Your videos are literally saving my career and my sanity! I’ve been feeling stagnant and unchallenged in my spa job but your videos are giving me new techniques and knowledge to apply in my day to day and it’s not only inspiring but it’s bringing the zest back to my craft, so thank you so much for all of your time and dedication 🙏🏻
That's so great to hear! Keep finding excuses to play and experiment, even in a spa setting. Eventually you'll be in a place where you have all the freedom in the world, and you'll have so many useful tools in your toolbelt :)
I'm a massage therapy student, I'm graduating in a month and only have six hours of clinic left out of 180! I'm trying to improve my routine as much as possible. These videos are awesome!
Dear Sloth Master, With the combination of your admirable skills and the music...this video was mesmerizing! Thank you for sharing your craft and continuing to inspire us.
I love your videos too. My only request is to see some of this work done on some different body types. Larger humans? Working with those with extra adipose tissue? Big muscular hairy humans maybe? As a female lmt more of my clients are male. I would like to get your take on doing some of this work with different challenges like that.
I thought I was the only one who did the "shimmy" move when using a long stroke. 😂 current massage student here- I love your videos and we reference them in school a lot! Keep up the great work!
Lovely as always. Totally inspired me to add more movement into my leg routine, and I've never seen that stretch before and must immediately try that! I always touch the feet at least for a minute or two while they are prone, even if I do most of the work while they are supine. Ignoring it feels too disconnected for me. So happy to see you back at work. You're influence is a needed thing in Massageland.
That's a really good point about the prone foot work! I just realized that I do tend to separate the foot into its own special group, and that's exactly what I don't want to do :) Thanks for that and the kind words!
I'm newly qualified in Swedish and now Deep Tissue Massage, and just working on my confidence with certain techniques. Thank you for sharing your skills and advice.
Thank you for this awesome video! I am currently a student and with just learning ROM, I am super nervous knocking someone out of relaxation while incorporating it with my flow. This video has definitely been my go to. Thank you!
Great routine. Always enjoy your videos. I’ve had a client complaining about shoulder pain in the Supraspinatus are closer out towards the acromioclavicular joint and I’ve had several talk about pain going down the lateral side of the posterior arm. Near the triceps. It be awesome hear how Youd approach this and techniques you’d use as well as educational info. Thanks.
Thank you so much for the clarification. It really helped me to understand.. I have SO MUCH TO LEARN!! I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW YOU!!!
In addition to someone who requested to see fascial work on hairy person I’m mo curious to see ur approach of getting this done with overweight person with hard to reach fascial layers
hello, remember: you are not working on fascia, you are working the nervous system by working mechanoreceptors (specifically, ruffini endings). these are all in the DERMIS layer of the SKIN (like... superficial to all the fat you feel like you have to push through to reach deeper layers). from, your friendly neighborhood structural integration practitioner
absolutely love your videos! I just graduated from massage school and these videos are so helpful. Also, Why has no one mentioned your hilarious reference at 8:24 ?? That was TOO funny XD
Hello, I really enjoyed viewing this video. I've learned some different techniques to use in my practice. What's the name of the song? You're playing during the session.😊
I was wondering if you've ever worked on a client who is very jumpy (like nervy sensitive muscles even to slow light massage) or clients that do not like to take breathes during the massage and if there's anything you do to help with that or so differently? Hope that question makes sense
It does make sense, and I've encountered that a number of times. My approach to those clients is to make them comfortable and encourage breathing and relaxed muscles, but also to accept that some people just have different ways of relaxing. For some people that might involve moving their body, or talking, or listening to different music. They might find giving up control of their body distressing on some level, so I may even give them extra opportunities to engage in movement (active ROM, adding sidelying along with prone and supine work, etc). I talk about it a bit in this video: th-cam.com/video/lJXzfjJCRFQ/w-d-xo.html Good question!
Thank you so much, Ian, for again another amazing but simplified massage tutorial! I've followed your channel for over a year now and its helped me SO so much with my practice since getting out of school. I was wondering if you could do another video in the future working with the front of the leg and hip? I'm needing some new techniques in this area as I still get nervous about front of the hip work. I'm sure you have a long list of videos to do already but just thought I'd put in my two cents. Thanks again, you and your channel are behind my love of myofascial massage!
Absolutely, I hope to do one of these for every conceivable part. I'll move the anterior leg up the list :) In the meantime, you may be able to find some ideas in my knee video: th-cam.com/users/edit?o=U&video_id=VFcaia0vmRQ Cheers!
NEW VIDEO!! Thanks so much! I truly learn more from your videos than three years of Anatomy and Physiology. Sad to hear youre not in the southeast anymore, but look forward to keeping up with new content from your channel. Do you still have the patreon link? Please post it so newcomers (like myself) can support. edit: Im an idiot. I see patreon link now in description.
You should really show us how you do it with an hairy leg... Sometime it's too simple to just show it always with a perfectly shaved leg. I think in practice you won't always get a perfect shaved leg
This is a great point! While I find that myofascial-Swedish doesn't interact with hair too much (that dual-fist steamroller move doesn't seem to care about hair, for instance), there are some considerations for oil application, technique direction, and using quicker techniques. I'll put it on the list!
For me, more hair just means more oil... the hair doesn't care. Afterwards, I have to sometimes do some compressions with a dry towel to soak up any excess oil.. but the massage goes better, and the compression feels good to the client. They think it is part of the massage - LOL.
Another great tip for working the lower leg: is to flex the lower leg putting gastroc on the slack before sitting on the table take the sheet from the table and place it over your shoulder place the clients foot on your shoulder then taking the remainder of the sheet on your shoulder and cover the clients foot And with your two hands you interlock your fingers and with your palms you can work on gastroc as well as soleus you can friction the heads of the gastroc and friction soleus as well.
You have 3 types of people who watch these people. Massage Therapists wishing to learn, people with significant others who want to surprise their partners... And those who really want a massage at 2 in the morning. I'm getting one tomorrow after I go to bed 😉
Not yet, but it's high on my list! I'd like it to involve an interview with a client (or two) so it's not just me spouting symptoms, but that will take some doing. It's something that I care a lot about, so I hope to do it justice.
Hello I'm Naser a masseur from the Iran 🇮🇷 Who are you? What's your name? Where are you from. I'm glad for watching you're video 🎉😊❤ I learned a lot from your teaching skills
Hey, I watched now quite a few of your videos and really like your way and techniques. But I noticed that you never use frictions, which our massage teacher always thought very important. Dont you think much of them? And if not why? Appreciate your opinion.
You know, that's a good question. Both deep and superficial friction were taught in my school, but they've mostly fallen by the wayside in my practice. The main reason is probably that they don't really come up in myofascial release training, and that had a big impact on how I go about things. Otherwise, I think it's because a lot of the explanation around friction no longer seems plausible to me based on what I've learned about the body. People talk about it breaking down scar tissue or realigning collagen fibers, but neither seems like something that can be physically accomplished without a scalpel. If we're just talking about stimulating connective tissue cells and promoting functional healing, that can also likely be accomplished with the slow steamrolling stuff I usually do. I might be wrong there, and I'd be interested to see research on that front. All that said, frictioning feels good and can break up work that could otherwise become monotonous. I'm going to think about places I can reintroduce it. It's great for giving people a sense of the shape and consistency of their joints if nothing else!
I'm having difficulty understanding your choice of draping. In NY massage school, I learned that if you allow your hands to glide underneath the draping then you could make the client feel uncomfortable. I think its great that you communicate to check in about whether or not they feel okay with your strokes, but I have found that people will say something is comfortable even if it is not. Wouldn't it be better to undrape more of the glute and show that you are not going to go beyond the boundary of the drape? I love your techniques by the way! There are so many interesting strokes that I would never have thought to incorporate!
This is a compromise that I've settled on based on my experience as a client as well as conversations with clients. Basically, I'm trying to maximize the real estate available for contact while reducing the client's feeling of exposure/invasiveness. I've found that having the entire buttock exposed (which is ideal for thorough hip work) can feel fairly precarious as the client, even with plenty of bunching and tucking; indeed, too much reliance on tucking can cause tenting of the drape with any small movement of the body. It looks small from the therapist's perspective, but can feel like being exposed to the client. My compromise here is to leave more of the region near the gluteal cleft draped while going slightly past the drape line with my techniques. The way that I reduce the feeling of invasiveness is to always keep the drape low to the skin, to be consistent about how far past it I go, and to be strict about the direction of my fingers and technique as I travel. By that last I mean that I never want my hands to be oriented in such a way that they seem to be approaching the cleft, even if it leaves my hand in a funky orientation as I work. As far as communication goes, I agree that client politeness can be a problem here, and that goes for undraping the glute as well. In the worst case scenario, the client might say they're fine while feeling mortified on the table. My best advice here is to try to open the floodgates of communication well before you're working with any potentially anxiety-provoking areas, starting with the pre-massage intake and reinforcing it continuously as you work. If they're starting to answer with brief or monotone replies as I work with the glutes, chest, anterior neck, etc., I'll ask more follow-up questions, or I'll simply back off if my intuition says that they seem to be trepidatious. It's not a foolproof method, but it's better than taking verbal consent for granted in a complicated situation. It might take more conversation in future sessions to determine whether these areas can be thoroughly worked without discomfort. Anyway, that's what I've landed on over the course of my career, and I'm willing to be wrong about any or all of it :) Thank you for the kindly posed question, and I'm glad you found new things to work with!
i sometimes use forearms for doing lengthening strokes on the hamstrings and calf. do you also incorporate this ever? it feels effective in terms of applying deeper pressure.
Forearms are great for that application! Honestly, I'd probably use them more if I could raise my table a bit after I was done with the back. Another good reason for a hydraulic table.
I really like your explanation as you work. I do have a question...we were taught in school that the drape line is your snug border and we were taught not to ever go beneath the drape as it gives the feeling of invasiveness. That portion made me uncomfortable.I also felt that your wrists were hyper-extended during your palmer glide stroke and I recognized it as I sometimes must self-correct in this area. But your techniques are great. It is very enjoyable to watch you work!! Nice demo!
Hi Wendy! This is a way of draping that I've settled on over the years, and it's the best I've got as a balance of maximum contact while still draping modestly. I've stopped making my drape as snug and tucked as I used to, because I found that it often ran counter to the feeling of security-crisp lines lift up easily, which can allow drafts and skin exposure; and aggressive tucking (as with diaper draping and the like) can often feel invasive. Instead, my strategy is to use bunched up fabric when I can, which forms a thick thermal barrier that doesn't shake free easily during jostling. Here's more on that topic: th-cam.com/video/S-bJMVe7ryA/w-d-xo.html As for traveling under the drape, it's something that I do mindfully. I keep the drape low and don't go far out of bounds, and I keep the direction of travel in mind so that there's no question about where I'll end up. I do this to avoid a phenomenon where massage techniques seem to hit a wall instead of including nearby relevant structures. So, that's my reasoning, for what it's worth :) I do my best to make up for any deficiencies with thorough communication. This is something that I'll give more thought to, so thanks for writing about this. Thanks also for the kind comments on my videos!
How do you do it when someone is very hairy (aka men)? How much oil do you use? I'm always afraid that either I'll use too little oil and then pull on their hair or use too much and it gets too slippery :) Any advice for that? Thanks!!
Absolutely! And when working on hairy clients, it's different for every person. Some will be a little sensitive and require more oil, while others will barely be aware of their hair and be able to receive my normal approach. I'll ask things like, "am I pulling hair here?" and repeat myself with statements like, "let me know if this is irritating your hair follicles." Guys are usually fairly unaware of their own hair, and it only becomes an issue with fast-moving techniques.
My main motivation is to give the client's nervous system a lot of different stimuli. I'm not trying to change things in one particular direction or lengthen this or that, I just want their body making informed decisions about resting length and sensitivity. It also keeps things interesting for their brain, and it feels good!
I keep mine at about knuckle height (brushes the underside of my fist when I stand by it) or lower. Here's a video I did on my table height philosophy: th-cam.com/video/DGIkIU_1Bns/w-d-xo.html
I agree! It's Kevin Macleod: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394 Free for anyone to use in videos, if anyone out there wants to use it to make a massage demo video!
It's a good way of going about it! I use enough oil to give me glide, but little enough to provide some resistance so that I can stay slow. That keeps me at a good pace, and it helps me to offer pressure at an oblique angle. In the case of this video, that means that my pressure feels like it's directed up toward the hip rather than just down toward the table. Here's a video where I demonstrate a technique you can try on yourself: th-cam.com/video/7k0PDn7R3Cs/w-d-xo.html
For this video you really don’t do any corrective techniques but rather focus on “giving more information to the body”. Is that your massage approach in general or do you there are times to do corrective techniques?
I'd say that's pretty representative. While I do have different strategies for certain types of dysfunction (see my videos on frozen shoulder and TMJ massage, for instance), it's mostly a matter of how I want to divide up my time. You won't see me trying to lengthen this while shortening that, because I don't think that the body necessarily works that way. My reasoning is this: Just like we couldn't use massage to give someone one hiked shoulder or one inwardly turned hip, it would be similarly impossible for us to mechanically correct these things. Instead, my strategy is to offer stimulus and trust the nervous system to use it to find a functional equilibrium. Good question!
Massage Sloth I really like that analogy of how you cannot deliberately deform the body. I could see that as an effective way to communicate a strategy to a client. However, various SI modalities seem to offer effective mechanical correction - just for devils advocate.
That's true, and many approaches claim to show immediate structural results. While I disagree with their conclusion, I think that their approach is still valid. They may not actually be rebalancing the hips or fixing a subluxed joint, but the time and care are worthwhile and impactful.
Massage Sloth , I read appreciate your thoughtful responses. I tend to lean in your direction philosophically, I have just started watching your videos so I look forward to seeing your philosophy in action.
I agree that a table this low might not work for everyone. I use it because it allows me to get over my client and use gravity to drive my movements rather than muscle power. I explain more in this video: th-cam.com/video/DGIkIU_1Bns/w-d-xo.html
Your videos are literally saving my career and my sanity! I’ve been feeling stagnant and unchallenged in my spa job but your videos are giving me new techniques and knowledge to apply in my day to day and it’s not only inspiring but it’s bringing the zest back to my craft, so thank you so much for all of your time and dedication 🙏🏻
That's so great to hear! Keep finding excuses to play and experiment, even in a spa setting. Eventually you'll be in a place where you have all the freedom in the world, and you'll have so many useful tools in your toolbelt :)
I'm a massage therapy student, I'm graduating in a month and only have six hours of clinic left out of 180! I'm trying to improve my routine as much as possible. These videos are awesome!
I love your videos and watch them regularly. I think you are the Bob Ross of Massage Therapy. Thank You. 💛
Thanks for that, Desiree! 😊
I'm a massage therapist whose always looking to improve my work. I absolutely love your videos and I can't wait to try this out on my clients today :)
Such a good video!
I'm Physical massage therapist I have 25 years experience any Physical Problem I can cure with massage n exercise...Delhi NCR only
Dear Sloth Master,
With the combination of your admirable skills and the music...this video was mesmerizing! Thank you for sharing your craft and continuing to inspire us.
I love your videos too. My only request is to see some of this work done on some different body types. Larger humans? Working with those with extra adipose tissue? Big muscular hairy humans maybe? As a female lmt more of my clients are male. I would like to get your take on doing some of this work with different challenges like that.
I watched this video and practiced it on my boyfriend and he really loved it, it always keeps us together. Thank you ❤
I thought I was the only one who did the "shimmy" move when using a long stroke. 😂 current massage student here- I love your videos and we reference them in school a lot! Keep up the great work!
Though this was created 4 years ago, I always love your tutorials. This one is excellent. Thanks so much!
I just started massage school. Thank God i found your channel. Sending love from jamaica
that was such a beautiful routine.
pls make a series of videos with every part of the body showing all the techniques effleurage , petrissage etc... thank you for the lessons
Lovely as always. Totally inspired me to add more movement into my leg routine, and I've never seen that stretch before and must immediately try that!
I always touch the feet at least for a minute or two while they are prone, even if I do most of the work while they are supine. Ignoring it feels too disconnected for me.
So happy to see you back at work. You're influence is a needed thing in Massageland.
That's a really good point about the prone foot work! I just realized that I do tend to separate the foot into its own special group, and that's exactly what I don't want to do :) Thanks for that and the kind words!
I was wondering about the foot. ...
I'm newly qualified in Swedish and now Deep Tissue Massage, and just working on my confidence with certain techniques. Thank you for sharing your skills and advice.
"Making my way downtown walking fast" was... was that a Vanessa Carlton reference? LMAO!
Lol!
Lol!!!!
Watch over and over and learn something new every time. Thank you.
I'm a massage therapist I found your videos while looking for new types of massage. I like your explanation thank for teaching your technique :)
When I get a notification from this channel I'm like😁😁😁😁😁😁🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Quanii Beautiful1q are u doing massage sessions?
Haha, thanks Quanii :-)
Vasileios Petropoulos yes
Quanii Beautiful1q where about? I am in eastbourne
Quanii Beautiful1q
Me, too!!!!
I would say he is the best Massage Therapist in this World.Iam alsoe a Massage therapist but this guy is just on a nother level.
Thank you for this awesome video! I am currently a student and with just learning ROM, I am super nervous knocking someone out of relaxation while incorporating it with my flow. This video has definitely been my go to. Thank you!
I like that you do your bodywork with understanding of the connectness of all the joints and muscles!
Wish i could book an appt with you👍
This massage was so comfortable!!!!!! Thank you so much for this video please make more videos! Thank you
This was incredibly relaxing to watch and your voice is sooo soothing ❤️😴💤
Love this! Relaxing even just watching it. I‘m also amazed at how civil these comments are. Some people go crazy when they see skin on yt.
Great routine. Always enjoy your videos. I’ve had a client complaining about shoulder pain in the Supraspinatus are closer out towards the acromioclavicular joint and I’ve had several talk about pain going down the lateral side of the posterior arm. Near the triceps. It be awesome hear how Youd approach this and techniques you’d use as well as educational info. Thanks.
I love this video❤ your voice is so soothing and you are so good at explaining the technics 😊 please make more videos like this
I’m doing this massage on my mom and she loves it 😍 she thinks it’s so relaxing 😌
Awesome videos! Thanks for sharing... The yellow and green combo is nice!
Thank you so much for the clarification. It really helped me to understand.. I have SO MUCH TO LEARN!! I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW YOU!!!
In addition to someone who requested to see fascial work on hairy person I’m mo curious to see ur approach of getting this done with overweight person with hard to reach fascial layers
Tony Jelev I add a little lubricanting oil or gel to my massage oil...works a treat.
hello, remember: you are not working on fascia, you are working the nervous system by working mechanoreceptors (specifically, ruffini endings). these are all in the DERMIS layer of the SKIN (like... superficial to all the fat you feel like you have to push through to reach deeper layers). from, your friendly neighborhood structural integration practitioner
I don't mind your talking. Viewers can always just click on the mute button if they want to see massages in silence.
Never even thought of that haha
Your work is amazing!🤩🤩🤩🤩I’ve tryed some videos but I think this one is the best
absolutely love your videos! I just graduated from massage school and these videos are so helpful. Also, Why has no one mentioned your hilarious reference at 8:24 ?? That was TOO funny XD
Thanks Rachel, and congrats! And man, I am hilarious 🤔😁
Hello, I really enjoyed viewing this video. I've learned some different techniques to use in my practice. What's the name of the song? You're playing during the session.😊
I was wondering if you've ever worked on a client who is very jumpy (like nervy sensitive muscles even to slow light massage) or clients that do not like to take breathes during the massage and if there's anything you do to help with that or so differently?
Hope that question makes sense
It does make sense, and I've encountered that a number of times. My approach to those clients is to make them comfortable and encourage breathing and relaxed muscles, but also to accept that some people just have different ways of relaxing. For some people that might involve moving their body, or talking, or listening to different music. They might find giving up control of their body distressing on some level, so I may even give them extra opportunities to engage in movement (active ROM, adding sidelying along with prone and supine work, etc). I talk about it a bit in this video: th-cam.com/video/lJXzfjJCRFQ/w-d-xo.html Good question!
Thank you so much, Ian, for again another amazing but simplified massage tutorial! I've followed your channel for over a year now and its helped me SO so much with my practice since getting out of school. I was wondering if you could do another video in the future working with the front of the leg and hip? I'm needing some new techniques in this area as I still get nervous about front of the hip work. I'm sure you have a long list of videos to do already but just thought I'd put in my two cents. Thanks again, you and your channel are behind my love of myofascial massage!
Absolutely, I hope to do one of these for every conceivable part. I'll move the anterior leg up the list :) In the meantime, you may be able to find some ideas in my knee video: th-cam.com/users/edit?o=U&video_id=VFcaia0vmRQ Cheers!
" or I can stand up and get on with my life" I laughed so much
Btw thank you for showing how to drape. And cupping to save the balm . Brilliant 👏
NEW VIDEO!! Thanks so much! I truly learn more from your videos than three years of Anatomy and Physiology. Sad to hear youre not in the southeast anymore, but look forward to keeping up with new content from your channel. Do you still have the patreon link? Please post it so newcomers (like myself) can support. edit: Im an idiot. I see patreon link now in description.
Thanks Sara, I appreciate that! And just in case anyone else is looking for the link: www.patreon.com/MassageSloth :)
“making my way downtown walking fast” Haha, you’re a dork, in a good way.
Can’t wait to try some of this on my clients today 😌
I loved it so so much and Emily he will promise to watch you again❤
Very cool. Im heading into massage school this January and I will for sure be tapping into your videos for advice
Congrats and best of luck! I miss massage school a lot, there's no place like it
Love love love your videos omg
You should really show us how you do it with an hairy leg... Sometime it's too simple to just show it always with a perfectly shaved leg. I think in practice you won't always get a perfect shaved leg
Luca Grimaldi Or back !
This is a great point! While I find that myofascial-Swedish doesn't interact with hair too much (that dual-fist steamroller move doesn't seem to care about hair, for instance), there are some considerations for oil application, technique direction, and using quicker techniques. I'll put it on the list!
For me, more hair just means more oil... the hair doesn't care. Afterwards, I have to sometimes do some compressions with a dry towel to soak up any excess oil.. but the massage goes better, and the compression feels good to the client. They think it is part of the massage - LOL.
Thank you, Ian!
Good to see you again!
I really like your lessons
Thx Mr Sloth, love the movements during the massage!
Haha mr sloth
Another great tip for working the lower leg:
is to flex the lower leg putting gastroc on the slack
before sitting on the table take the sheet from the table and place it over your shoulder
place the clients foot on your shoulder then taking the remainder of the sheet on your shoulder and cover the clients foot
And with your two hands you interlock your fingers and with your palms you can work on gastroc as well as soleus you can friction the heads of the gastroc and friction soleus as well.
I’ll try it out
Thanks to you, i'm able to help my partner with her pain, thank you ❤
Excellent job
You have 3 types of people who watch these people. Massage Therapists wishing to learn, people with significant others who want to surprise their partners...
And those who really want a massage at 2 in the morning. I'm getting one tomorrow after I go to bed 😉
I have a question, at school we are taught never to go under the covers, but i see that yourfingers are sliding under. Isbthat considered still ok?
Have you done a video about massage on a client who suffers from fibromyalgia?
Not yet, but it's high on my list! I'd like it to involve an interview with a client (or two) so it's not just me spouting symptoms, but that will take some doing. It's something that I care a lot about, so I hope to do it justice.
Massage Sloth
I'd be your willing guinea pig!
So nice to see your work. I always learn something new🤓🤓. I love your new way to do videos, but you have a very beautiful and peaceful voice. 😉😉
Great Video
Thank You so much for sharing, your work is Amazing.
Great massage video thanks
At 3min into the video should I insert my left pinky or my right thumb?
Hello
I'm Naser a masseur from the Iran 🇮🇷
Who are you?
What's your name?
Where are you from.
I'm glad for watching you're video 🎉😊❤
I learned a lot from your teaching skills
Thank uou your videos have helped me sm
How would I find a therapist proficient in these techniques in Northern NJ and Miami? Thank you to any one who can help!
Hey, I watched now quite a few of your videos and really like your way and techniques. But I noticed that you never use frictions, which our massage teacher always thought very important. Dont you think much of them? And if not why? Appreciate your opinion.
You know, that's a good question. Both deep and superficial friction were taught in my school, but they've mostly fallen by the wayside in my practice. The main reason is probably that they don't really come up in myofascial release training, and that had a big impact on how I go about things. Otherwise, I think it's because a lot of the explanation around friction no longer seems plausible to me based on what I've learned about the body.
People talk about it breaking down scar tissue or realigning collagen fibers, but neither seems like something that can be physically accomplished without a scalpel. If we're just talking about stimulating connective tissue cells and promoting functional healing, that can also likely be accomplished with the slow steamrolling stuff I usually do. I might be wrong there, and I'd be interested to see research on that front.
All that said, frictioning feels good and can break up work that could otherwise become monotonous. I'm going to think about places I can reintroduce it. It's great for giving people a sense of the shape and consistency of their joints if nothing else!
Where are you located?
I'm having difficulty understanding your choice of draping. In NY massage school, I learned that if you allow your hands to glide underneath the draping then you could make the client feel uncomfortable. I think its great that you communicate to check in about whether or not they feel okay with your strokes, but I have found that people will say something is comfortable even if it is not. Wouldn't it be better to undrape more of the glute and show that you are not going to go beyond the boundary of the drape?
I love your techniques by the way! There are so many interesting strokes that I would never have thought to incorporate!
This is a compromise that I've settled on based on my experience as a client as well as conversations with clients. Basically, I'm trying to maximize the real estate available for contact while reducing the client's feeling of exposure/invasiveness. I've found that having the entire buttock exposed (which is ideal for thorough hip work) can feel fairly precarious as the client, even with plenty of bunching and tucking; indeed, too much reliance on tucking can cause tenting of the drape with any small movement of the body. It looks small from the therapist's perspective, but can feel like being exposed to the client. My compromise here is to leave more of the region near the gluteal cleft draped while going slightly past the drape line with my techniques. The way that I reduce the feeling of invasiveness is to always keep the drape low to the skin, to be consistent about how far past it I go, and to be strict about the direction of my fingers and technique as I travel. By that last I mean that I never want my hands to be oriented in such a way that they seem to be approaching the cleft, even if it leaves my hand in a funky orientation as I work.
As far as communication goes, I agree that client politeness can be a problem here, and that goes for undraping the glute as well. In the worst case scenario, the client might say they're fine while feeling mortified on the table. My best advice here is to try to open the floodgates of communication well before you're working with any potentially anxiety-provoking areas, starting with the pre-massage intake and reinforcing it continuously as you work. If they're starting to answer with brief or monotone replies as I work with the glutes, chest, anterior neck, etc., I'll ask more follow-up questions, or I'll simply back off if my intuition says that they seem to be trepidatious. It's not a foolproof method, but it's better than taking verbal consent for granted in a complicated situation. It might take more conversation in future sessions to determine whether these areas can be thoroughly worked without discomfort.
Anyway, that's what I've landed on over the course of my career, and I'm willing to be wrong about any or all of it :) Thank you for the kindly posed question, and I'm glad you found new things to work with!
i sometimes use forearms for doing lengthening strokes on the hamstrings and calf. do you also incorporate this ever? it feels effective in terms of applying deeper pressure.
Forearms are great for that application! Honestly, I'd probably use them more if I could raise my table a bit after I was done with the back. Another good reason for a hydraulic table.
...downtown, walking fast.
Thank you for that.
Was your table end raised slightly?
If it was, it was an accident 😅 I believe it would have been flat for this particular video.
To me the talking is quite important as it gives a meaning to the massage
Hi Ian can you please do a video on deep foot massage for plantar fasciitis
Awesome video can’t wait to incorporate some moves to my clients
Great video and explains the muscle groups thank you.
The best part about using these videos to work on your girlfriend or boyfriend is you don't gotta worry about how to give them privacy 😂
I really like your explanation as you work. I do have a question...we were taught in school that the drape line is your snug border and we were taught not to ever go beneath the drape as it gives the feeling of invasiveness. That portion made me uncomfortable.I also felt that your wrists were hyper-extended during your palmer glide stroke and I recognized it as I sometimes must self-correct in this area. But your techniques are great.
It is very enjoyable to watch you work!! Nice demo!
Hi Wendy! This is a way of draping that I've settled on over the years, and it's the best I've got as a balance of maximum contact while still draping modestly. I've stopped making my drape as snug and tucked as I used to, because I found that it often ran counter to the feeling of security-crisp lines lift up easily, which can allow drafts and skin exposure; and aggressive tucking (as with diaper draping and the like) can often feel invasive. Instead, my strategy is to use bunched up fabric when I can, which forms a thick thermal barrier that doesn't shake free easily during jostling. Here's more on that topic: th-cam.com/video/S-bJMVe7ryA/w-d-xo.html
As for traveling under the drape, it's something that I do mindfully. I keep the drape low and don't go far out of bounds, and I keep the direction of travel in mind so that there's no question about where I'll end up. I do this to avoid a phenomenon where massage techniques seem to hit a wall instead of including nearby relevant structures.
So, that's my reasoning, for what it's worth :) I do my best to make up for any deficiencies with thorough communication. This is something that I'll give more thought to, so thanks for writing about this. Thanks also for the kind comments on my videos!
Wendy House
He communicates with his clients in videos as well abt their draping comfort
How do you do it when someone is very hairy (aka men)? How much oil do you use? I'm always afraid that either I'll use too little oil and then pull on their hair or use too much and it gets too slippery :) Any advice for that? Thanks!!
Just found another comment below, addressing the same topic. Would be great if you could do a hairy video!
Absolutely! And when working on hairy clients, it's different for every person. Some will be a little sensitive and require more oil, while others will barely be aware of their hair and be able to receive my normal approach. I'll ask things like, "am I pulling hair here?" and repeat myself with statements like, "let me know if this is irritating your hair follicles." Guys are usually fairly unaware of their own hair, and it only becomes an issue with fast-moving techniques.
why you work in flexion, extention and rotation?
My main motivation is to give the client's nervous system a lot of different stimuli. I'm not trying to change things in one particular direction or lengthen this or that, I just want their body making informed decisions about resting length and sensitivity. It also keeps things interesting for their brain, and it feels good!
Great Video thanks for sharing!
I love vediod nice sir
Hola, seria bueno, para mi, si pudiera subtitular en español 😊
congrats
How high is your table?
I keep mine at about knuckle height (brushes the underside of my fist when I stand by it) or lower. Here's a video I did on my table height philosophy: th-cam.com/video/DGIkIU_1Bns/w-d-xo.html
That moment when the camera turns blure but I'm still hypnotized.😂
Are u in UK.
Vasileios Petropoulos He’s in Florida, USA.😉
Sadly I don't think in Florida anymore.
Beautiful music! What is it, Ian?
I agree! It's Kevin Macleod: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100394 Free for anyone to use in videos, if anyone out there wants to use it to make a massage demo video!
Wonderful work. I realize I’ve been going too fast which is entirely unnecessary.
How do you massage with such little oil?!! Is that the myofacial way?
It's a good way of going about it! I use enough oil to give me glide, but little enough to provide some resistance so that I can stay slow. That keeps me at a good pace, and it helps me to offer pressure at an oblique angle. In the case of this video, that means that my pressure feels like it's directed up toward the hip rather than just down toward the table. Here's a video where I demonstrate a technique you can try on yourself: th-cam.com/video/7k0PDn7R3Cs/w-d-xo.html
For this video you really don’t do any corrective techniques but rather focus on “giving more information to the body”. Is that your massage approach in general or do you there are times to do corrective techniques?
I'd say that's pretty representative. While I do have different strategies for certain types of dysfunction (see my videos on frozen shoulder and TMJ massage, for instance), it's mostly a matter of how I want to divide up my time. You won't see me trying to lengthen this while shortening that, because I don't think that the body necessarily works that way. My reasoning is this: Just like we couldn't use massage to give someone one hiked shoulder or one inwardly turned hip, it would be similarly impossible for us to mechanically correct these things. Instead, my strategy is to offer stimulus and trust the nervous system to use it to find a functional equilibrium. Good question!
Massage Sloth I really like that analogy of how you cannot deliberately deform the body. I could see that as an effective way to communicate a strategy to a client. However, various SI modalities seem to offer effective mechanical correction - just for devils advocate.
That's true, and many approaches claim to show immediate structural results. While I disagree with their conclusion, I think that their approach is still valid. They may not actually be rebalancing the hips or fixing a subluxed joint, but the time and care are worthwhile and impactful.
Massage Sloth , I read appreciate your thoughtful responses. I tend to lean in your direction philosophically, I have just started watching your videos so I look forward to seeing your philosophy in action.
Dats kool
That's a journey I d like to take too
Dammit now I have that song stuck in my head
Why do you go under the sheet?
14:38 lol
your position is wrong for me,the massage bed is low,sorry for my english 😁i'm a massotherapist,ciao from Italia
I agree that a table this low might not work for everyone. I use it because it allows me to get over my client and use gravity to drive my movements rather than muscle power. I explain more in this video: th-cam.com/video/DGIkIU_1Bns/w-d-xo.html
Idk if what he did that was effective at all. I feel like he still has freshman student vibes
You’ve got to make sure your hands are not under the sheets while you are working.
Too much talk and massage nothing
Talk too much 😏