on either a previous client or on some problem that has cropped up in their working or personal life.
For that to happen, they must truly be the focus of the massage therapists attention. It is an integral part of the process.
Recently, I completed a further CPD workshop with the Jing Institute on the subject of Shoulder Girdle Pain which covered conditions such as Frozen Shoulder, Shoulder Instability, Rotator Cuff Injury, Bicipital Tendinopathy and Shoulder Impingement. In addition to some great new techniques and protocols, this course again included excellent protective mechanisms for the therapist mind and body – vital in successful treatment.
For information: The Rotator Cuff Muscles are key in stabilising the shoulder joint, allowing it to make the massive range of movement that it does. These muscles are known as the ‘SITS‘ muscles and include Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres Minor and Subscapularis.