Chair massage uncomfortable for MT's?

[Donna]

We did chair massage for the first time in school today. We're going to be providing chair massage at a health fair as a class next week.

It's hard on your body, huh? Most of us had low back pain after just a short time. Not looking forward to this health fair!

 

[Vicki]

Try lowering your center of gravity - a lunge position, or even the horse stance, keeping the knees bent. Keep your lower back straight rather than exaggerating the curve - think of how a dog tucks in his tail, and try to hold your back in that position.

It just takes practice. Experiment with your body mechanics until you find a position that is more restful than work. Stretch between clients, even one or two quick stretches will help. And after you are done, stretch everything really good. Whatever muscles have been shortened, stretch. What has been stretched, relax. You don't have to hurt after a day of chair massage!!

How many hours will you be working at the health fair? It is important to have more MT's than chairs, if it is a long day, so that each of you sits out and rests at regular intervals.

 

[Christ alone]

It shouldn't be hard on your body, and you gyus shouldn't have back pain after few hours of chair massage. Check your body mechanics! Your back must be always straight, use a horse stand, lean with your body. Ask your teachers to check for your body mechanics. Good luck!

 

[Pompal 09.]

A lot of our MTs don't like chair massage claiming it is too hard on them vs. doing several 50 min treatments in a row.

 

[aimeeme_g]

As a student, my first stint with the chair was 2 hours......thought I was going to die. Seven years later, I regularly do jobs of 4-8 hours, days in a row.

Check your body mechanics. Take little breaks to hydrate, eat and/or stretch. Stay in shape out of class in order to not suffer while doing the massage. Finally, make sure you're not doing chair massage on concrete or a similar hard surface......hard on the feet and low back. Your instructor should know this. If not, suggest they move you to a carpeted area.

 

[Pink Taco]

My first work as a massage therapist was doing chair massage. The first two days my back would be killing me at the end of five hours. Turns out when I did the left side of clients body, I would be using my right arm/hand. Then when I switched sides, I would still be using my right arm/hand. The twisting was torquing my back.
Learn to use both arms/hands equally, and everything everyone else says about stance is very true. I was fine after I became aware. I love doing chair massage.

If your doing a lot of low back work, kneel or sit (I use one of the big balls in my office).

I swear by a pair of clogs in your travel kit. If you have a really tall client, put on the clogs. The extra height is a back saver.

Learn to lean. Use your body weight, even with your hands. Try leaning your weight into your fingers instead of just using your finger muscles. It completely changes your entire body mechanics. If the client likes deep, use your elbows. Lean, don't work at it. Relax.

I repeat. You should be relaxed. The person who taught me made me look at my hand when I was using my elbow. Was my hand relaxed, and dangling off the end of my wrist, or was it clenched in a fist?

In chair massage a very effective and user friendly style is compression. A great way to access the lower neck and traps is to stand with your right hip close to the persons left shoulder. Rest your bent arm onto the top of the traps, with the hand dangling relaxed in the front, elbow facing out toward the rear. Lean downward onto your arm, without rotating your wrist (no bone on bone) and slowly and rhythmically rock your arm forward, and backward. It feels great to the client, it's easy and soothing to you. Stand close enough that you aren't reaching your arm laterally - you need to be doing a straight downward thing. The clogs work great here. It's very comfortable, you could do it all day. Clients will rave. You can adjust the pressure very easy by leaning more or less.

Chair massage is great as a travel modality, but I've also always offered it in my office. I charge slightly less for it in my office because there's no linens. Clients who are shy and would never disrobe, short on time, can't afford the full Monty, don't want to go back to work mussy, or really really need to get in for a massage and I don't have any time available to fit in a table massage, schedule with me. If someone is hesitant about trying massage, I suggest chair massage as a way for them to gage whether or not they like my style.


Re: techniques. Early on I took one of the classes from a nationally known chair massage guru who taught a regimented routine. I incorporate elements of it into my work, but the "routine" drove me nuts.
I quickly developed my own style very simular to table work, and depending on each person depends on which moves I use. It keeps it fresh.

Hope this helps, and that you give chair massage a try! It's a great way to introduce the public to the joy of massage.

One final hint. Often in public settings people will be hesitant to try chair massage, even if you offer it for free. Have a "schill" available. Someone who will donate their body to sit in your chair so that the visually inclined will see what it involves and not be so shy about trying it! I used to drag my husband along with me, and if I had a lull and couldn't get anyone in the chair, he would make the ultimate sacrifice. Then if a "live one" came along, I'd boot him out! Ha!
savannah

 

[klacey18@yahoo.com]

Savannah, thank you for this wonderful and detailed post on chair massage! Great, practical input!

From my experience: I have a massage chair that I rarely used. I always felt awkward doing seated massage, and felt it was "nothing" to compare with a full table massage which is the mainstay of my business.

A month ago, a local woman with guest coteforum.xxxes asked me to bring my chair to a "scrapbooking weekend" for 16 women who were bent over tables scrapbooking 16 hours a day for three days. I saw them the second evening and performed 16 chair massages in 3 hours and it was wonderful!

We talked and laughed (as any all-girl weekend entails) -- and they were absolutely thrilled with the chair results. I heard later that after the chair massages they felt tremendous energy and stayed up all night to finish their various projects before driving home. (I was also well-paid by the coteforum.xxxe owner and every woman also tipped.)

This experience sold me on chair massage -- and out of necessity (with 16 in a row) I HAD to work on my body mechanics and figure out easier ways to maneuver to protect my own body.

Now I am confident in promoting this type of massage -- and leave my chair set up in my waiting room (the living room in my case) at all times. I have several locals (bank tellers etc.) who will stop in over lunch for a quick tune-up and they love it! It has also lead to additional full table massage client income.

Thanks again for all the wonderful info, Savannah!

Sherry

P.S. Ralph R. Stephens' book and video on Therapeutic Chair Massage is well worth the price!

 

[MJ forever <3]

I trained in it, tried dong it and find it much harder on my hands and body, so I have scrapped it. I have turned down many corporate accounts due to not wanting to injure myself. It's just not for me.

 

[PastorTom]

It's simply not fair to say "chair massage is too hard on me" when the truth is "my poor body mechanics are too hard on me".

I'm dealing with some poor table body mechanics right now, and that's very frustrating, but it would simply not be helpful for me to blame table massage.

Best resource I've found for chair mechanics: TouchPro training. http://www.touchpro.com -- I wish this had successfully been integrated into more school curricula.

 

[Ramez]

Even in table work I'm a lean-er. I'm always amazed at massage training sessions when other people bring their tables, how high a lot of MT's have their tables, especially short people. My personal take on it is number one a low table is much kinder to any client that is elderly, short, or in pain. Easier to get on and off...............but I keep mine really low so I can lean on the client if more pressure is desired. If I happen to be having back pain myself, it's way more comfortable for me in this position, plus I can sit down and work if I'm in one place a while.

I've gotten massages from people with tables so high I had trouble getting on, and considered bacing up and making a running start ! Pole vault table mounting! Yikes!

I went to school in the late 80's and there were no body mechanics remotely addressed, but fortunately I sub-contracted for a couple of years with a woman who was very aware and taught me a lot of useful things.
savannah

 

[Bella]

I've done corporate/outcall/event chair massage and while my back has never hurt me, even after hours of doing it, my wrists do. I've learned to use forearms, elbows, fists, compression, but my wrists are screaming at the end of a single chair massage. I still haven't figured out how to change that.

 

[Proud Army Wife]

tranquilspirit;

Next time you do chair, watch your hands while you're working and see what angle your wrists are in while you do particular moves. Depending on how tall YOU are, how tall your client is, and how adjustable your chair is, you may be working with your wrists bent at angles that don't occur when you do table work.

Bent wrists combined with lots of finger use, and pressure, will cause wrist pain.

Some solutions:

Raise or lower your chair, if it's possible (I have one of the original wooden ones, can't remember the manufacturer, but it's absolutely un-adjustable.)

Raise or lower YOU. Widen your stance, bend your knees, or wear shoes with a high heel (clogs work good).

If you notice while doing a particular move your wrist is bent, try standing in a slightly different location than you normally do, enough to straighten out your wrist.

Pretend you are wearing a wrist brace, and keep your hand in the position that would force it in if you were actually wearing one.

Relax. Breathe.

If your routine is pretty regimented, like you do the same routine with each person, one after another, try expanding it. Then you can use moves that affect your wrist and fingers less.

On the rare occasions I have hand/wrist pain, I'll do things like turn my hands over and do compression with the backs of my hands, stretching my wrists. Clients don't know you're doing a move to benefit yourself! It still feels good to them.

Do sweeping energy brushes off the clients back, then shake off the energy with your hands.........looks impressive to anyone watching, and it feels good to your wrists. Doesn't sound like much, but if you're doing a full day of massage, it adds up to your comfort.

I worked for many years as an assembler in factories, and had many difficulties with my fingers, wrists, and thumbs doing that kind of work. I found that the placement of my hands in a task made a profound difference. Sometimes a matter of inches. The key is keeping the wrist straight, especially when there is force involved.

When you quit at the end of the day and your fingers are so frozen up that you can't pick up a pencil off the table, you know you have a problem........I did a lot of research into ergonomics, and it made me a believer when I saw the benefits I derived from paying attention to my body mechanics.

If your wrists hurt, try hot, cold therapy to flush out the inflammation. As a quick fix, you can run hot/cold/hot/cold water in the restroom over your wrists.

Hope maybe one of these will help. Nothing worse than hand/wrist/thumb pain doing this kind of work...........

Savannah