Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/790815
C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 61 expand our therapeutic possibilities—and our clients' therapeutic benefits. What does such a change look like? Let's explore two positions that will enable you to effectively engage the sides of the body. 1. Opposite-Side Lean. Stand at the side of the table and work on the opposite side of the client's body (so to work the left side of the client's back, for example, you would stand on the right side of the table). From this position, you will reach past the client's midline, grasp the lateral structure you want to work on (whether the quadratus lumborum, the iliotibial band, or the axilla), and then lean your whole body backward, so you are lifting the tissue (as is comfortable), and encouraging the musculature to move up and away from where it lies on the table. 2. Same-Side Sink. Start on the same side of the table as the side of the client you want to work, but instead of standing, sit on a stool (or yoga ball) or kneel on your knees. From this low position, you can contact the lateral musculature from "underneath"—working more specifically than in the first position— contacting the most lateral (and even anterior) portion of the muscle. Once again, you are not pressing the tissue down toward the table, but instead sinking into the musculature from other angles, either suggesting it along the bone, or up and away from the bone. These two positions are unusual, so don't worry if they are hard to visualize just yet. Now, let's explore how you might use them to work on one specific part of the body. OPPOSITE SIDE LEAN PROTOCOL Some days, it seems as though every client who gets on my table has the same complaint: that frustrating feeling of tightness, tension, or pain up the back of the neck or across the shoulders. Surely, you see many clients like this, too. No matter how much stripping you do of the rhomboids, or how much crossfiber friction you do to the upper trapezius, the area remains stuck. And—let's be honest—you get bored. When we merely go through the motions, so to speak, neither the therapist nor the client benefits. Instead, a more effective solution to this common complaint lies in expanding your focus beyond the actual spot where the client feels tension, and around to the sides of the body. The next time a client complains of this typical upper-back tension, try liberating yourself (and your client). With the client in prone position, apply less oil than you usually do and spend a few minutes doing your typical upper-back routine: pushing directly into the rhomboids, the trapezius, etc. Then, allot yourself an additional few minutes to try something different. Here are two techniques I find especially effective to engage the lateral structures of the upper back, using the first position I described earlier—the Opposite-Side Lean. (Note: this sequence describes working the left side of the client's body, in prone position; you can do all the same things on the client's right side by mirroring these descriptions.) When we challenge our old habits, we expand our therapeutic possibilities and our clients' therapeutic benefits.