The knead for relaxation

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This article was published 24/10/2018 (2826 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was the start of another typically stressful day in the bustling newsroom of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Which is to say I wandered down to my office cubicle, plugged in my computer, then removed my sweatpants and top, climbed into a portable massage chair and settled in for 30-minute journey to total relaxation.

Welcome to Massage Therapy Awareness Week, which began on Oct. 21 and runs until Saturday.

The kind folks at the Massage Therapy Association of Manitoba decided the best way to highlight the benefits of their profession — celebrating its 45th anniversary in this province — would be to visit our office and use me as a test subject to demonstrate the three most common forms of massage therapy.

I jumped at the invitation, partly because my editor thought it was an excellent idea, but mostly because — brace yourselves for a shock — I had never had a massage in my life.

So I was both excited and apprehensive when Tricia Weidenbacher, the association’s managing director, and Christy Cook, their education and events manager, arrived at the Free Press toting a portable massage chair and table, both of which have those little holes into which clients stick their faces.

It’s not unusual for registered massage therapists like Tricia and Christy to visit a client’s office, but typically the sessions are conducted in a boardroom or private office.

“This was the first time in the middle of a newsroom,” Tricia said, laughing. “It (visiting clients) is something we do. I did a series of visits to the Investors Group building to do chair massages for the employees.

“The department head thought it would be a nice benefit for the staff to have five and 10-minute massages during the day to deal with headaches, repetitive strain injuries and overall stress.”

Before I stretched out on their table — decked out in gym shorts and a golf shirt — I slipped into the portable chair for what could best be described as a warmup session.

With a smattering of jealous colleagues looking on — “Hey, I want to try THAT!” one of them chirped — Christy did the hands-on work, while Tricia talked me through the various techniques.

There are a host of reasons for seeking the services of a registered massage therapist — and there are about 1,100 of them working in Manitoba — but it mostly boils down to managing chronic pain, reducing muscle tension and relieving stress.

With me in the chair, Christy launched into a series of pressure techniques on my legs, which sort of felt like she was making loaves of bread.

“I did some warming techniques that involved compression to help bring blood flow to the area, and then fingertip kneading to release any tension there might be,” Christy explained. “Then I did some kneading on your shoulders to release the tension there.”

The highlight, however, was something called “tapotement,” which is essentially that series of karate chops most people have seen whenever there’s a massage scene in a film or on TV.

“I use it (the karate chops) to liven you back up a bit so you’re not so sleepy if you have to get back to work,” she noted.

Chimed in Tricia: “The karate chops are a kinder way of waking someone back up than sticking a finger in their ribs.”

I couldn’t have agreed more, but then it was time to lie face-down on the table to experience the three main therapeutic massage techniques, starting with…

— Myofascial Release: This is a type of massage that targets the body’s fascia, that thin layer of connective tissue under the skin that is kind of the human equivalent of the white, filmy layer you see on a piece of uncooked chicken.

They don’t apply oil or lotion for this technique because the therapist wants to get as firm a grip as possible on your skin.

It begins with technique called skin rolling, which involves pinching the skin and rolling it along. “It’s like you’re lifting and pushing the skin as you move,” Tricia told me. “We do that to improve the mobility of the fascia. We’re using it to increase mobility and decrease muscle pain.”

Then Christy demonstrated myofascial stretching, wherein the therapist literally stretches that layer of tissue with her hands, which is when we moved on to …

— Swedish Massage: This is arguably the most famous set of techniques, the ones almost everyone has heard of. Unlike the first style, they use lotion in this phase to make it easier for the therapist’s hands to glide over the skin.

“You want the glide so there’s a higher comfort level,” Tricia pointed out. “It’s made up of those long, gliding techniques, the kneading, anything where you kind of lift and twist the muscle. It’s the most commonly used massage technique.”

Out of journalistic fairness, I will point out it is difficult to focus on explanations when you are experiencing a massage this relaxing, knowing that your newsroom colleagues are glancing at you in bemusement.

“There’s lots of feel-good factor,” Christy said as she worked the knotted muscles in my legs. “They are such comforting kinds of techniques, gentle but firm and warming. It induces a lot of relaxation.”

Noted Tricia: “This is the one people commonly think of when they want to release tension and reduce stress. From Day 1 in massage school, you start learning Swedish techniques.”

It features “effleurage,” which is the name for the light, broad strokes used to apply the lotion. Next comes “petrissage,” the kneading and lifting and twisting and squeezing.

“It’s kind of rhythmic kneading because it’s more soothing and useful for stretching tense muscles,” Christy said as I muttered my appreciation.

Finally, it was time to demonstrate the final therapeutic technique, namely…

— Deep Pressure Massage: If the first two phases are designed to warm you up, this is the point there the therapist really leans into their work.

Which is to say Christy didn’t just use her fingertips — she applied pressure with her forearms, elbows and knuckles, employing more rigorous techniques with greater pressure.

“You seemed to enjoy it,” she declared. “You were a fantastic patient and gave good feedback.”

Explained Tricia: “Now you’re able to access deeper tissues, deeper muscles in a way that is going to cause less discomfort than if you just jumped in there and rammed your fist into a muscle without warming it up.

“We’ll use our upper-body weight. You’re not just working with your hands; you’re physically leaning on the person and using your whole body weight to apply more pressure… It could be for repetitive strain injury or chronic pain.

“It’s very common when you are working on athletes with more muscle mass and density.”

Sadly for me, it was all over in 30 minutes. A normal session runs for about an hour. In a nutshell, it was incredibly relaxing, even in the middle of a busy newsroom.

Was there any pain? Well, yes, but it was what is typically referred to as “the good kind of pain.” But I’ll let Tricia, the MTAM’s managing director, explain. “People have a common misconception that it has to hurt to help,” she said. “We want people to know it doesn’t have to hurt.

“You can have a very effective massage therapy treatment that is tolerable and comfortable and you still get the maximum benefits. There’s a difference between good pain, where you go ‘Ahhhh!’ and the pain that has you squirming on the table and wanting to crawl away.”

But don’t tell your therapist they rubbed you the wrong way, because — and I can guarantee this — they’ve heard that joke before.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca