One of the occupational hazards of being a massage therapist is the wear and tear on your own body — especially your hands. Massage therapists carry a lot of tension in their hands and arms — so do most of you nowadays, with all the typing, electronic gadgetry and computer or gameplay most of us do.
In order to be able to do our jobs effectively as massage therapists, we need to maintain our bodies through proper diet, exercise, stretching and self-massage. In between all of that, just like you, we need to have bodywork too. All of this helps provide us with a well-rounded picture for our clients. Not only have we studied what is going on with your body and learned techniques for helping you maintain health but we’ve also been in your shoes — especially when it comes to hand and arm fatigue and tension.
That’s why today’s Quick Quirk Tip is for a super easy (and quick) stretch you can do right at your desk to help relieve tension in the arms and hands, and keep your fingers flying across those keys.
- Lay the one arm on the desk, palm up.
- With the opposite forearm or elbow (depending on how much pressure you can take or want) apply pressure on the forearm, by simply leaning in.
- Once you get used to the pressure, rotate your hands while holding the arm to prevent it from turning. (This will cause the muscles on the forearm that you’re holding down to release and relax.)
- You can repeat this process, moving up and down your forearm to release any tight spots.
- Repeat on the other side.
Remember, in addition to this self-massage technique (and any other you may know), your hands and arms, as well as your shoulders and neck, need adequate rest breaks throughout the day, along mild stretching to maintain their optimum flexibility. Just a few well-timed breaks throughout your work day could make all the difference in between massage appointments.
