Who doesn’t love a massage? And who doesn’t think, “I wish I could get massages more often”?
Self-massage can assist you with your general aches and pains.
If you do it right, self-massage can serve as a form of maintenance between treatments with your physiotherapist or Myotherapist. Self massage can take care of any ‘tight’ spots in your calves, shins, quadriceps and hamstring post running sessions or you can self-massage your forearms, arms after a long day of work behind the desk.
Before you dive into daily self-massage, here are some general guidelines we recommend you follow:
MASSAGE MODERATION:
“More is not always better.” Don’t zone out while watching TV and wind up working one area for more than 15 minutes. Instead, be diligent over your entire area you want to address. In addition we recommend that a few minutes a day is better than once a week for half an hour.
DON’T TRY TO BULLY AN ACHE AWAY:
A common mistake is to over-massage an already inflamed area. Overdoing it on compromised or inflamed soft tissue can lead to more inflammation and a longer recovery period. Again, focus on a specific spot for no more than 15 minutes, then move on.
EASE UP
Our body’s muscles and connective tissues are complex and sensitive, they react to stimuli such as pressure, heat, and speed differently. With pressure, it’s a matter of easing into it and not going too hard. Remember, pressure doesn’t equal dept.
Going too hard, too fast can cause the muscle to seize up when what you want it to do is release. Think of warming up into the massage, like you would a workout, and then avoid going too hard for too long.
THE HANDS HAVE IT:
Tools can’t sense your muscles relaxing; only your hands can. When using any implement to self-massage, stop occasionally to check in with your hands and feel how your muscles are reacting (if you decide to use self-massage stick, foam roller or any other objects).
KNOW YOUR LIMITS:
They’re called professionals for a reason; therapists spend years learning and applying these techniques. Self-massage is excellent upkeep, but have the wisdom to recognize when a problem calls for the professionals to help you. It is possible that the pain or injury isn’t one that would respond well to massage, so it would be more beneficial to have an experienced professional help you when things are really hurting.
Other useful/recommended tools that can aid with self massage include foam roller, spikey ball, self massage stick, golf ball.
Nick Kodric
Myotherapist
Adv.Dip of Remedial Massage/Myotherapy
