Expecting Athletes

Pregnancy Massage is highly beneficial. In pre-birth stages it supports changing body posture and regulates the baby's positioning. Relaxation chemicals flow between mother and child and ease the mother's discomfort. Regular massage can  shorten labor. Moreover, massage reduces pain and anxiety, particularly in cases of late births. After the baby is born, massage brings mom's strained body structure and physiology back into alignment, soothes muscles sore from breast feeding, and regulates postpartum hormones.


But how does massage benefit expecting mothers who are also athletes? What are the specifications for active women regarding pregnancy massage?

Body nuances for expecting athletes include tighter muscles, leading to increased resistance during labor. Depending on your body, tighter muscles might mean difficulty relaxing, lengthening of labor and increase in pain or discomfort before, during and after birth .


Pregnancy massage is especially important for expecting athletes because it stretches muscle fibers and allows for greater flexibility during labor. Massage helps alleviate pain and improves circulation making it easier for mom to breathe. Increase in circulation helps mom and baby move smoothly through, pain mitigates and labor is shortened. After birth, massage improves both quantity and quality of sleep helping mom and baby maintain relaxation through out their active days. Over all, massage helps mom maintain a pain free physically active life before and after labor.


To schedule your prenatal massage session click here

happy places

Wellness Wisdom

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress-related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. Massage is an effective tool for managing this stress, which translates into:

• Decreased anxiety
• Enhanced sleep quality.
• Greater energy
• Improved concentration
• Increased circulation
• Reduced fatigue.

Massage can also help specifically address a number of health issues. Bodywork can:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body's natural defense system.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body's largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body's natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.

Self Care: hot bath with epsom salt

Magnesium sulfate is a natural mineral found in water. When the Epsom salt dissolves in warm water the magnesium sulfate is absorbed through the skin and rejuvenates body levels of magnesium. This mineral helps your body to produce serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of calm and relaxation. It can also relieve the pain of inflammation which makes it effective in treating sore muscles, bronchial asthma, and migraines. 

The effective ingredient in Epsom salt is the magnesium. Magnesium is an important mineral because it regulates the activity of 325 enzymes in the body, reduces inflammation, and helps prevent artery hardening. The benefits of magnesium are numerous: body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and helping muscles and nerves to function properly.  It has also been known to reduce irritability by lowering the effects of adrenaline. During your bath your blood pressure decreases creating a relaxed feeling, which in turn will allow you a better night’s rest. 

Epsom salt can be easily purchased at any drugstore or supermarket. Epsom salt can be used not only for your health but for beauty purposes as well. Adding a teaspoon of Epsom salt to your favorite body or facial cleanser can create an effective exfoliate to wash away dead skin. If you don’t have time for a full bath try a relaxing foot soak. Epsom salt has been known to relieve the pain of sprains and bruises, athlete’s foot and gout. 

Elevated levels of stress hormones

Research indicates that massage can be of value in helping reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Massage causes the body to release many therapeutic mood and health enhancing chemicals, it increases dopamine and serotonin and reduces the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. It increases the relaxation alpha brain waves and also increases pain relieving levels of endorphins. Massage lowers noradrenaline and lowers the stress hormone ACTH (Adrenocorticotrophic hormone). Massage boosts the immune system, stabilises blood sugar levels, improves lung function and peak air flow, it generally reduces the number of visits to the doctor while increasing work productivity.

 Our skin is full of many millions of nerve receptors that are linked to our nervous system. When the skin is massaged it causes stimulation and release of chemicals in the brain like serotonin that help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. 

It's known that the skin and nervous system are intimately connected. A single part of the developing foetus known as the neuroectoderm gives rise to both. 

Call 612 205-4453 for appointment.

What is Orthopedic Massage?

Orthopedic massage is a type of massage therapy which is focused on treating painful conditions which affect the soft tissues of the body. The massage therapist may integrate a range of techniques to treat these conditions, ideally adapting his or her style for each client, as every person's body is slightly different. Orthopedic massage may be recommended by a physician who wants a patient to pursue multiple treatment modalities, and people can also see an orthopedic massage therapist independently. Training in orthopedic massage is offered by several massage schools. A therapist who performs orthopedic massage focuses on problems with the client's musculoskeletal system. He or she may release tight muscles, help to stretch shortened muscles and tendons, and decompress joints. The goal is to normalize the soft tissues of the body, both to treat specific conditions and to keep clients generally healthy and fit. Because orthopedicmassage is designed to treat medical conditions, it requires extensive training, as an unskilled therapist could harm a client by accident. The first step in an orthopedic massage session is assessment, in which the therapist will talk to the client about the problem and examine the area of interest. If the massage therapist partners with a physician, he or she will also look over notes from the physician. Then, the therapist establishes a treatment plan which considers the physiological effects of various massagetechniques. Orthopedic massage is very flexible, since it integrates a wide range of bodyworkstyles with the end goal of improving the client's condition. Finally, the therapist works with the client on the table. By using various soft tissue manipulation techniques, the massage therapist can alleviate an assortment of painful conditions caused by soft tissue strain. Depending on the client's issue, the massage therapist may recommend multiple sessions to treat the problem, to ensure that it is eliminated and to build up strength and resistance in the affected area so that the condition does not recur. Because many serious medical conditions can present with things like painful muscles and tendons, an orthopedic massage therapist needs extensive training to learn to differentiate between orthopedic problems like a strained shoulder and medical problems like strokes and heart attacks which can spark muscle pain at their onset. Some conditions can also be exacerbated by massage therapy; some experts argue that some cancers, for example, can be encouraged to spread with massage, or a therapist could unwittingly cause lymphedema in a patient with improperly applied massage techniques. If you are considering orthopedic massage, you may want to talk to a doctor first to make sure that it is the best treatment for you.

Benefits of Medical Massage Therapy

Releases tight and sore muscles which can cause ischemia (a lack of blood supply to soft tissues, which causes hypersensitivity to the touch and allows for further injury to the tissues)

Helps relieve nerve compression or entrapment. (Pressure on a nerve by soft tissue, cartilage or bone, which can contribute to muscle atrophy, referred pain, paresthesia, and conditions such as pseudo sciatica, piriformis syndrome, pseudo angina, and others.)

Deactivates Myofascial Trigger Points (Trigger Points: Areas of high neurological activity, which refer pain to other parts of the body. Research has shown, trigger points may be responsible for as much as 74% of everyday pain.)

Decreases Pain And Inflammation:  

Massage can restore suppleness and strength to your muscles, improving their overall function. It's the ideal treatment for releasing tension or muscles in spasm and helps to release toxins such as lactic acid (produced by muscle tissue during exercise).

Alleviates Stress and Improves Circulation:

Proper circulation is vital to continued health. Your blood and lymph carry nourishment to the trillions of cells throughout your body and then carry away the waste to be eliminated from the cells. Massage encourages a better exchange of nutrients at the cellular level and more thorough detoxification. Remember, the future "you" is determined by how well your army of cells regenerate themselves, so this is indeed a critical part of remaining healthy.  Massage has been practiced for thousands of years and is one of the earliest health treatments known to man.  That is why it remains one of the best ways of dealing with everyday stress. 

Aids in Digestion:

Massage can improve digestive motility.

Increases Flexibility And Range Of Motion:

By reducing hypertonicity and hypotonicity the muscles allow for normal ranges of motion to be restored. This also reduces the forces being applied to the joint capsule and diminishes the potential for joint and disk degeneration.

Calms The Nervous System: 

The first sense to develop is your sense of touch. It's not surprising when you consider that each square inch of your skin contains roughly 50 nerve endings. With as many as five million total touch receptors in your skin relaying messages on to your brain, your body's initial response to massage is to relax and de-stimulate. Even a simple touch has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce the heart rate. Touch can also signal the brain to produce endorphins, your body's natural pain suppressors. The nervous system is your communication network, sending messages constantly that determine proper functioning throughout your body. Stress can affect the ability of the nervous system to do its job. The many nerve endings found in the skin and muscles are soothed by massage, and this contributes to keeping your internal lines of communication open and operational.

Improves Posture And Coordination

Medical Massage is cost effective.  

By assisting the client towards a quicker recovery from acute headaches, neck and back pain, skeletal muscular strains, sprains, etc. he or she is able to return to a normal productive life.  

Medical Massage also helps to prevent future chronic pain conditions by effectively dealing with the cause of the problem and eliminating it. It is shown in scientific literature that over 80% of the pain is coming from soft tissue injuries, and over 74% is directly attributed to Trigger Points.  Overall Medical Massage achieves results and substantial cost savings to the client, employer and to society.  As the general public becomes more familiar with the role of the Medical Massage Therapist they will be better able to handle their everyday soft-tissue pains.

As powerful as Medical Massage Therapy can be, in certain cases it may be contraindicated. Please consult with your physician or health care provider to determine the appropriate treatment protocol.

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Washburn Community Education: Massage for Couples

"Massage for Couples" begins tonight. We will meet for 2 two hour sessions.  This is a relaxing experience and attracts people who genuinely want to support their partner's relaxation and receive the same kind of support. It is a chance to know each other in a unique way. This class provides an opportunity to learn to get out of your own way so that you can open to a new or deeper relationship with your partner. The sequence we cover on our first evening together follows:

full back sequence

effleurage top  from 2 different positions

circle stroke full back

petrissage  pelvis to C7

kneading C1-C7

compression/pull back upper traps

hand over hand upper traps

petrissage to top of pelvis

hand over hand from spine to right lateral rib cage

repeat hand over hand on left

cat kneading/myofascial release

tapotement

next week: sub scap & rhomboid work
neck and shoulders
feet and hands

arboretum

Nature heals. Not across the board, but for those who seek and notice it, it works. After reading an article on outdoor treatment rooms I have been imagining such a room for my services. Due the the fact I live in Minnesota it would have a limited use unless I were willing to somehow construct it with sliding windows and a sliding roof. Open to the sky in the summer during cooperative weather, private with strategically placed foliage it could be an amazing experience, until the mosquitoes arrived.