Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1471270
L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 49 Move your stool around to experiment with different access points when working the upper trapezius. anterior upper trapezius edge. Place your other hand on top of the posterior upper trapezius and press your top hand into your bottom hand (Image 7). I prefer to use knuckles or a massage tool for the top hand and fingertips for the bottom hand. If you can, rest the forearm of your bottom hand on your leg to reduce the workload in that shoulder and arm. Your bottom hand should be doing the least amount of work. GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK If you're ready to try out some new ways to press, squeeze, and glide, give yourself a pat on the back because change is not easy, especially for massage therapists in the massage room. I'm not saying "especially for massage therapists" to be critical of us. Here's what I mean: Imagine your client walks into your massage room with a sore back. He has a trigger point that needs attention, but you have two iffy thumbs. What are you going to do? My guess is you're going to do whatever it takes to get him out of pain, even if it means pressing on a trigger point with iffy thumbs—and putting yourself in pain. Am I right? But here's what's changed: You now have more options for iffy thumbs and other overused body parts. Continue to build your portfolio of options, and my bet is that you'll be able to do massage for a long time. Mark Liskey, LMT, CNMT, is a massage therapist, massage CE provider, and author of The Pain-Free Massage Therapist, a body-mechanics strategies and techniques book for eliminating pain in the massage room and extending massage careers. You can access free, instructional body- mechanics videos at painfreemassagetherapist.com. 7 VIDEO: "KNUCKLE- THUMB COMBINATIONS" 1. Open your camera 2. Scan the code 3. Tap on notification 4. Watch!