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.

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.

1. Respond to Potential clients

Answer your phone, try to get back to voice mail and e-mail within one business day.

2. Look Serious.

It doesn’t have to be a uniform but take a look at yourself in the mirror before you leave.

3. Your clients should know you.

Introduce yourself, wear a nametag, be yourself - clients need to be educated on what it is you do, be open and honest and you’ll attract clients that are right for you.

4. Get to know other professionals.

It’s not just about knowing what others are doing, and being caddy. It’s about knowing other professionals, their strengths and how you can refer business to them. This holds for any profession and especially massage therapists, knowing a great Hot Stone Bodyworker, Thai Yoga, or Prenatal can keep you on track if you have other expertise.

5. Build a presence.

Have your name be synonomous with what it is you do. Use marketing of all types to make your name be at the top of the list when someone thinks of “insert massage or your specialty here”

I am so proud to announce that I will be joining the great team at Health Trax - West Springfield.

One Hour Massage for Members $55 (Non-Members $60)

Deep relaxation and Deep Tissue work will be the main services provided. Having worked with the UMass Sports Medicine Team, the US Tennis Association, and great cyclists and atheletes in the area I look forward to providing massage for those who get fit with HealthTrax. Appointments can be made with the front desk or by calling 413.781.0181.

The tendency it seems, is not to, a good number of people go for a massage based on one friend’s recommendation, or even by way of a gift certificate.   Now, if you’ve never had massage before this could be good for you, the chance to have an experience that will hopefully make you feel wonderful and give you a slightly different perspective on your body, touch, and perhaps even massage itself.

However, if you’re familiar with massage and your seeking out a new massage therapist, you may have some expectations regarding “your massage”.   You probably realize that not every massage is equal and there are some key factors when choosing a massage therapist.

  1. Do they make you feel comfortable?
    • There could be a variety of reasons why or why not, it’s important to trust your natural reaction, negative feelings toward your massage therapist will not make for a well-recieved massage.
  2. Does the massage room make you feel relaxed?
    • It seems simple, all it needs is a massage table, light that doesn’t make your eyes scream, soft music.
  3. Do they seem attentive?
    • Do they respond to your phone call in a timely manner?  Do they listen?  You will be spending a significant time with this person, and if you plan on receiving massage regularly, communication is key.
  • Be sure to give a fair trial
    • . It should not be difficult for any massage therapist to pass the first three with flying colors, but you’d be surprised.    The next step of course is to get an actual session from the person, if you’ve had massage experiences that you’ve liked or not liked, be sure to tell the massage therapist.  Massage therapists are all quite different and the number of modalities is staggering, but for most massage is a feel good experience, no matter what name you put on it.

Over the past week or so I’ve come in contact with people who feel passionately about something they want to do but block themselves from taking the “Big Step”.

A wise man told me that there are two paths, do something you’re good at and spend your “free time” doing what you like to do, or do something that you love so that it all seems like free time.   The problem is that you need what you love or are good at to feed you, emotionally and monetarily.    The balance of these is where people get tripped up.

There are sacrifices and exchanges to be made. It’s okay to weigh the balance, in fact it’s very beneficial.   What are you getting out of what you do?  If it’s only money, then how are you getting any emotional benefit?   If it’s only emotional reward then how are you making money, enough to eat, etc.

It’s a bit funny when people are open about how they are feeling emotionally, but close themselves off  if the topic is money some do the opposite.  Each seems to be missing something. The inherent problem is that there is no true right answer, each answer is as individual as the person responding.   However, it seems fairly obvious when someone is emotionally [amazon-product text="drained by their profession" type="text"]1580089305[/amazon-product].   We get caught up in thinking that the next moment will be different but then instead of taking action just wait.    There are opportunities out there for fulfillment however, you do have to take action. more will follow I’m certain