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 Minute Massage For Holiday Insanity
Traditional holiday activities generate a host of physical and emotional trauma, so I’ve put together a fun list of suggestions of ways to relieve the pain and suffering that sometimes appears at this time of year.
- Impending In-Law Invasion – Tension Headaches: These are sometimes caused by increased tension held in the shoulder and neck muscles. Use both hands to rub your shoulders near your neck to relieve the tension. Try kneading your neck up close to the base of the skull with your head relaxed backward or forward. See Self Massage for Headaches for more information.
- Cleaning Frenzy Incapacitation – Back and Shoulder Pain: Lots of visitors means lots of cleaning. Bending over to clean floors or bathrooms, or reaching upwards for serious dusting can cause pain in the back and shoulders. To massage your midback, put a tennis ball in a sock, and drape the end with the ball over your shoulder. Stand next to a wall and use back and forth motions with your body as you press into the wall to massage your back. Be sure to cover the top of the back across the shoulder blades, and use deep pressure between the shoulder blades.
- Holiday Card Hand Cramps: When addressing or writing a large number of holiday cards, hands and forearms often become achy and stiff. Use a thumb to draw small circles on the palm of the opposite hand. Press deeply and draw lines from the base of the palm up to the origin of each of the fingers. Pull and squeeze each of the fingers. Use thumb circles and deep pressure lines on the front and back of the forearm as well. Rub one forearm down the length of the other. See Self Massage for Forearms for more information.
- Baby Back Blues – Lower Back Pain: Extra time with family can mean extra time holding small children and infants. This can stress the lower back/hip area, especially in grandparents. Some simple suggestions follow. Sit down after picking up the children to relieve pressure on the lower back. Put a tennis ball on the floor underneath you in your lower back area as you lay down (or between you and a wall as you lean against it). Roll your body back and forth to get a massaging action in your lower back. Try to work the area between the top of the hip crest and the lower ribs, especially close to the spine. Also work across the hip crest on both sides. Although one side may hurt more, give both sides of your back some attention.
Take care of yourself this holiday season, and ask others to rub your back and shoulders for you. Remember to see your primary care provider if you experience serious injuries or if your soreness lasts a long time. Enjoy!
 Gift Ideas
Give a gift certificate for massage and relieve the stress and tension of a friend or loved one.
Gift ideas:
- Wedding
- Birthday
- Anniversary
- New Baby
- Host Guest
- Christmas/Holiday Gift
 2007 Rates & Hours
45 min - $60
60 min Swedish/Relaxation - $70
60 min with Deep Tissue, Muscle Release Therapy, Craniosacral or Reflexology - $75
90 min - $95
Tuesday: 9 am to 6 pm
Wednesday: 11 am to 7 pm
Thursday: 9 am to 6 pm
Friday: 11 am to 7 pm
Saturday: 9 am to 4:30 pm
*by appointment only (Call 615.294-6672)
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| Dec 10, 2006 |
| Heather's Note |
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Happy Holidays Everyone!
This December newsletter will have two parts - one today and one tomorrow. Today’s main article will cover software tools available online to help computer users reduce pain, stress, and tension from constant use of the PC. Tomorrow’s main article will cover holiday gift ideas (other than a massage gift certificate) that I use in my own practice for massage enthusiasts. It will also include some Wibbels Family Holiday Recipes for those of you not on my snail mailing list.
2007 will bring some changes in my practice. I will have updated session rates for 2007, new hours and a new policy concerning new clients calling in for their first appointments. Thank you to everyone who made 2006 the best year in my practice!
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
- heather wibbels (615.294-6672)
New Prices for 2007
Starting in 2007, new rates will apply to sessions. There will be a $5 increase in cost for sessions. General 60 minute relaxation/Swedish massage sessions will be $70. Hour sessions that include Deep Tissue, Muscle Release Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Reflexology or Injury Work will include an additional $5 charge. Many massage therapists and spas add a charge to sessions that include these techniques because of the additional training and wear on the therapist’s body.
- 45-min $60
- 60-min Swedish/relaxation $70
- 60-min Deep Tissue, Muscle Release Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Reflexology or Injury work - $75
- 90-min $95
New Hours
Over the past 4 years, my hours have shifted as I’ve had more clients requesting daytime appointments. I’m officially shifting my hours to match what I’ve started working in the past year. Because I’m taking earlier appointments on Wednesday and Friday, I will no longer stay late for evening sessions on those days.
- Tuesday 9 – 6
- Wednesday 11 – 7
- Thursday 9 – 6
- Friday 11 – 7
- Saturday 9 – 4:30
No Longer Taking New Clients
My client base has grown so large that it’s frustrating to everyone to try and book the slots that work best for their schedule. To that end, I’ll refer out any new clients who call in to book an appointment. I will gladly book an appointment for anyone who has been to see me before or who has a gift certificate for me, but I feel like everyone would be served better if I stopped adding new clients to my schedule.
I will still sell gift certificates, but if they are for someone I haven’t seen yet, when you purchase the gift certificate, we will go ahead and reserve a time/date for them so that they won’t have to wait 4-6 weeks to get in to see me once they call. I will refer them out to another massage therapist if they need additional sessions.
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Give the Gift of Pain Relief
Online Tools Available to Help Computer Users |
Many people use computers on a daily basis. Most use the computer for hours at a time, focused on their work, forgetting to take breaks. Weeks, months and years of finger-intensive work wears down the body, causing neck pain, shoulder pain, arm pain and hand pain, numbness or tingling. I suggest clients take a short break every 30 minutes or so, and a longer break each hour, stretching out their back, neck, arms and hands for a few minutes throughout the day. When clients take this advice to heart, they experience great relief.
My gift to you, my newsletter subscribers, is information and links to tools you can use to keep your body in shape while you work. Please note that these tools are only effective if you use them. Downloading them and installing them, but not paying attention to the breaks or taking time to stretch will not reduce pain levels. Most of these are shareware with a free download and trial period before the license runs out. A few are freeware.
Tip: If you download several, you’ll have different timers going off all the time (as I did when I installed several to see how they work). Once you choose one, uninstall all the others. Also, warn other users of the computer so they’ll know what the visual and audible alerts mean (especially if you’ve set the tool to lock all keyboard, mouse and monitor input).
Set Up your Computer Station Ergonomically
In order to prevent Repetitive Stress Disorder, Overuse Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, you need to set up your workstation so that your body is in a neutral position to view the screen and use the keyboard and mouse. Here’s one site with some basic information:
It is extremely important to set up your workstation correctly. Remember to sit back in your chair, using a pillow or towel to support your lower back. The keyboard should be low enough that your elbows bend at a 90 degree angle. Your feet should rest on the floor, and your head should not be stretched forward or backward to view the screen. Here are some more sites that cover information on the proper way to set up a workstation:
Here’s one that talks about setting up your laptop in a way that’s easy on your body:
Headsets Prevent Neck/Shoulder Pain and Headaches
Use a headset with your phone. It’s worth the money and the pain you’ll save your body to get a headset rather than use a handset crooked between your head and shoulder. If you spend a lot of time on the cell phone, get an ear bud and leave it plugged in to your phone so that you’re not tempted to fall back into old habits and hold the phone at your shoulder with your head. Don’t keep putting it off. Get yourself a holiday gift or let Santa bring one for you.
Switch Your Mouse Hand if You’re Already Experiencing Pain
If you already have issues with your right arm, forearm or shoulder, mouse with your left hand. One of the worst mistakes made in setting up a workstation is putting the mouse in a position that forces the arm and shoulder to reach forward – putting pressure on the shoulder and neck to support the weight of the arm. It can be difficult to learn to use the mouse with your other hand, but for clients who have had severe difficulties with their right shoulder/arm/hand, moving the mouse to the left hand has made a considerable difference in their pain levels.
Stretches to Prevent Further Injury
Many sites include lists of stretches to use to combat repetitive stress injuries. The ones I’m listing here are on sites that focus on computer use. Plan on doing 30 seconds to a minute of stretches every 30 minutes. Look away from the keyboard and stretch out your arms, shoulders and neck. Every hour, focus on a longer set of stretches, lasting about 3-5 minutes. The longer stretch break should include standing and stretches for the lower back, arms, shoulders, neck and hands.
Tools to Help you Take a Break
Some of the following tools lock your keyboard, mouse and screen during a break so that you can’t ignore the timers. Others let you delay or ignore breaks. Remember that the tools are only effective if you actually use them and take stretch breaks. The idea of these tools is to remind the user to take breaks regularly, every 20-30 minutes for a minute or two to prevent repetitive stress injuries and overuse syndrome. It is just as important to take breaks every hour for three to five or more minutes and stretch, even if it means you stretch out while sitting or standing at your desk. Moving your body around and stretching the neck, shoulders arms, hands, and lower back only takes a few minutes and it will keep your body from succumbing to overuse injuries.
Take A Break by SCIROCCO
This freeware tool reminds users to take a break at certain intervals defined by the user. It also allows you to delay the break, and gives you options concerning locking the workstation or starting the screensaver (or neither) when a break starts. It does not give you particular stretches to use. It’s a very simple tool, but it’s serves its function – reminding you to take time to stretch out.
StretchWare
This software lets you set break intervals by interval, number of mouse clicks or keyboard strokes or at specific times. In addition, you can choose and order the stretches you’d like to perform at each break. There are sequences that for different parts of the body and different activities. When it’s time for a break, a window pops up that shows a picture of the different breaks and has a verbal description of each one. The software download site is http://www.stretchware.com/ - you can download a free trial for 30 days or pay $24.95 to purchase it.
StretchBreak
Another stretch/break tool is StretchBreak. It also lets you set break intervals. It has computer animation of stretches and also lets you select stretches you’d like to perform at different times during the day. The adult version is available for a 10 day trial at http://www.paratec.com/ and costs $44.95. However, a free kids version is available that has twenty stretches, plenty to keep you in shape. The only difference is the computer animation features kids instead of adults in the stretch animations. It’s available here: http://www.paratec.com/sbform/kidsform.htm.
There are many more rigorous and feature-rich tools online (some lock the computer when it’s time for a break, forcing you to take the breaks). All of them allow you to choose and set break types and intervals. You can also checkout download.com, or any other download site. Use the following search terms in Google to find more:
- break timer
- stretch break
- RSI timer
- stretch guide
If you choose not to download software to prompt you to take a break, remember the following guidelines and set break times for yourself:
- Take regular breaks every 20 – 30 minutes for 30 - 60 seconds or so
- Take stretch breaks every hour for 3 to 5 minutes
- Stretch out your neck, shoulders, arms, back and hands
Remember, taking breaks before you seriously injure yourself is preventative medicine. If you have chronic pain or discomfort, see your primary care physician to rule out any serious problems and consult them on a stretching routine. Share these tools with friends, family and students. The sooner computer users get into the habit of taking regular breaks, the longer they’ll be able to do PC work without injury.
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