Most people are aware that there can be a positive effect merely from the power of suggestion, the placebo effect. Studies invariably demonstrate that reduction in pain as the result of an intervention are correlated to the expectation that there will be a reduction in pain as a result of said intervention. If you go to a doctor and you are given medication for pain then the chances are that so long as you believe that the medication will work…
One of the most common conditions that we see as massage therapists is tension in the neck and shoulders caused by poor posture. The shoulders are rounded forward which may cause the head to be further forward than ideal. The muscles of the upper back and neck are forced to work hard to compensate and headaches or stiff neck may result. There are any number of reasons why this may occur but a common cause may be an ill fitting…
Not that we are biased but receiving massage is wonderful ….. or should be wonderful. However occasionally there are times when the massage therapist is not tuned in to the desires and needs of the massage recipient. Sometimes an hour on the table can seem last an eternity. Fortunately these times are the exception and not the rule. This article lists a few of the things that we don’t particularly enjoy when receiving a massage. 1. When an hour is…
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…
Many people who have regular massage have never been offered abdominal massage. Many would never consider having their stomach massaged as it is a personal space that we are not used to having touched. Many therapists shy away from offering/including abdominal massage as they may not have been trained, they may feel uncomfortable or simply because clients don’t ask for it. However, in a recent YouTube Video, Ian Harvey aka “The Massage Sloth” suggests that an effective abdominal massage can…
There are many wild and woolly claims made about the mechanisms whereby massage is good for sports performance. Massage improves circulation, massage flushes lactic acid, massage opens pores and enables nutrients and waste products to pass through, massage can break down scar tissue, massage lengthens muscles. These are all claims that can be found to be made about the benefits of sports massage. It’s fair to say that over the years, I’ve probably made similar claims and used such claims…
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…
As a mobile massage therapist in Sydney there are a few “standard” or questions that I am frequently asked by clients. Some of these are relevant for clinic based therapists whereas as some are mobile therapist specific. Don’t your hands hurt? No generally not, for a couple of reasons. Firstly as a therapist good body mechanics are crucial if you want to have longevity in your career so you use other massage “tools” (such as forearms, knuckles, etc) so that…
Seemingly there are quite a few people who think that there is a potentially great business opportunity to create Uber for massage type businesses ie utilise a Sydney massage app so that you can book a mobile massage on demand. There seems to be a new app being created virtually every month or so. I have written previously about the disadvantages (and advantages) of an Uber for massage type service but this article talks more about Sydney Mobile Massage Apps…
Ph 0434 631 987 Most of my massage services are provided to clients in their own home throughout the central Sydney region. However another service I offer is to provide a Sydney hotel massage service. The hotels are normally within the City of Sydney region although I also have visited hotels in Sydney Olympic Park, Parramatta, Ryde/Macquarie Park and Eastern Suburbs. I provide remedial, deep tissue, Swedish and sports massage to hotel residents using massage oil. I bring a massage…