3 questions...help

[Pompal 09.]

Hiya

I have loads of q's sorry...

My bootiful massage couch arrived yesterday and I tried it out tonight, as its height adjustable, I wasnt sure what height it should be at. Is there some hard and fast rules? Like the top of the cushion should be at the hip? Or something like that...

Also, my bed didnt come with a bolster cushion, do I need one? We use them on our course, but when I had a massage lsat week, the therapist didnt use one

I have only doen one weekend of my course so far, and Im not sure whether we will be taught it, but our tutor didnt tell us how we should keep our posture when masaging, where I feet should be and where our strength and energy should be coming from. Should we be taught this or is it something that we will pick up along the way?

Umm...I think thats it for now

TIA
Caren

 

[Cody M]

Regarding height of couch: Stand next to the table with your hands by your side. Clench your fists and the top of the couch should come to your knuckles when your fist is clenched.

Don't worry about the bolster too much now. They can be comfy under the knees when supine, under the ankles when prone and some bolsters make the boob area more comfortable for us women. Plenty of more uses but bolsters can wait untill you are fully comfortable with how to use them in your training. You may buy one shape/style now and find another more used to your needs later on.

hope my two cents helps!

 

[Kiet]

Thats brilliant thank you

Need to find a cover and some towels now

I think DH enjoyed the massage anyway

xx

P.S When you say supine and prone, what does that mean please?

 

[quizzard123]

Supine -- Belly up

Prone -- Bum up

 

[jusme]

There is no hard and fast rule for the height of the table - it's generally lower for more intense style like sports, so you can get more body weight behind it and higher for relaxation styles. It's also can be higher for styles that use the forearm a lot rather than hands, and if you're using bolsters under the chest you usually need a lower table.

The main thing is you've got an adjustable table, so you'll be able to adjust it to the height you need for different styles

 

[Jaden Leonard]

Hi, I've just started my VTCT Swedish massage course and I have the same questions, although it's something we will learn through experience. However, I think it's important to protect your back from injury and understand the risks of RSI.

Myarka

 

[xheuguhnikriobero]

As for posture, any good course should cover this quite early on, to avoid strain or injury on the therapist. Hopefully you should be taught to be relaxed, knees soft, to move around the couch and for deeper techniques, to use your body weight and not just your arms.

 

[FaillaFrove]

Posture was the first thing I was taught on my VTCT course and it was consistently reinforced on my BTECT sports and remedial massage course. It's very important if you're to avoind putting yourself under strain.

Most good basic massage books cover walk standing and stride standing. Make sure your back is straight as you work.

 

[Kynndra]

To help prevent RSI and bad posture, when you have qualified you should consider doing some training with the NO HANDS MASSAGE COMPANY. This will ensure you can massage for a very long time to come and you can incorporate/adapt the 'strokes' into your usual routine. For me it was money WELL invested and I do LOT of massage.

 

[jblite]

I would also recommend Jing, who have been discussed on previous threads. They run a 3-day CPD course in 'holistic medical massage' which is excellent at teaching good posture.

Alan

 

[renonaerok]

Ditto to training with Jing. They also do a save your hands course and a deep tissue course.