Massage Warsaw- Massage Therapy – Warsaw Acupuncture

Category: Videos

  • Hamstring Stretch

    The hamstrings are very involved in lower back pain as they help to control the curvature of the lower spine and the tilt of the pelvis.  Stretching the hamstring can help to relieve lower back pain.  I have included two videos here that show different approaches to stretching the hamstring:

     

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.
    3. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    4. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    5. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp or pinching pain. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.
    9. Receiving massage or acupuncture treatments as part of your rehabilitation can improve your recovery.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Hip Flexor Stretch

    Here is a video that shows the basics of how to stretch out your hip flexor muscles (psoas major and iliacus).  These muscles are very involved with groin pain, low back pain, and hip pain.

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.
    3. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    4. Tilt your pelvis posteriorly to get a better stretch.  This can be done by moving your pubic bone forward and up toward the ceiling.  This move serves to flatten the lower back.
    5. Remember to keep your shoulders and back straight .  Do not lean forward as this is cheating.
    6. Hold onto something to stabilize yourself.
    7. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    8. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp  pain. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    9. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    10. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    11. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.
    12. Receiving massage or acupuncture treatments as part of your rehabilitation can improve your recovery.

     

  • Burmese Massage

    Here is a video from Mandalay illustrating some Burmese massage techniques.

    You can see from the video that it is very similar to Thai massage.  In fact, the majority of the moves are identitical.  There seems to be attention to Thai Sen energy meridians, but unlike Thai massage which exerts a downward pressure on the lines, the Burmese often use a cross-fibre pressure on the lines which allow them to have a greater fascial release .  Like Thai massage, the treatment starts with the feet.  The majority of the work is on the feet and legs (In a typical two hour massage, the lower body would receive 80 minutes of treatment).  The feet are treated with the body in 5 or 6 different positions as if they are instinctively trying to access the body’s different fascial anatomy trains in each position.  The footwork is quite effective as it receives such a large focus.  Also effective are the work on the IT band and adductor muscles.  They use quite a bit of elbow, foot and knee pressure when working on the large muscle groups of the legs giving the therapists a wonderful amount of leverage to treat with good body mechanics.  You will also notice some chiropractic style adjustments.  These can be a bit dangerous as the typical masseuse has only a minimal amount of training, there is a total lack of a health history taken before the treatment, and the focus of the treatment is to give a FULL routine utilizing all the steps in the routine whether or not that step is unnecessary or even dangerous to that particular client.  Most masseuses were understanding, however, when I declined certain maneuvres.

    Normally a full routine takes 2 hours.  To condense the massage video into 7 minutes, the techniques are performed a bit abruptly, the treatment is not bilateral, and only the most common techniques are shown.

     

  • Piriformis Wall Stretch

    This is a wonderful yoga stretch for the piriformis muscle and all the hip muscles. It is a unique approach because it is almost completely passive. You don’t have to do anything but lie there and wait for as long as you would like (spending 10 minutes in this position can be a freeing experience). Because it is so passive, it can also be meditative. Take this opportunity to work on your deep breathing and look for room to intensify the stretch further.

    Please note the person demonstrating the stretch is a yoga instructor and extremely flexible.  Your version of this stretch will look quite different.  You may want to start further away from the wall to decrease the intensity of the stretch.  Only bend the leg on the wall when you feel you are ready to increase the intensity.

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.  It is especially important to rule out any disc problems before you do this exercise.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.  Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    3. Try to breathe  slowly and keep your body relaxed.  Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    4. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises.  If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    5. Pay attention to the position of the lower back.  As the instructor explains, the back should be straight, not bent.  Bending at the lower back is cheating and does not stretch the piriformis muscle.  Also, if you are feeling leg pain or tingling because of true sciatica or sciatica due to a disc problem, you may cause more damage to the disc if you perform this exercise incorrectly.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. This stretch works best if you hold it for 5 minutes, but you can hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds.

     

     

  • Rotator Cuff Stretch Videos

    Here is a collection of videos on rotator cuff stretches. This should be the first step of any rotator cuff rehab program

    Guidelines for performing the stretches:

    1. Check with a health care professional before you attempt these exercises to ensure that it is safe for you.
    2. Do the exercises slowly and gently.
    3. Failing to follow the instructions or consult with a health care professional could cause your symptoms to worsen.
    4. Try to breathe slowly and keep your body relaxed. Do not tense up or hold your breath as this will invite muscle spasm.
    5. You should feel a gentle stretching sensation, but you should not feel any pain during the exercises. Be especially careful of any sharp or pinching pain. If you do feel pain, decrease the range of movement by stopping before you get to the point of pain. Continue the exercise within the pain free range.
    6. If you cannot find a comfortable, pain free way to do these exercises, discontinue immediately and seek the advice of a health care professional.
    7. Do the exercises in a set of 3 for a minimum of 3 times a day for best results.
    8. Hold the stretch for a minimum of 15 seconds each time.
    9. Receiving massage or acupuncture treatments as part of your rehabilitation can improve your recovery.

     

     

     

  • Stretch and Exercise Videos

     Low Back Pain or Hip Pain:

     

    Pilates:

     

    Neck and Shoulder Pain:

     

    Arm Pain:

     

    Leg and Foot Pain:

     

    Helpful Tips: