Migraines – Part 2

One of the first things you learn as a massage therapist is that everyone wants deep pressure in massage.  This is because no one wants a light fluffy massage because they feel there will be no benefit and they have wasted both their time and money. The second thing you learn as a massage is that everyone has their own idea what deep pressure is and what would be light pressure for one person is deep pressure for another person.  Even if you take one client, the pressure they consider deep on their tight shoulders will be different from their idea of deep pressure on their legs.   So there is no fixed concept of what deep pressure is, it varies from client to client, and with the same client it varies treatment to treatment and depending up on the part of their body your are treating. Given all this how do we work out pressure in clinic.  First, we base it on our experience, your body type, the tension in the muscle we are working on.  But most of all we talk to you about how the pressure feels to you and respect your preferences for pressure. I am sure most of you have heard me talk about good pain.  Its based on a phenomenon that I have seen in clinic over the years.  This is where someone comes into clinic in pain, we apply pressure and the pain turns into a good pain – because the pressure is a source of relief.  For some people this “good pain” just feels right.  This good pain is strong but welcome and came sometimes be described as a “sweet ache”.  For some clients the good pain, is such a welcome relief that pain doesn’t even seem the right word. A word of warning, I like all my other therapists are only human and sometimes we get it wrong.  This can be if we have missed a trigger point that is very sensitive, and we go into deep or the opposite can happen where a muscle locks up and we apply pressure and you as the client can’t feel anything.  These situations can also arise due to change with your body i.e. an intense gym session or longer work hours than usual so lots of extra time sitting at your desk. I try to ask all my clients regularly without sounding like its some automated message, do you want the pressure deeper or lighter and if so let me know.  I know the other therapists in clinic do this as well. In clinic we always want you to get the most out of your treatment.  So please remember we always welcome feedback on pressure throughout your treatment.

It is reported that period pain affects two thirds of women ranging from mild discomfort to pain at some time or other.  Period pain happens because of contractions in the uterus, or womb, which is a muscle. If it contracts too strongly during your menstrual cycle, it can press against nearby blood vessels. This briefly cuts off the supply of oxygen to the uterus. It’s this lack of oxygen causes your pain and cramping. The cramping can be felt in the lower belly or lower back or both.  The intensity of the cramping can very from mild to severe. In addition to cramping women can get leg pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or extreme fatigue. When period pain has no obvious cause, it is classified by the medical profession as “primary” while pain caused by an actual condition e.g. endometriosis, fibroids, PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) is called “secondary”. In the next few blogs I want to share some tips on assisting those women like myself who suffer from primary period pain. I personally have found that placing a hot water bottle on your lower back/belly or taking a warm bath may provide some relief.  If you are at work, you can put a hot pad on the area.  One of the things that got me hooked on reflexology was that it helped it reduced my PMT and I felt that my periods were less painful too.

After introducing, Hypertension, I discussed lifestyle and dietary factors that may assist you in either lowering high blood pressure or preventing it.  Now I would like to share with you the scientific evidence of the effectiveness of massage in assisting with the management of Hypertension. Seated Acupressure Neck & Shoulder Massage In 1997 Cady et al. in Perceptual & Motor Skills evaluated the effectiveness of a 15 minute chair massage on reducing stress as indicated by blood pressure. 52 employed participants' blood pressures were measured before and after a 15 minute massage at work. Analysis showed a significant reduction in participants' systolic and diastolic blood pressure after receiving the massage. High Blood pressure is associated with anxiety and stress, this study supports the conclusion that chair massage is relaxing, reduces stress and high BP. Relaxing (or Swedish) Massage In 2013 Givi in International Journal of Preventive Medicine looked at the effectiveness of a relaxing (swedish) massage  in the management of pre-hypertension.  The study was a single-blind clinical trial with 50 women selected by random sampling divided into a control and test group.  The test group (25 women) received 15 minute swedish massage 3 times a week for 10 weeks.  Their BP was measure before and after each session and 72 hours after finishing the massage therapy.  The results indicate the average systolic and diastolic BP in the massage group were significantly lower.  In addition 72 hours after the finishing the massage therapy there was still a significant difference between the test and control group. So if you are concerned about your Blood Pressure, go to your GP and have it checked.  Then why not book a massage. References Cady SH and Jones GE, Feb 1997, Massage therapy as a workplace intervention for reduction of stress, Perceptual & Motor Skills, (1) p157- 158 Givi M, Feb 2013, Durability of Effect of Massage Therapy on Blood Pressure, International Journal of Prevention of Medicine, 4 (5) P 511 - 516.