Skills Update – Advanced Massage

Last weekend I attended the second part of an Advanced Massage course run by TEACH Therapy . I completed part one back in September and have been looking forward to going on the second part ever since. The course was great.

The course recapped on deep tissue techniques and also taught me a wider range of articulation techniques for the spinal, pelvic, and peripheral joints. I was introduced to muscle energy techniques and functional techniques which are both commonly used in Osteopathy. I found the strain/counter-strain techniques very beneficial and I will be using these with clients as and when required.

Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) is a system of soft tissue

“manipulation methods that incorporate precisely directed and controlled, patient initiated, isometric and/or isotonic contractions, designed to improve musculoskeletal function and reduce pain”

according to Leon Chaitow et al., authors of Muscle Energy Techniques.

The Functional Technique is a simple and gentle technique. It involves placing, for example the neck, in to a position in which it is most comfortable for the joint and held in place. This helps to rebalance the neural feedback mechanism and helps improve mobility of the joint, and ease pain.

I also learnt how to assess mobility in the sacro-iliac joints and articulation techniques to help improve it. The sacro-iliac joint is situated between the sacrum, at the base of the spine and the pelvis. It is a common site for people to experience pain and stiffness as in sacro-iliac joint dysfunction. This occurs when there is a problem with the normal movement of the joints, for example too much or too little movement. This can cause pain in the lower back, buttocks, and down the legs.

And finally, I learnt how to assess leg-length discrepancies and how to help realign any differences. Research has shown that a leg length-discrepancy can be a significant cause of chronic lower back pain.