Massage & Bodywork

November | December 2014

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Counterbalance: When bending from your hip joints, be sure to bend your knees and ankles. This allows the forward-leaning weight of the upper body to be counterbalanced by the pelvis, keeping your center of weight close to your line of gravity. WEEK 4. LIFTING Get Close: Reduce the space between your body and the load to reduce the effort in your back. This makes the act of lifting, especially heavier loads, easier and more comfortable. Face the Weight: To ensure that you keep your body in one plane of movement, face the weight you are about to lift. This strategy reduces the chance of starting a lift in a rotated or twisted position, thus decreasing your chance of injury. Your Legs: Lifting with the legs allows you to bend from the hip joints, knees, and ankles, helping the spine to maintain a neutral and vertical position. The power of your lower body is used to lift, while your upper body facilitates. WEEK 5. PUSHING AND PULLING Self-Supported Pushing: Self-supported pushing involves maintaining stability without relying on your client's body to do so. The force is generated from the center of weight in your lower body, relieving your arms, wrists, and hands of forceful work, and thus increasing your quality of touch. Self-Supported Pulling: Pulling with self-support means the center of weight in your lower body initiates the movement backward, not your hands. This allows you to remain stable and in control of your balance. Your hands remain sensitive to the response of your client's body, instead of gripping for stability. WEEK 6. APPLYING DEEP PRESSURE Effective Alignment: Effective alignment is essential for delivering force effortlessly and reducing your risk of injury. When applying pressure to your client's back from the side of the table, work unilaterally so that your shoulders, arms, and hands are aligned with your lower body. Effective Use of Force: Working with gravity and using the strength of your lower body to apply force increases your power while decreasing your effort. To take advantage of gravity, stand directly above the area of focus when applying static pressure. When working at an angle, position yourself at a distance. This allows you to use the power of your lower body, pushing with your feet and legs to transfer force into the area of focus. Effective Use of Tools: Choosing the most effective tool for the required technique and area of focus promotes variety and saves your hands from repetitive stress injury. The fi ngers and thumbs should be used for less stressful work, while the forearms and elbows are excellent choices for applying deep pressure. Barb Frye has been a massage educator and therapist since 1990. She coordinated IBM's body mechanics program and authored Body Mechanics for Manual Therapists: A Functional Approach to Self- Care (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010), now in its third edition. She has a massage and Feldenkrais practice at the Pluspunkt Center for Therapy and Advanced Studies near Zurich, Switzerland. Contact her at barbfrye@hotmail.com. Author's Note This is my last Body Awareness column. It has been an honor accompanying you on your quest for better body mechanics. I wish you all continued success in fostering your body awareness and increasing that of your clients. The force is generated from the center of weight in your lower body, relieving your arms, wrists, and hands of forceful work, and thus increasing your quality of touch.

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