Being thankful can come out in so many ways. A small personal note, remembering to say please and thank you, a call when you’re reminded of someone who means a lot to you. Giving doesn’t always have to be a thing, simple words and gestures go so far.

Be thankful for your body, the people in your life that support you, the traditions large and small that make life great.

A simple meditation each day can do wonders for your wellness. Gratitude is such an important practice, especially at times when it seems the most difficult.

Each time you set foot on your yoga mat, set an intention for your practice and dedicate that practice to someone or a group of people that means a lot to you. This will likely transform both your yoga practice and the way in which you view the world.

So many people converging on buildings, seeking, acting out of giving, making efforts to better the lives of others. If all days could be like this. Although, I am talking about Black Friday so it’s a bit more loaded than that. At first glance that is what it is, and what some would like for it to be. What if we were like this every day, now that would really be Worth Something.

I have had quite a few clients that have told me they have sciatic pain, a few have even claimed to have Sciatica.  In truth Sciatica is generally caused by the compression of lumbar nerves L4 or L5 or sacral nerves S1, S2 or S3, or far less commonly, by compression of the sciatic nerve itself, and it’s truly debilitating.    Those that have “sciatic” pain often suffer from piriformis syndrome or related conditions.

Sciatica is debilitating, it doesn’t just hurt, or cause a bit of tingling and loss of feeling.  It makes movement very difficult, extremely in fact.   Think having to move your leg with your hands.    This whole walking upright thing is quite complex.  The low back and especially the hip are quite prone to dysfunction.   Take a look at an anatomy chart sometime.  There are quite a few muscles with many different actions to be a part of.  Oh and there’s a pretty vital nerve running through or close to the aforementioned piriformis which makes this little guy one of the top five seeds of trouble in the body muscle wise.

I do not mean to dismiss those who have pain and want to name it.  Often, being able to just name your pain is beneficial on many levels.   Anything that brings us towards a better understanding of our bodies is a good thing.    Any information you can provide your massage therapist about your pain can benefit your massage session.  Simply knowing where the pain is coming from and what effect it has on your activity and mobility helps with any treatment you may get. Getting informed about different conditions can be helpful, but claiming you have a condition that has not been diagnosed by a doctor can impede your treatments.   WebMD or answering a few brief questions about your condition does not a diagnoses make.

If you have pain, see a practitioner that’s comfortable for you, whether it be acupuncture, massage, chiropractic or your medical doctor.   If the pain is truly symptomatic of a particular condition any of the first three should recommend you consult your physician for a medical evaluation.    Try to find a practitioner that is familiar with other specialists,  every one in the health field who is concerned about health often knows the other practitioners in the area.

In Local news… Seven massage parlors were shut down for being unlicensed, four of those parlors are now facing prostitution charges.

Six local police departments — Longmeadow, Springfield, East Longmeadow, Hadley, Chicopee, and West Springfield — worked alongside U.S. Immigration Services to shut down illegal, unlicensed massage parlors across the area.

My thanks go out to all departments who worked on this, not only because these places give massage and real licensed massage therapists a bad reputation, but unfortunately the people working in these places are basically slave labor and doing such work because things in their own country are so bad.

Myself, I’ve only had one experience of a client requesting “more” in the three years I’ve been working as a massage therapist. However, the female massage therapists that I know go through such things more often than they’d like, once is too many really!

I let people know what I do, and sometimes when I say” I’m a massage therapist” occasionally a jokester will chime in, however, I am very specific about what I do and what the perception of massage should be as far as professional practice. IMHO the industry should take on a new name for it’s practice, something such as myotherapy, referring to the muscles which most of our work is about. However, this too could be considered somewhat exclusionary of more holistic massage practices not to mention other modalities which are massage but not necessarily muscular bodywork in practice.

I take what I do very seriously as do most licensed massage therapists, unfortunately for us, there are still those that are pushing the envelope as far as good ethics and moral character. I encourage everyone considering getting a massage to at least interview and check out the prospective therapist before working with them. I’ve written a few articles about choosing a massage therapist and what one should expect from a session. What makes a great massage session?
Interviewing a massage therapist

The best I can do is educate and make people more aware. If you have any questions you can e-mail or call anytime.
Full “massage parlor” story here, from 22news (WWLP.com)
Massage Parlors shut down

Being a bit nerdy I find this kind of info regarding lower back pain and massage very interesting.   All abstracts and articles I have found seem to include “more studies are needed”    I’m looking into being a part of these studies,as a massage therapy provider rather than receiver, I think the line would be pretty long for “subjects”   I really would like it if Massage gained some ground credibility-wise.   It’s a battle though, but each person I can educate is one step closer to this goal.    It’s kind of hard to argue with a practice that goes back thousands of years IMHO.

But I digress,  the part that I find most interesting is that in these studies, as in most massage studies, side effects only include allergic reactions, and minimal at that.    Most people know they have allergies and if your massage therapist doesn’t ask you before the session, be certain to let them know.  The most prevalent allergens in massage oils/creams/lotions are nuts (literally, almond being the most often used).

Massage for Low Back Pain

Main Results

Thirteen randomized trials were included. Eight had a high risk and five had a low risk of bias. One study was published in German and the rest in English. Massage was compared to an inert therapy (sham treatment) in two studies that showed that massage was superior for pain and function on both short and long-term follow-ups. In eight studies, massage was compared to other active treatments. They showed that massage was similar to exercises, and massage was superior to joint mobilization, relaxation therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture and self-care education. One study showed that reflexology on the feet had no effect on pain and functioning. The beneficial effects of massage in patients with chronic low-back pain lasted at least one year after the end of the treatment. Two studies compared two different techniques of massage. One concluded that acupuncture massage produces better results than classic (Swedish) massage and another concluded that Thai massage produces similar results to classic (Swedish) massage.

I was talking to a physical therapist the other day about her own troubles with low back pain.   While we agree, as do most, that the human body is a greatt feat of engineering, we both concluded that there are areas that could use some re-engineering, a 2.0 if you will.   Unfortunately, evolution takes quite a bit of time, though it does seem to be working.

Our main focus would be the low back,  specifically the quadratus lumborum and the piriformis or maybe a complete overhaul of the hip.     You see low back pain is more related to the muscles of the hip than it is to the low back itself.  Why?  The muscles of the low back in a general sense, have issues because they are compensating for the lack of work that the hip and core muscles do on their own.   The body is neverendingly trying to remain in balance.    In order to stay upright, whether in a seated or standing position the muscles have to work well together.

Often, when people complain of low back issues and say things like, “Ireally need to strengthen my low back, do you have any recommendations?”  My response is usually,”Really, what you need to strengthen is your CORE.”     Instead of thinking of the body as segmented at the crest of the pelvis, really there’s about 6-8 inches more that should be thought of.   Imagine the split just above the navel, instead of at the waist.   THis then takes into account all of those core muscles and how they interact with the hip and low back in a much better way.

The pain information received from the low back is more from the strain of carrying all of the load, and therefore past the point where it needs to grow, what it needs really is for the other muscles that should be helping to start activating more and helping with some of the work.    It’s like a tandem bike with one weak rider and one strong rider,  eventually the stronger will fatigue and need rest, while if both riders are nearly equal in stamina and the amount of effort they put into the pedals, then the ride will last much longer and both will fatigue at a similar time.  This is what the body wants, in essence,  homeostasis, a balance between everything.

Instead of blaming the area that hurts, think of the other areas and how they could be helping.   If you lived with 6 people and felt like you were the only one doing the dishes, would you do more dishes?

How massage helps…  The goal of massage for the low back is to loosen the over-worked muscles and allow them to recover from the strain they have been under.    Typically, a good massage therapist will work the low back as well as the hips and glutes.   Strengthening of the core muscles is highly recommended and a personal trainer or physical therapist can make recommendations on this.   There are also vids on YouTube like this one

The Best Pilates Core Workout Video it’s only six minutes, and really great info,  all you need is a floor.    Pilates is great for core work.