Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/72093
10 BENEFITS OF A SIDE-LYING POSITION In a side-lying position, the shoulders and hips have freedom to move. This potential freedom of movement is an invaluable tool in determining where clients are tight, and it offers more possibilities to stretch, lengthen, and massage their tight joints and muscles. Furthermore, since many practitioners don't use a side-lying position to treat pain, incorporating it into your practice will give you an advantage. I have helped many people who came to me after seeing a number of other therapists. Because I use side-lying positions, I can better access and relieve the tightness that is causing pain. They leave thinking I'm a miracle worker, but really, I'm just using the advantages that a side-lying position offers. ADVANTAGES TO A SIDE-LYING POSITION 1. Client Evaluation A side-lying position is a great way to evaluate muscle tightness in your client, because the therapist can move a client's shoulders or pelvis forward, back, up, and down to feel for where the joint is impinged. The therapist can also look at the client's hips and shoulder joints in a side-lying position to see if the joint is tilted anteriorly, posteriorly, or superiorly. This visual and tactile information can help the therapist to evaluate, treat, and structure the session. 2. Troubleshooting Because the whole shoulder girdle and pelvic girdle are available to be massaged in a side-lying position, troubleshooting pain is easier. Doing massage is like peeling an onion: as one layer or muscle releases, the practitioner moves on to massage the next layer or other muscles that are tight. A side-lying position allows you to move easily from the front of the body to the back of the body and/or side of the body—there is no need for your client to flip over. 3. Balance and Realign With the front, back, and sides of the shoulder and pelvic joints available to be massaged, it's possible to balance the front of the joint respective to the back of the joint, and vice versa. For example, shoulders have a tendency to round forward; in a side-lying position, it's possible to massage the front of the shoulder (with a stretch if necessary), releasing the tension in the chest that may be pulling the shoulder forward. From this position, you can also work the tension that builds in the back of the shoulders from this kind of misalignment. A side-lying position is the best way to massage the muscles that run 4. Stretch and Lengthen Freedom of movement in a joint means more opportunities to stretch. Take the shoulders, for example. In a side-lying position, it's possible to stretch while massaging both the chest muscles and the rhomboids without changing position. Tight hips and shoulders tend to move up the body. along the sides of the body. Oftentimes, mothers favor one hip when carrying their baby, causing a misalignment in their pelvis (the hip that carries the baby ends up being higher than the other one). It's difficult to stretch and lengthen the quadratus lumborum (QL) in a prone position; in a side-lying position, the therapist can traction a downward stretch while massaging the QL, creating length in the QL and encouraging the hip to move back down. 5. Massage Lateral Sides of the Body Many massage therapists treat the body as though it has two sides—a front and a back. The body actually has four sides: a front, back, right side, and left side. A side-lying position is the best way to massage the muscles that run along the sides of the body. By making these muscles easy to access, the practitioner 68 massage & bodywork may/june 2012