Before and After Your Session

• What happens in a massage session (if you are new to massage)
  • What to Expect Brochure (pdf)
  • How to Get the Most From Your Massage by Anitra Brown
  • 10 Embarrassing Massage Questions by Cathy Wong
• Pain management you can do at home: Ice
  • Ice It
  • More Detail about Cryotherapy (icing)
  • Making Ice Packs
  • The Homemade Alcohol Ice Pack: 1 part rubbing alcohol with 3 parts water in a ziploc bag. Freeze it. It stays slushy when frozen so it conforms to the body part.
  • One of my clients clued me into this idea. When flying and traveling, gel packs may run afoul of TSA carryon restrictions and you can have problems finding a place to refreeze them. But the old fashioned ice bag is great. A stewardess can give you some ice and you can fill your bag. When you get to your destination, you can get ice from the machine at the hotel.
  • Constrast Bath/Vascular Flush
• More pain management you can do at home
  • Supported Savasana (also see #9 in this article to see a nice way to use a bolster to open the shoulders.) Listen to your body. If it hurts, don't do it.
  • Remind yourself. When you have a blank moment, ask yourself alignment questions. For instance, "Are my shoulders up by my ears?" or "Am I standing on all four corners of my feet?" Whatever your issues are that keep you out of neutral.
  • Don't live in just one direction. Counteract the constant flexed-forward position by giving your body opportunities to go into expanded open positions.
  • Take Naps. If you can possibly find time, do so. Naps are especially helpful after getting massage to help your body process the changes massage can create.
  • Self-Massage
    • Once you have experienced the feel of a taut muscle band "releasing" and can recognize it, you can use some tools to do a little work on yourself. It's not as good as having a professional work on you, but it can extend your comfort between massages. Tennis balls are a classic self-massage tool. This article describes the process very well. For work in smaller areas, pink gum erasers are also good.
    • Be aware that with some conditions, this type of work can be too aggressive. Pushing your body farther than what it wants to go can lead to rebound pain. Do a little at a time and don't brutalize yourself.
    • Clair Davies' Book about Trigger Points, The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief is written for the layperson, and goes into ways to figure out which muscle is probably needing work, and tips on how to position yourself and what tools might help to do the work.
    • More specialized tools than the tennis ball are also available. Trigger Point Triangle - like a tennis ball, but with a point. This is what I have in my suitcase when I fly, as it does bad things to be stationary for hours in one position. My only caveat - when I ordered mine, it took a while to receive it. The TP Therapy Kit is a set of balls and rollers, but much more expensive than the tennis ball. It comes with a DVD and you can get a booklet that tells more specifics about using the tool. This set was initially designed for runners.