tarsha
Member
- Sep 30, 2009
- 63
- 0
- 6
Pressure Poll
I enjoy a variety of massage techniques and pressure levels. Rather than specify the pressure I *think* is required, I tell MTs to use whatever level of pressure they feel is needed to get the job done. Some go light, some go bone-deep - but all of the skilled ones left me feeling far better than I did before the session. If I'm paying attention, I also usually pick up some great ideas about how to work on different parts of the body with a wide range of techniques and strategies.
At our massage center, we get a wide range of pressure requests. A few prefer pressure so light it's just gentle stroking, but others ask for "as much as you can give - I won't scream no matter what!" : Most of our clients seem to prefer something in the middle.
As a practitioner, I can deliver an enormous amount of force, but I prefer not to. I always seem to get much better results when I minimize the pain experienced during a massage session. Positional release techniques enable me to do deep trigger point work with a minimum of perceived discomfort. I get great results with athletes that are normally accustomed to DEEP TO THE BONE pressure, and most are surprised by how little pain they had to endure. For those who are in the middle of a competitive season, I tend to do more Active Isolated Stretching because it is less traumatic to the tissues, facilitates recovery, and often results in immediate performance improvements.
For the few who ask me to "go harder" during a session, I give them a bit of what they *think* they want, then ask if I should continue the painful work or go back to what I was doing before. In my experience, almost all of them prefer the less painful approach. I refer the few who prefer more painful work to other MTs who might be more to their liking.
I enjoy a variety of massage techniques and pressure levels. Rather than specify the pressure I *think* is required, I tell MTs to use whatever level of pressure they feel is needed to get the job done. Some go light, some go bone-deep - but all of the skilled ones left me feeling far better than I did before the session. If I'm paying attention, I also usually pick up some great ideas about how to work on different parts of the body with a wide range of techniques and strategies.
At our massage center, we get a wide range of pressure requests. A few prefer pressure so light it's just gentle stroking, but others ask for "as much as you can give - I won't scream no matter what!" : Most of our clients seem to prefer something in the middle.
As a practitioner, I can deliver an enormous amount of force, but I prefer not to. I always seem to get much better results when I minimize the pain experienced during a massage session. Positional release techniques enable me to do deep trigger point work with a minimum of perceived discomfort. I get great results with athletes that are normally accustomed to DEEP TO THE BONE pressure, and most are surprised by how little pain they had to endure. For those who are in the middle of a competitive season, I tend to do more Active Isolated Stretching because it is less traumatic to the tissues, facilitates recovery, and often results in immediate performance improvements.
For the few who ask me to "go harder" during a session, I give them a bit of what they *think* they want, then ask if I should continue the painful work or go back to what I was doing before. In my experience, almost all of them prefer the less painful approach. I refer the few who prefer more painful work to other MTs who might be more to their liking.