TOP 10 Massage Complaints and SOLUTIONS

Large corporations understand that improper working environments that are not ergonomically correct result in huge losses in revenue annually due to sick days employees take off from simple things like headaches, back and neck pain. This common position is responsible for numerous issues, one more reason getting up and moving frequently is a huge help.

Sitting at a desktop computer.
The keyboard and mouse should be as level as possible to the height of your elbows. The chair height needs to be adjusted high enough to allow the shoulders to hang naturally and relaxed letting the elbow bend comfortably to type and operate the mouse. This means your desk will be a little higher than your belly button!  Like that’s ever happened. This avoids raising and “holding” your shoulder up, in which we have no idea we do. The monitor should be eye level. Looking down makes us lean forward, tensing the back of the neck to hold up the head . Looking up tenses the front of the neck and can possibly pinch the sweet little vertebrae. Unfortunately the desk manufacturer doesn’t know the chair manufacturer and nobody knows who made the mouse, my point being most of these things don’t work together. You may have to remove the arm rests from your chair which are probably not in the right position for you in the first place. We are all going to eventually look like Larry King, I swear his ears are going to permanently attach to his shoulders someday. “Love you Larry.” Elevate your monitor using something thick and sturdy enough to not shift. I use the extra phone books I seem to get every year. If you are writing and typing work more on looking down with your eyes instead of wrenching your neck forward. This helps to exercise the eye muscles and helps with strain.

My take on laptop computers is that they are the best thing that happened to the business world next to cell phones but they are an ergonomic nightmare! Too high and your shoulders are cinched up, too low and your neck declares an all out war on the “lap box”.

Low back pain contributes to billions of dollars lost annually in ER visits, workers compensation claims, sick days, medical claims and so on. The pelvis region is the fulcrum point of the body and along with the legs it helps create balance and stability.

When this alignment is off problems arise. This diagram shows a particular case. NOTE: All cases are different person to person but show many similarities, notice the zig zag pattern in the body. It’s function is to stand upright therefore it will always seek balance, The YELLOW signifies areas of reported pain, the RED tight muscles, a plumb line identifying center and arrows showing direction of structure. When the pelvis is forward and our back muscles get too tight they may pull or pinch the vertebrae together.  Another cause of sciatica. Keeping the muscles stretched keeps us in balance and helps avoid possible injuries to our joints.

HANDS/CARPAL TUNNEL SYMPTOMS
We all know the downfall to repetitive movements. Unless you’ve been diagnosed from a physician with carpal tunnel syndrome you may be experiencing pain associated with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. According to Wikipedia the two main causes are those in motor vehicle accidents, computer users or those who sit in “non-ergonomic postures for extended periods of time.” Mainly affected are the scalenes, those wonderful muscles at each side of our neck that pop out when we make the lizard face. The help stabilize the head when too far forward. Tightening of these muscles compresses the nerves and blood vessels going to the arm. Pain usually starts with tingling fingers, aching wrists moving up the arm.
One solution idea:
Stretch the scalenes. Slow neck rolls do wonders.
Massage the wrists, top and bottom using small circular motions. No oil is needed. This is a “needing” action not a gliding action. Compress with the thumbs. Open and close the hands very slowly. Joints require fluid to move smoothly and freely. Moving a joint too fast and repetitively can “dry up” this fluid. Moving slowly encourages more fluid to seep into the joint. Do slow wrist circles.PLANTAR FASCIITIS/FIBROMYALGIA

Both conditions have similar issues in that they both affect the fascia tissue. In 99% of people their bodies feel as thought the plastic sheeting on a waterbed has become too tight. The water inside is still “water” and feels of water but the casing has become taught. I can always tell when my clients are having a flare up. Massage with little glide helps loosen this tissue as does stretching. The plantar fasciitis shows similar textures and although the muscles in the feet are much smaller, deeper, no oil movements loosen this tissue. Makes me wonder if the fascia has become adhered to the muscle fibers. Reflexology works well on plantar fasciitis, the usual method being no oil.