Massage Message

The application of massage therapy has certain postural and physical demands and the use of proper body mechanics will allow the therapist’s body to be used in a careful, efficient and meticulous way. This involves good posture, balance, leverage, and using the right muscles at the right time when performing the massage. The correct use and positioning of the therapist’s body during the massage will prevent fatigue, muscle strains and injuries such as overuse syndromes. Overuse syndromes are a large group of conditions characterized by irritation resulting from the use of a body part in a repetitive way. This may cause injury by the amount it is done. Efficient use of the body will also help prevent burnout.

Every massage therapist will come to the realization that using proper body mechanics is crucial if they want to stay healthy and capable of performing massage after massage, day after day. The economic viability of the therapist is dependent on being able to work and create income on a regular basis. Bottom line is that as a massage therapist, your body is your tool and should be taken care of with up-most care.  By using it properly and taking care of it, it will help you stay healthy, able to perform well and have a career for years to come. There are four basic concepts that pertain to body mechanics that have to do with applying compressive force against the body during a massage session and they are weight transfer, perpendicularity, stacking the joints and keeping the back straight.

Using weight transfer allows the therapist to transfer body weight by shifting his center of gravity forward to achieve a pressure that is comfortable to the client. The transfer happens by reducing the weight off of the front leg to whatever part of your body that you are using to perform the massage such as the heel of the hand, the thumbs, or the elbows. Perpendicularity is a concept that is important because it ensures that the pressure that is being applied is sinking directly into the tissues. There should be a 90 degree angle between the line that extends from the shoulder to the point of contact (e.g. fist or forearm) and the plane of the contact point on the client’s body.

Stacking the joints one on top of the other allows the pressure to go straight into the client’s body effortlessly. It is also essential to the concepts of weight transfer and perpendicularity. A straight back is the other essential concept of using proper body mechanics. If their back is not straight, they may end pushing with the upper body and “muscling” it instead of using the more effortless transferred weight from the legs. Their weight should carried on the back leg and on the heel of the foot. This will also prevent early fatigue.

If a therapist is working and feels pain, they are doing something wrong.  Improper body mechanics may be part of the problem which may lead to a preventable injury that will have a negative impact on their health and income. Having a week core may also be a cause of the problem. The core can be strengthened by doing exercises that target the muscles of the core which are made up of the rectus abdominis, the external and internal obliques, the tranversus abdominis, the erector or extensor spinae muscles as well as the muscles of the pelvic floor. The difference is that making your core and body stronger may take time to see an improvement but changing and improving your body mechanics will have instant relief if that was the cause of your pain.

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