Thai massage, known as Nuad Bo Rarn or “ancient massage” in Thai, is a unique massage modality that has only been available in the United States for about fifteen years. However, its rich history in Thailand stretches back over 2,000 years. In a traditional Thai massage, the client lies on a mat on the floor, while the therapist uses his or her knees, feet, elbows, and hands to create compression and stretching. Some say receiving a Thai massage is like going to a massage therapist, chiropractor, and yoga class all in one.

The father of Thai massage was Dr. Shivago Kormarpaj, an […]

The holiday season is full of good cheer, good company, and, unfortunately, stress. Just as the darkest time of the year arrives, so does the holiday frenzy of shopping for presents and wrapping up year-end details. As our bodies yearn for extra rest, our culture directs us toward more activity. Massage is the perfect tool for staying healthy throughout the holiday season. But it’s not always easy to make time for massage. In this post, we’re reflecting on why massage is especially important during the holidays. We also provide tips to help LMTs and consumers alike work massage into their holiday […]

CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) is on the rise in hospitals across the US, and massage is a big part of that growth. The 2010 Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Survey of Hospitals took a look at 714 hospitals across the US. It found that 42% offered CAM services, an increase of 5% since 2007. Urban hospitals are the most likely to offer CAM healing, and massage therapy was found to be the most popular CAM therapy for outpatient healing, at 64%. Let’s take a look at how therapeutic massage schools prepare students for work in hospitals.

Medical Massage Work in Hospitals

Medical […]

During a career in massage, any given therapist will almost certainly encounter clients with sprained muscles. In today’s post, we’re taking a look at how sprains feel, where they often occur for athletes, and how these ubiquitous injuries may be healed through massage.

At some point or another, most active individuals have experienced a sprained muscle. Sports massage therapists are especially likely to work on sprains. As students learn in our massage training school, a sprain typically feels like a “popping” sensation, followed by a severe, sudden pain. After the sprain occurs, the area feels tender, with bruising.

Strains occur when muscle is […]

Fascia, or connective tissue, is a stabilizing substance. Acting like cables in a tension bridge, it stabilizes bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This thick, elastic tissue is rich in nerve endings, so it transmits messages from the brain quickly, and assists with proprioception (awareness of where the body is in space).  Fascia wraps around every muscle, every muscle fiber, and every joint. It supports every organ, pads every vertebra (discs are considered a part of the fascial system) and protects bones. When fascia is healthy, it allows us to move gracefully, as it helps control and coordinate our movements. It […]

While sitting at a computer or reading our digital devices, many of us unwittingly jut the chin forward. This forward head posture may also appear when driving. In this position, the upper back will tend to hunch, as the abdominals grow soft. Upper back and neck tension are common results, as these muscles must support the head when it’s pushed forward in this way. (With proper posture, the skeleton would support the weight of the head instead.) This shape also causes the scalene muscles on the neck to tighten, which in turn can cause pain and even numbness down the arms. […]

Deep tissue massage can help alleviate muscle adhesions, or “knots” as they are commonly known. Dehydration, injury, and overuse of a muscle can cause adhesions to form. An adhesion is comprised of continually contracting muscles. Muscles may become “too tight” in this way when we use them repetitively.

Like all contracted muscle, adhesions suffer poor circulation of lymph and blood; waste removal is also restricted as circulation decreases. Deep tissue massage works on the sub-layers of muscle and connective tissues that may feel “frozen” in place through repetitive movement or injury. By breaking up scar tissue, deep tissue helps release waste toxins, […]

Michelangelo said, “To touch is to give life.” Today we’re exploring how science proves him right. We’ll explore findings from researchers like UC Berkeley professor Dacher Kelter, who has overseen experiments on how well humans can convey emotions to each other through touch alone (about half of the time, it turns out.) Beyond expression of compassion and other emotions, we’ll find that touch can improve health and activate brain centers for reward and compassion.

Primates spend 10-20% of their waking time grooming each other—that’s time spent touching family members and peers. Yet many people in the West go days on end without […]