A Public Service Announcement from your Friendly Local Massage Trainee

[percival]

Nobody should get bruised as a result of a massage. I repeat, there should be no bruises, no tissue damage. I don't even think that the muscles should be sore afterwards, because that is a sign of damage to the muscle fibres, overexertion.

If a masseur or a masseuse ever bruises you, complain to him or her. Let him or her explain to you why you had to sustain that damage, and why it had to hurt the way it did. The person who massaged scieppan is a JERK. She should not go back to him, warn her friends off, and ask the spa why they are employing him and what his qualifications are. Believe me, you can unknot shoulders without bruising people. I've done it several times already.

Normal reactions after a massage are:
- lightheadedness
- headache (toxins being released); that mainly occurs if you haven't drunk enough water
- tiredness and drowsiness
- warmth and redness in areas where muscle fibres have been unknotted

Anything you might want to add, saucebook?

I've already had four people scared off by incompetent masseurs who hurt them. When you massage such a person, you are not only dealing with tense muscles, but you also have to work against a fear of massage. Not a good situation to be in as a masseuse, let me tell you this from experience.

Comments

[perceval.livejournal.com]

A massage therapist who likes cats and has exactly the outlook on the profession that I would love to have! COOL!

::friends::

I just got loads of books in America, such as a Pathology book and a book that reaches you how to recognise bony and muscular landmarks. (forgot the author, but it's a great book). We don't get that in our one-year training, even though it is pretty good. I however believe that as an MT, you should know your anatomy as well as you can. Even though it is HARD. I want to understand what I'm doing, so I really don't like mentions of contraindications without discussing in detail the reasons for why this is so.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Psst. Thompson and Floyd, Structural Kinesiology.

I can give you loads of other book titles any time you want, but this one shows the landmarks, tells how to isolate the muscle and stretch/contract it, and... how to best exercise it.