I did an awesome massage session today. It was like nothing I have done in quite a while.
I had a lady come in that was in extreme pain. She was hurting from the low back, down through her hips and into her legs (but mostly on one side).
For some reason, I approached this differently than I usually do. Normally, I scan my client then go into my massage routine. (Every therapist has a routine that they use like an outline. It is the basis for what they do, but it is open to change, and does change for each client as each person’s needs differ.) After doing a scan, I opened to spirit and asked for suggestions. Instead of going into my normal routine, I started with something different.
I had been shown to do some Myofascial Release (MFR) on the legs. I started with her face down, and did some compressions to loosen up the muscles in her glutes (gluteus maximus - the muscles in the butt). Then I had her turn over and worked the MFR leg movements. This loosened up her back muscles tremendously so that she felt relief right away. I then did more MFR in her low back, glutes, and legs to get the connective tissue in those areas to loosen up.
Next, I went into my normal routine. I made the necessary adjustments so that the problem areas got the most work, yet she did get a full body massage. (One needs the full body touch to make one relax.)
When I was done, she wasn’t free of pain, but she was much, much better. She was amazed that she was feeling so good. I hope it holds for her.
It was great to go in and just feel for what was needed even if that meant straying away from the norm.