Massage Warsaw- Massage Therapy – Warsaw Acupuncture

Tag: Massage Therapy

  • Improve Your Shoulder Posture by Changing Your Workout

    One of the most important and long lasting ways to get rid of neck and shoulder pain is to change your posture.  I am sure that you have all heard it from your massage therapist, but, how can you change your posture after it’s been that way for decades?  The body has already been trained and it’s game over, right?

    Wrong!  Using the right fascial massage techniques, stretches and strength training can re-educate your body to develop and accept a new posture.  With postural re-education you will find more permanent results than simply trying to pull your shoulders back.

    Pace Yourself

    Firstly, understand that the change has to be gradual.  It can be next to impossible to change postural habits overnight.  Clients often feel like they have to change their posture instantly and that they are “failing” every time that they catch themselves falling into their old slouches.  I ask them to instead try to have good posture for a total of an hour a day for the first week and then gradually increase it.  This way they can understand that it is a gradual process and that they have a really good chance of succeeding.  Most will be able to do more than an hour a day and feel great about it.

    Strength Training for Posture

    The other approach is to start strengthening your muscles. Posture is only partly habit.  The rest of your posture depends on muscle balance.  The chest muscles (pectoralis major and pectoralis minor) pull the shoulder blades forward, while the back muscles (rhomboids, trapezius and latissimus dorsi) pull the shoulder blades back and toward the spine.  Most people are stronger in the chest than they are in the back, which is why they slouch forward.  Re-balancing your postural muscles involves stretching out the pectoral muscles and strengthening the back muscles.

    Start training your back muscles.

    By strengthening the upper back muscles, specifically the muscles that bring your shoulder blades together, you will find that your body with its balanced muscles will naturally and automatically go into the correct posture.  You won’t have to think about posture or make any real effort again.  The key exercises for strengthening these back muscles are lat pulldowns and rowing motions.

    Focus on Endurance

    The problem with pulling your shoulders back is that these muscles get tired as they lack endurance.  An 8 hour work day is a long time for these muscles to be working against the powerful chest muscles.  When strengthening your postural back muscles, build endurance by lowering the weight and working up to sets of 16 or more reps.

    Take it Easy on Your Chest

    Most people that work out love spending time on their pecs.  Guys love the strong, masculine look that big pecs give, while women like how it firms and lifts the breasts.  Remember though, that strong, short, tight pec muscles are a big reason for our bad posture.  These muscles shorten with repeated slouching and hunching over our computers.  Strengthening these muscles further shorten them and worsen our posture.  You can still work on your chest in a workout, but you will need to change your approach:

    1. Lower the weight you are using.
    2. If you can, leave the bench press alone and work the pec fly machine.  The pec fly works the pecs through its full range of motion including the stretched out end range.
    3. Stretch your pecs before and after every set.  Pec stretches will lengthen the pec muscles and keep them from going into spasm.

    A Second Look at the Elliptical

    Most people use the elliptical by powering through with their legs while their arms limply hold onto the handles and swing. This is good for cardio training and working the legs, but if you want to improve your posture and get rid of your neck pain, try using the elliptical in the following way.

    1. The key is to focus on what you are doing with your upper body.  Try to shift all the work from the legs to the upper body.  It may be difficult at first and you may need to alternate between focusing on the upper body and focusing on the lower body.
    2. There are 2 phases: pulling the handle back and pushing the handle forward.  To work your postural muscles, put all your effort into the pulling back phase while using the pushing forward phase to rest.
    3. When working the upper body, don’t let your arms do all the work.  Focus on your shoulder blade.  It should be either moving outward or pulling inward toward the centre of your back.  The more your shoulder blades are moving, the more you are working your postural muscles.
    4. When you pull back on the handle, try to pull your shoulder blade toward your spine.  This works the rhomboid, lats, and middle and lower traps: the postural muscles that pull your shoulders back.
    5. During the rest phase when the handle is going forward, don’t put too much effort on the arm, but try to distract your shoulder blade and slide it out and forward for a nice stretch.
    6. This exercise works great because there is a lot of repetition which builds  endurance in your postural muscles.  When those back muscles become as strong as or stronger than the front muscles your shoulders will automatically start pulling your shoulders back on their own.

    Good posture, naturally.

  • Can I get a massage for free?

    cost of massage

    Yes Virginia, you can get a free massage.

    Most of my clients actually don’t pay a cent for massage.  They have extended health benefits through work which pays for their massages.  Everybody with extended health benefits actually pays a little bit every month to cover the cost of the insurance policy with their employer paying the balance, so it’s not exactly free.  But it’s pretty close to it.  These benefits don’t cover just massage but typically also include dental, medicine and other expenses.

    The process is pretty simple.

    1. Most plans require a doctor’s note or prescription for massage.  Most doctors understand that 80% of illnesses are stress related and will sign off without hesitation.
    2. Come in to see me for a massage and enjoy some stress pain and tension relief.
    3. After you pay I will give you an invoice with my registration number and details which you can mail in with your doctor’s note to your insurance provider.
    4. In about a week or two you will receive your reimbursement for the cost of the massage.

    Total cost to you is $0.

    The benefits of getting rid of the stress and pain…… priceless.

    Some details:

    • Most of my clients are entitled to $500 per year.  That works out to about 6 massages per year.
    • Plans usually run from January to December.  The benefits don’t roll over to the next year.   A new claim starts the following year.  So it’s a bit of a “use it or lose it” situation.  This is why one of my busiest times is from September to December.  Everyone ends up wanting to use up all of their benefits at the end of the year.  But why wait and rush?  Your best benefit will be from regular massages throughout the year.
    • Most plans cover 100% of the cost of each treatment, but some have a cap or a percentage per treatment.  You should call your insurance provider to find out the details of your plan.
    • The average plan is $500 for all expenses, but some are less, some are more, and some will give dedicated amounts.  For example Some plans will cover $500 for massage, another $500 for acupuncture, $500 for chiropractic, etc etc etc. Again, call your provider and get the details

    So, what are you waiting for?

  • "My Shoulders Hurt When I Jog"

    jogging and shoulder pain

    We expect pain and discomfort in just about every muscle from the waist down when it comes to jogging, but why would we get a pain in the shoulder?

    First of all many of us have some sort of postural imbalance where the shoulders aren’t lined up well.  Also, there is muscle tension and stress that we keep in our neck and shoulders.  This means that there might be decreased flexibility, mobility, health and strength leading to early muscle fatigue, pain and cramping.  Treating the stress in the neck and shoulders with massage or acupuncture can free them up so that they perform better when jogging.

    Another approach is to look at how we jog.  Many jog in a way that increases shoulder tension.  A quick check is to look at your hands.  Are they loose or clenched in a fist?  They should be loose.  If they are clenched in a fist, then we are likely activating and clenching every muscle from our fingertips, arms and shoulders up to our neck when jogging.  This constant tension leads to early muscle fatigue and pain.  A simple remedy is to keep our hands, arms and shoulders loose as we jog.  It can be hard to be constantly thinking of our arms while jogging, so try this simple technique: touch your thumb to your middle finger lightly and keep it there the whole time that you are jogging.  In this position it is really difficult to have any real tension in our arms and shoulders.  The shoulders will stay loose and the pain will go away.

    Stay loose.

    Ken Shim, RMT

  • Learning to Sit: Posture & Ergonomics for Work & School

    Office Ergonomics
    Don’t just sit there…. Get to work!”  used to be a familiar sound from the boss.  These days, however, most of us do all of our work sitting down on the job.

    As you can imagine, spending 8 hours a day in one position is not the best for our bodies.  Improper sitting can subject your body to unnecessary stress that may eventually lead to pain and discomfort in the neck, shoulder or low back.  Here are some tips to reduce discomfort:

    • Don’t remain in one position for long periods. Try standing up or walking around about every 20 minutes.This routine can be incorporated into your work routine by taking phones calls, filing or reading while standing up rather than sitting. Try delivering a message to a co-worker in person rather than e-mailing or using inter-office mail.
    • Try using the hands-free option on your telephone or a headset rather than holding the phone to your ear with your shoulder as this practice over time can lead to neck and shoulder strain.
    • Listen to your body. When you feel tension or stress in certain area of your body like the neck, back and shoulders, change positions or try some gentle stretching exercises

    Position your chair at a height where:

    1. The work surface is “elbow high.”
    2. Your feet are comfortably positioned flat on the floor
    3. When working, your elbows & knees are bent at 90 degree angles

    If your chair is not adjustable, use a foot rest such as a phone book to attain this more ideal position

    Position the height of your computer screen:

    1. Sit comfortably in your newly adjusted chair
    2. Close your eyes and relax, then, slowly reopen them.
    3. Where you first gaze as you open your eyes is the place to put the center of your screen

    You can raise the height with books or a stand if needed.

  • Does it hurt to breathe?

    rib pain

    Have you ever experienced a sharp pain in your ribs, abs or back from breathing?  There is a possibility that you might have had a “rib out” or a dislocation of your costo-vertebral joint (the joint where the rib joins the vertebrae).

    Surprisingly this is more common than you might imagine.  The joint that holds the ribs to the vertebrae is quite weak and shallow giving a range of movement to the ribs.  Unfortunately this means that it is easier for the joint to get out of place.  Typically ribs pop out with something as simple as a sneeze or reaching for something on the top shelf.  The pain comes on quickly and intensely and can feel aggravated with movement or breathing.  When it is new and acute the pain may be felt just about everywhere in the upper body and be triggered by a variety of movents.  After a few days the pain may become more localized to one area (typically along one of the ribs) and to a few different types of movements.  Oftentimes ribs will pop back in on their own, but the best plan of action is to have it treated soon so that things don’t worsen.

    I have found success in treating this condition with a combination of acupuncture, massage, mobilizations and stretching techniques.  In a successful treatment the rib literally ‘pops’ back into the joint.

  • When does stress become toxic?

    Massage for Stress

    We all need a little stress in our lives.  Some stress is necessary to give us the energy we need to deal with immediate problems, meet imminent deadlines, and face dangerous situations.  This “Good stress”, in the right quantities, can be essential for living.  But like everything else, it can be possible to have too much of a good thing.

    Too much stress can be detrimental to our health.  Here are some of the warning signs of having too much stress in our lives:

    • sleep disturbances
    • back or neck pain
    • headaches
    • stomach pain/problems
    • weight gain or loss
    • fatigue
    • high blood pressure
    • irregular heartbeat
    • shortness of breath
    • chest pain
    • cold, sweaty hands
    • eczema, psoriasis
    • jaw pain
    • frequent illness
    • nervousness, anxiety
    • depression, moodiness
    • irritability, frustration
    • memory problems
    • lack of concentration
    • trouble thinking clearly
    • feeling out of control
    • substance abuse
    • overreactions

    It is important to recognize the symptoms of stress and learn what to do about them.  If you have quite a few of the symptoms listed above, then it is definitely time to do something about it. Stress can be managed and kept at safe levels.