massage for gardeners

July finds our gardens reaching abundance: radishes are still available, along with chard, cucumbers, strawberries and basil. I just harvested the last of my sour cherries and rhubarb. But the weeding and watering is never finished leaving me happy that I have a weekly session with a massage therapist on my calendar. Massage tailored specifically for gardeners provides therapeutic relief from gardening aches and pains. The techniques grew out of athletic massage. The treatment differs from Swedish massage and is a more specific form of soft tissue manipulation: techniques target the areas stressed in gardening activities: the lower back, shoulders and neck, hands and forearms, and the knees. Scientific research shows that massage relieves pain and stiffness, speeds recovery time and improves joint flexibility. It is effective before and after gardening. If done shortly before a strenuous day of garden cleanup, you can minimize soreness by boosting circulation to the muscles and loosening the joints. Massage is also used to reduce the chance of injury – especially from those at-risk tight spots prone to strain.   Massage can ease stiffness and soreness after gardening. Massage for gardeners can speed relief from those aches and spasms that show up the day after. A one hour massage is more effective at relieving soreness and stiffness than stationary rest of the same duration. It normally takes a muscle that has been stressed to a point of fatigue 48-72 hours to recuperate. Massage tailored for gardening and other strenuous physical activity can reduce the recuperation time by as much as 50 percent. Massage follows medication as the most sought-after form of pain relief. Over half of those 65 and older who got a massage within the past five years did so to reduce pain, for injury or muscle soreness, or to regain full usage of a muscle after an injury. Massage is more effective for chronic back pain than other complementary therapies. Massage as a pain management therapy has gone mainstream in the US. Massage therapists are viewed as health care professionals by more and more American consumers. Of those who discussed massage therapy with their health care providers, 70 percent of the providers strongly recommended or encouraged their patients to get a massage. (Facts are quoted from studies by the American Massage Therapy Association.) A massage session tailored for gardening starts with a brief medical history and identifying goals for the session with your massage therapist.  The massage session will include a variety of techniques such as compression to soften the muscles and increase the circulation to speed healing. Passive joint movements lubricate and open the joints for increased flexibility. Treating specific trouble spots may include releasing trigger points to relieve soreness and return the muscle to full function.  There are a few situations in which massage tailored forgardeners is not safe. The massage therapist will take a medical history to ensure that massage is safe for you. A heart condition, anemia, advanced diabetes, liver or lung conditions, cancer, or recent surgery all create situations in which the deep muscle work and increased circulation may overtax the client’s system. In cases where massage for gardeners is not recommended without a physician’s permission, there are gentler methods that can be helpful in these situations.  Skin conditions like poison ivy, open wounds, and varicose veins may limit the massage application to unaffected areas of the body. Massage tailored to gardeners requires some specific training. This is how the techniques used are taught in schools. Trained massage therapists are happy to share their credentials with clients. Ask if the massage therapist has any training in “sports or athletic massage”. It is helpful the massage therapist is familiar with gardening so she can focus on the specific muscles likely to be over-worked. Gardening is a joy, an exercise program and, for many of us, a spiritual practice. People who look forward to regular gardening activities can benefit from adding massage to their lives. Massage therapy is a proven solution to increase your comfort and enjoyment in the garden.