Experience Cannot Be Taught
Deep Tissue Massage
By Erik Dalton
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, February/March 2005.
Copyright 2005. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Palpation is the art of gathering information while simultaneously developing one's concentration, intent, and touch. Considerable time and practice is typically needed for most touch therapists to develop high-level palpation skills, yet some appear born with an innate kinesthetic palpatory awareness. Enhanced palpatory abilities are blatantly tied to the therapist's level of personal satisfaction and professional passion for the work. A few of the most useful palpation lessons to learn include: how to slow down, when to move deeper into motion-restricted tissue(s), how to tune in to the client's ventilatory processes (breathing), and how far and deep to follow the tissue release. Accomplishing these tasks may sound simple but it often requires years to master this force called the "Law of Inertial Mass."
In our profession, the following metaphor best describes the idea of inertial mass: Develop a mental picture of how one would push a boat away from shore -- shall we run at its hull and give a big shove? No, slow sustained pressure is applied until a resistance barrier is met. As the boat begins to move, more force is gradually applied until the mass of momentum delivers the boat away from shore.
Engaging the body's tissue with too much pressure or too fast, desensitizes hand, fist, and elbow mechanoreceptors, causing a loss of listening power. Ida Rolf objected to the use of one's thumbs for deep tissue work due to possible damage from strains and sprains. However, in my practice, I find the human thumb to be an exceptionally effective tool if correctly applied. Thumbs are great information gatherers. Unbeknownst to most bodyworkers, the thumb and index finger contain more proprioceptors (sensory receptors) per square inch than the other digits combined.
The more motion exerted by the therapist's hands, the more afferent stimuli is transmitted to the central nervous system for interpretation and integration. The beginning therapist is often guilty of using too much movement when searching for anatomic landmarks and identifying tissue layers. Speed truly is the enemy of depth when working to restore extensibility to motion-restricted tissues, just as lack of enthusiasm for learning is the enemy of passion.
It appears that today's educators are breeding more enthusiasm into the wonderful field of touch therapy by encouraging students to develop enhanced palpatory and anatomic skills. Some schools teach proper hand, fist, elbow, and knuckle techniques in basic training while others may refer students to the school's video library to explore higher level concepts (i.e., structural integration, muscle and joint biomechanics, and pain management protocols). Personally, I believe entry-level students gain greater personal satisfaction and obviously perform better if exposed to a variety of hands-on maneuvers. However, one must pervasively strive to develop a clear intent when engaging the tissues always working with the Law of Inertial Mass.
Recently, a noticeable upsurge of fine therapists are entering the pain management field and for obvious reasons -- people feel personally rewarded when helping others in need. But entering this discipline requires that the transition be accompanied by advanced study in palpation skills, assessment, history-taking, biomechanics, pathology, etc. The greatest challenge most pain management therapists encounter begins in the history-gathering stage. Resist the temptation to mentally "box" the client's complaint into a "fix-it" formula that excludes the body as the primary healer. Always keep an open mind and trust that the body's innate intelligence will guide the healing process with a little help from friendly hands.
Erik Dalton, Ph.D., brings a broad background in massage, Rolfing, and manipulative osteopathy to his pain-management workshops. Dalton is director of the Freedom From Pain Institute and developer of the Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques. Visit www.ErikDalton.com for additional information.
Copyright 2005. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Palpation is the art of gathering information while simultaneously developing one's concentration, intent, and touch. Considerable time and practice is typically needed for most touch therapists to develop high-level palpation skills, yet some appear born with an innate kinesthetic palpatory awareness. Enhanced palpatory abilities are blatantly tied to the therapist's level of personal satisfaction and professional passion for the work. A few of the most useful palpation lessons to learn include: how to slow down, when to move deeper into motion-restricted tissue(s), how to tune in to the client's ventilatory processes (breathing), and how far and deep to follow the tissue release. Accomplishing these tasks may sound simple but it often requires years to master this force called the "Law of Inertial Mass."
In our profession, the following metaphor best describes the idea of inertial mass: Develop a mental picture of how one would push a boat away from shore -- shall we run at its hull and give a big shove? No, slow sustained pressure is applied until a resistance barrier is met. As the boat begins to move, more force is gradually applied until the mass of momentum delivers the boat away from shore.
Engaging the body's tissue with too much pressure or too fast, desensitizes hand, fist, and elbow mechanoreceptors, causing a loss of listening power. Ida Rolf objected to the use of one's thumbs for deep tissue work due to possible damage from strains and sprains. However, in my practice, I find the human thumb to be an exceptionally effective tool if correctly applied. Thumbs are great information gatherers. Unbeknownst to most bodyworkers, the thumb and index finger contain more proprioceptors (sensory receptors) per square inch than the other digits combined.
The more motion exerted by the therapist's hands, the more afferent stimuli is transmitted to the central nervous system for interpretation and integration. The beginning therapist is often guilty of using too much movement when searching for anatomic landmarks and identifying tissue layers. Speed truly is the enemy of depth when working to restore extensibility to motion-restricted tissues, just as lack of enthusiasm for learning is the enemy of passion.
It appears that today's educators are breeding more enthusiasm into the wonderful field of touch therapy by encouraging students to develop enhanced palpatory and anatomic skills. Some schools teach proper hand, fist, elbow, and knuckle techniques in basic training while others may refer students to the school's video library to explore higher level concepts (i.e., structural integration, muscle and joint biomechanics, and pain management protocols). Personally, I believe entry-level students gain greater personal satisfaction and obviously perform better if exposed to a variety of hands-on maneuvers. However, one must pervasively strive to develop a clear intent when engaging the tissues always working with the Law of Inertial Mass.
Recently, a noticeable upsurge of fine therapists are entering the pain management field and for obvious reasons -- people feel personally rewarded when helping others in need. But entering this discipline requires that the transition be accompanied by advanced study in palpation skills, assessment, history-taking, biomechanics, pathology, etc. The greatest challenge most pain management therapists encounter begins in the history-gathering stage. Resist the temptation to mentally "box" the client's complaint into a "fix-it" formula that excludes the body as the primary healer. Always keep an open mind and trust that the body's innate intelligence will guide the healing process with a little help from friendly hands.
Erik Dalton, Ph.D., brings a broad background in massage, Rolfing, and manipulative osteopathy to his pain-management workshops. Dalton is director of the Freedom From Pain Institute and developer of the Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques. Visit www.ErikDalton.com for additional information.
