How to Do Self-Massage
As I mentioned in my introduction to self-massage, I believe that one can be as effective in massaging own body as a professional masseur. How so?
For one, massage therapists spend a lot of time practicing their touch and learning to interpret responses by observing subtle changes in body structures or function, for example, a decrease in muscle tension. Their touch must be firm, yet not overpowering, so it doesn’t cause unexpected reactions, which would be counterproductive to the whole process or even contributing to the issue being treated.
They also rely on the feedback they get from a client to adjust their actions. If the client miscommunicates or the therapist misinterpret the information, the treatment may not be as effective or actually have an unexpected, undesired result. Therefore, I say you have an advantage over anybody who is trying to understand how you feel. After all, you are inside of the skin unto which pressure is being applied.
The Touch
Whether you are using your fingers, knuckles, the ball of the thumb or a massager (more on massagers, tools, and accessories later in this publication), you want to apply pressure firmly to the area being massaged. However, by doing so, you must not cause any pain. Light tenderness is ok. Remember, our goal is to find sensitive spots and relax into the sensations of light tenderness, tightness. Adjust pressure if you come across a spot that is extra sensitive.
If you press too hard, you may not be able to relax. On the contrary, you may aggravate the problem by making your body to tense by contracting muscles and tissues surrounding the area being worked on.
As you explore an area of your body for sensitivity, you will have to roll or glide smoothly over that area while applying equal pressure at every point on the path. If you press too hard, you will find that you produce jerking movements (especially if you are not using a roller). That is a sure sign that you need to ease a bit.
Pay attention to your breathing
If you notice that your breathing pattern changes, you are probably applying too much pressure!
When we are tense (think of lifting a very heavy object) we tend to hold our breath. Some people may start breathing faster when they are in pain. Being in labor is a good example. When administering self-massage, breathe normally or slightly deeper than usual, without increasing the frequency of inhalations. Keep your whole body relaxed. We don’t want to alarm our nervous system.
Another significant factor is that you are both on the giving and the receiving end of it. You will not only know how much pressure to apply so that you feel comfortable but also where and for how long to do it. There are general, conventional recommendations as to how to administer soft tissue manipulations. However, we are all unique, and sometimes, we must rely on our own feelings and observations.
The advancements in science and research in recent years have subjected to criticism many conventionally accepted ideas. The ability to use fingers to locate (palpate) tender, irritable, tight nodules or bands within muscles, also know as trigger points, has also been under scrutiny. Although this technique had been the center point of many well-established schools of massage therapy for decades, eventually it turned out to be an unreliable approach to identifying the cause of observed issues in chronic pain sufferers.
In spite of the possibly misapplied hypothesis that wasn’t supported by any hard evidence, the results had proved to be beneficial in treating restricted motion and chronic pain. This shows that experts rely on accumulated common knowledge shared within the industry and on the feedback from the person under treatment to make adjustments. They apply techniques that proved to be effective based on historical trials, rather than on an understanding of the mechanism at play. Which, once again, shows that they (experts) rely on what you feel more than on what they can sense with their fingers and observe with their eyes.
During your initial interview, when you are being asked about the history of your issues, your regular activities and occupation, the specialist can pick up a lot of information that allows him or her define a solid idea of possible problems within your body. This is a two-edged sword that creates the foundation for guesswork. It can blind the specialist. Due to the lack of reliable methods to make a diagnosis, he will rely on the accuracy of the information you provided, rather than on his ability to investigate the issues on his own.
Once again, you shall avoid the guesswork. Instead, you can reliably and with great precision find the area on your body that needs to be worked on. All you need is a little tip on where to look for the right spot.
Finding the Spot
If only self-massage was as simple as applying pressure to the spot where you feel tightness or irritation, then we could’ve just stopped at explaining various massaging techniques and would’ve been done with it. I’d wish you good hunting, and you would go after them "trouble makers."
However, as soon as you start self-massaging, you will realize that sometimes you come across certain areas that are quite sensitive or even painful to the touch, but otherwise remain unknown until you find them. They can affect nearby structures, restricting movements, or also radiating pain to distant regions. Therefore, I recommend, especially to those who are new to self-massaging, to take time and try exploring your whole body. Using rollers and massagers will let you go over relatively large areas quickly. This is a great way to get a general assessment of the condition of your body.
As I mentioned, once in a while, you will get to experience a phenomenon of referring pain. That’s when you feel sensations outside the area currently being massaged. Those are great yet, at times, confusing moments when you get to appreciate the interconnectedness of the many parts of your body.
By using maps of common issues associated with various body regions, you will be able to fine-tune your efforts in resolving specific problems fast. You can find numerous area-specific recommendation and tips at my site. I regularly update these publications as my research on the subject continues.
When you get to the article titled “Full Body Self-Massage,” make sure you have an hour of free time to spare on exploring your body. This way, you will get a better idea as to what feels normal and what constitutes a “problem area.”
Observe and Modify
Another benefit of being able to massage your own body is being able to observe the progress and to modify your routines as needed. If you go in for a massage weekly, a lot of things will be happening in-between the sessions. It may be hard to recognize patterns and actions that contribute to your issues since one thing can overlap with another, and the accumulative effect would be hard to analyze. For example, those latent areas that radiate pain or tightness only on touch may not be discovered until the next time the massage therapists goes over them. However, if you regularly do a quick routine self-massage session, you will notice them sooner and, perhaps, will be able to figure out what causes the relapse. In such a way you can address the issues right away by, perhaps, modifying your habits or work environment to avoid the problems in the future.
Summary
1. Observe breathing. It is a good indicator of your state. Don’t hold it. You can breathe deeper than usual, but don’t let it get too frequent.
2. Before working on any specific area of your body, spend some time massaging your whole body. It’s easier to learn by comparing various sensations in different areas of your body.
3. Massage your body regularly, especially in the beginning or if you experience frequent relapses.