Thoroughly Kneaded Massage

According to 101 Back Pain Tips:

Touch is one of the best ways to heal, and Massage

therapy goes a long way toward attacking your back

and neck pain at its sources. An experienced Massage

Therapist can use one or more of these techniques to

help you with back pain:

Swedish massage: the most widespread treatment

used in the United States. Generally soothing, it involves

the use of kneading and friction in long strokes and

deep circular movements. Most well-known massage

techniques fall under the category of Swedish massage.

Myofascial therapy: targets the muscle and myofascial

systems, promoting flexibility and mobility of the body’s

connective tissues (fascia).

Trigger Point therapy: focuses deep pressure on

myofascial Trigger Points—knotted muscle fibers

that are painful and tender when pressed. (See Tip

#79 for more on Trigger Point Therapy)

Deep Tissue massage: involves intense pressure

and patterns of slow strokes to relieve tightness or

knotting in the deep layers of muscles.

Sustained Pressure: also known as ischemic or

digital pressure, it alleviates hypertonic (tight) areas

within muscle and fascia.

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the tendon the or the flat band of tissue that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated and inflamed. Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk. It is especially painful when one has been still for a long time or is just getting out of bed in the morning.

Many times, but not always, the person may have flat feet and or the feet are what is call pronated where the foot rolls inward with each step. The tendon is stretched and irritated. I had plantar fasciitis and a bone spur on top of it all. I went to the podiatrist and he gave me cortisone and taped my foot. The taping did the most good because my arch was given support, but taping can be real uncomfortable because it pulls on the skin. I found these gadgets online called supinators, which are just like taping. They take the pressure off of the inside of the foot to help stop the irritation. Supportive shoes with a good arch or orthotics may be necessary depending on the severity of the condition.

Other things you can do to help relieve the pain are icing the area since it is an inflammation. You can massage the area with a lacrosse or tennis ball. If you have high tolerance for pain a golf ball can be used as well to loosen up tight tendons.

Calf stretches are also very important. Often times tight calves or tight achilles tendons are part of the pain. Stretches can be done easily while standing in line at the grocery store or at home you can place the ball of your foot on a step and press the heel down with either a straight leg or bent knee.

I also find that a product called Yoga Toes can also be effective in helping alleviate pain depending where the constriction is in the foot. Yoga Toes are similar to those things that get placed in between your toed during a pedicure, but they are much bigger. They are also helpful if you have bunion pain. They help by separating the toes and fanning them out.

I am writing this because I believe healing the body is a team approach not just the job for the practitioner, but for both client and practitioner.

All of these techniques I have used myself because I always seek out natural pain relief. Being a massage therapist, I like to teach my clients how to take care of themselves in between visits. My goal is to empower the client to help themselves get well with simple things they may already have around the house or provide resources for things they might want to look into in order to feel better.

Another one of my favorite tools is very simple and something that is portable that you may already have around the house. It is a lacrosse ball. I favor a lacrosse ball over a tennis ball because there is no give in the ball and I like deep tissue massage work. It also sticks better to the wall or the car seat. But, if a tennis ball is all you have then by all means use it.

The ball can be used for massage while on the floor in those achy places such as the low back. When you find the place where it “hurts so good” hold the ball there until the pain subsides. Do not go over the spine. Just on the muscles along the spine. You can also use it in the mid and upper back that area between the spine and shoulder blade. This is a place where many people carry their stress and can often find relief using this simple technique.

The gluteal area (or your butt ) is often a source of tightness and sore spots as well. Tight glutes can contribute to low back pain. When you find sore spots on your glutes, hold the ball there until the pain subsides.

All of the movements mentioned above can also be done against the wall or while traveling in a plane or in a car. You use the same movements only in a standing position.

This massage is a godsend on long trips especially in an airplane where your movement is really restricted. I also always have one in my car for when my lower back is sore or my shoulders are tight. One word of caution. Be careful While using the ball to massage your back while standing against a wall especially if you like deep tissue work. I have put dents in my wall!!!