6/8/15 Relieving A Pain In The Neck: Levator Scapulae Shortening of levator scapulae is a common cause of posterior neck and shoulder pain. When it is contracted or tight, it can be difficult to flex or rotate the neck. It’s a difficult muscle to manipulate on one’s own, but fortunately, it is readily accessible to the massage therapist, who can typically provide relief. Levator scapulae...

5/22/15 What You Should Know Before A Massage If you have never had a massage or have not had one in years here are a few things you should know for a satisfying session: Don’t receive a massage if you are sick. Massage therapy may intensify your illness or symptoms. It’s easy to reschedule your session a few days out. I do table massage in my office. Put your face into the face cradle when...

©AcupunctureProducts.com 5/5/15 Pericardium Meridian One of the things we do during a shiatsu session, in addition to relaxing the soft tissues, is to move ki (the animating vital life force) through the external energy channels, or meridians. Where energy flow is deficient, we bring more ki to the area; where it is excessive, we open the channel and move it along. The external Pericardium...

  ©Simons, Travell, Simons posterior rotator cuff 4/21/15 Rotator Cuff Attachments and Actions Plenty of people complain of shoulder pain, so I’ve developed a comprehensive shoulder massage protocol over the years. While there are a number of organic causes for shoulder pain, here I outline the anatomy and actions of the rotator cuff muscles, which are frequent culprits in shoulder...

4/1/15 Review Of My Professional Massage From Around Cyberspace 3/31/2015 Wayne F. says: I have been a client of Martin’s for almost two years. The muscle relief I get is always great. It allows me to exercise more frequently and at a higher level if I did not have it. Great Massage! 3/13/2015 Joe S. says: I started going to Martin several months ago. He does a great job and I would...

3/18/15 – 3/24/15 Adventure Las Vegas And The Hassles Of Flying My flight was delayed twice this morning. I phoned United Airlines (30 minutes) to reconfigure my day. The first flight finally took off after the second delay, so I’m anxious about missing my connection at Denver. From Denver I fly to Salt Lake City, and from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. I’m anticipating seeing Matt and...

3/11/15 Massaging the Bladder Meridian It’s natural, instinctive, to thoroughly work the bladder meridian during shiatsu and massage sessions. It is the longest meridian channel of TCM, beginning at the the inner eyelid, traveling over the head, down the back and legs, and ending at the side of the 5th toe. I find massage and acupressure along this channel induces relaxation more than any...

3/2/15 Heat, Slow Massage, Adhesions Sore, tired, stiff muscles respond well to heat. That’s one reason why massage therapy helps you feel better. Therapeutic massage warms the muscles, encouraging relaxation. When a massage therapist engages the thixotropic property of the muscle tissue with slow compression or myofascial stretching, it allows him too slowly penetrate into the deeper...

2/23/15 Foot Massage for Plantar Fasciitis and General Foot Pain Foot massage may be one of the most relaxing and stress relieving parts of any massage, and can address several specific dysfunctions including Plantar Fasciitis, early stage Hammer Toe, chronic pain, headache, and so on. Kidney 1 (K1) is a powerful acupressure point on the center of the sole of the foot, between the 2nd and 3rd...

©photo Sarah Eisenberg 2/17/15 Winning Weekend: Iowa Indoor Soccer Championship Gabe and I drove 90 minutes north to Cedar Falls on Saturday, February 14th. His U16 Alliance Lasers Soccer Club played and won five games in the Iowa Indoor Soccer Championship at the UNI Dome. Exciting weekend! All of the games were close and competitive, and it became more intense deeper into the tourney. They...