Transcription:
The Benefits of Massage Therapy

Melanie Cole (Host): We have all heard about a wonderful massage a friend has had that has relaxed them and even helped to heal pain, but is there a difference in the types of massage and even where you get it? My guest today is Janet Lynn Binger. She's a licensed massage therapist with Henry Mayo Fitness and Health. Janet, let's start with a little bit about what massage therapy even is.

Janet Lynn Binger, LMT (Guest): Well, massage therapy, we can do many different things. You can come in just for a pure relaxation massage, which is beneficial for the next few minutes. It'll make you sleep but then tomorrow you'll have aches and pains. My specialty is deep therapeutic massage where we go in, we break up the lactic acid, the toxins that are sitting in the muscles. Once we release that, it releases extra stress because you don't have that pain, it increases the dopamine and serotonin, so it does relax you for long-term. It's fabulous for recovery after a workout, it's also beneficial before a heavy duty marathon or any of those other things that you're going to attach the muscles on.

Host: Tell us about the different categories. Because you mentioned that you're doing deep tissue, and some people like a hot stone, or Swedish, or trigger point. Tell us a little bit about these different types, and why there are so many different types.

Janet: There are so many different types. The way I like to use the analogy is because there are so many different flavors of ice cream. Not one will suit everybody. So some people really don't like a deep tissue, for instance if you have fibromyalgia and you're in a flare-up, deep tissue is only going to put you deeper into a flare-up. So they like lighter tissue. More athletes with more muscle mass and more tone like the deep tissue to break up the lactic acid and the knots that they have.

We also have a hot stone. So hot stone is very beneficial for people that have arthritis or joint pain as it heats the muscle, it heats the blood flow, goes to the rest of the body, relaxes it, but it brings the nutrients and vitamins to each joint and it helps repair that.

Trigger point work is when you sit on a muscle that has a knot, and the trigger point is if I hit your shoulder blade, it will refer to around your ear. So we want to get in there, we want to break that up as well. That can be quite painful, so that's someone that can deal with a high tolerance of pain. We also do lymphatic drainage. The lymphatic drainage, people that have swollen ankles, or any of that other stuff, it helps drain the lymph through the system. It takes away that swollenness so that skin pain, that joint pain that you feel with that is also relieved.

Host: I do love a good massage. Tell us about some of those benefits, and long-term benefits of massage therapy, and how we're dealing with so much stress and chronic pain these days; Janet, speak about how it can help when somebody really does adhere to the program and get regular massages.

Janet: When someone adheres to the program, which is we like to say once a week for about three to four weeks because we want to get in there and break it down, and then every other week, every three weeks, until we get to our maintenance. Long-term benefit is people nowadays sit in front of a computer, they're looking at their iPhone, their iPad, their head is down, their shoulders are forward. So they're so focused in that, that when their head is forward, the neck muscles, the upper back muscles are constantly trying to fight to pull the head back in place. So same with the back muscles. When your shoulders are kind of in that hunched position, the shoulder blades, levator scapulae, and all the other muscles - the bigger muscles of the back - try to pull your shoulders back into that position.

With massage therapy, we go in there and we really break down the tight muscle, which is normally the pec muscle. We get in there and we break it down, we get it to a relaxed state so all of the conjoining muscles can go into a relaxed state. So over time, when you actually follow proper protocol, all those muscles are going to stay relaxed, which will enhance your ability to stay more relaxed over long-term. You come in once a month for your maintenance, we maintain those muscles in the relaxed state, then the rest of your body, your mind, the blood flow to the brain keeps you more relaxed in a copesthetic way.

Host: Tell us a little bit about the differences between getting a massage outside of a medical clinic or a hospital-based health and fitness center, for example, or some of the boutique salons, massage franchises that are popping up. Is there a difference?

Janet: There's a huge difference. Usually these franchise places that are popping up, you see massage is just becoming over-inundated. A lot of these people are right out of school. So schooling is a very short-term. When you go to massage school, they're just giving you little tidbits of all the different modalities that are out there. So you may get a therapist that might have taken a deep tissue course for a day or two, and not really versed on what connective tissue goes to what connective tissue.

In a therapeutic spa, or in a medical in-house, we get more specialized. For myself, I take schooling all the time. Being a licensed massage therapist, I have to take a lot of school to maintain that license. So my credentials are large because I will take a deep tissue course that'll last two, three, four weeks, and is specialized in deep tissue or lymphatic drainage. You get just to touch the base on one day in schooling, but if you don't follow through, then you're going to really not benefit.

A lot of these franchises and chains, I've found they're right out of school. You talk connective tissue or why you're working on a certain muscle or joint, they really can't give you the answer because they don't have enough knowledge yet. So my recommendation is always go to a licensed massage therapist, go to a medical place, somewhere where there's not a high turnover of massage therapists.

Host: How do you determine what to work on? Tell us about the assessment of the client to determine what areas need to be worked on, and making every treatment personalized. And while you're telling us this, Janet, speak about the people who are sitting with desk jobs, as I sit behind a microphone, and is it recommended that individuals who have sit down jobs get regular massage treatments?

Janet: Yes. Yes, people that sit behind a desk, a computer, people that work on a mouse, they need more regular treatments. I always have those people come in every other week, at least twice a month, because you're sitting in that sedentary position for six to eight hours a day. The lactic acid just keeps pumping in, and in, and in, and in that muscle to where it doesn't realize that it stops for the day. So the muscle group still keeps the lactic acid pumping. With regular massages, we remind that muscle to relax, you get better blood flow to it. So every other week you come in- you're sitting in that sedentary position for two weeks, we break it up, and you feel better, you sleep better, you're better at your job.

The people that like to come in- the way I customize my massages are I ask you a series of questions when you come in. Where is your biggest pain? What do you do for a living? What do you do for sports? Are you married? Do you have small children, because you're carrying babies? So I go in and then I re-evaluate, and I'm looking at their posture, I look is one shoulder higher than the other? I watch them walk down the hallway as I'm escorting them to the room to watch how their gait is, and that's how I assess them.

So once I get them on the table, I look at all their muscles, I look at how they're laying on the table. When I start- there's a rocking mechanism that I do in the very beginning [Inaudible 00:07:58] back of the neck, and I watch the vertebrae. If they are stuck, and they move in one joint, like maybe six to eight sections- six to eight inch sections, that's how I know where to work because that's where the muscles are tightest.

I also do a series of stretching. So when I'm stretching the client, I see where their muscles are tight and I actually go after that muscle group. And we have synergists and activists and there's a whole lot of things where one muscle will move another muscle will help another muscle. So you go through all of those muscle groups, and you find out which one is the tight one that's causing the issue, and you work on that. So to evaluate my clients, I ask them a whole series of questions, watch their gait, watch their posture, and we just take it from there.

Host: So important, and it's great information, Janet. Do you provide massages for all ages? What are your recommendations for prenatal massage as well?

Janet: I do all ages. I've worked from infancy up to 100 years old. Prenatal, I believe that it's so important for that mother to get prenatal massages. After the first trimester is when we recommend it, so the second and third trimester. It relaxes the mother. The mother has so much stress of carrying extra weight, her ankles are swollen, their low back starts to hurt, their neck, their breasts start to get heavy so their upper back and neck. Everything starts to get tight, so with prenatal massages, we do them- again, I like to do them every two weeks just because the baby is growing so quickly. We keep the mother relaxed, and it's great for the baby as wells as it's great for when you're giving birth because now your body is more relaxed, not having been stressed and tight for nine months. If your body is in a more relaxed state, then it's easier for the birth.

Host: What would you like people to know as we wrap up this wonderful segment on the benefits of massage therapy? Is there any stretches or homework a patient- you want them to do at home to focus or to relieve some of the underlying issues? And what would you like them to know about massage therapy available at Henry Mayo's Fitness and Health?

Janet: Yes, after each one of my sessions, each one of my clients, I always say that they get homework. So depending on what issues they came in with, they go home with a specific stretch for that issue and ailment. One thing that I always try and tell everybody is find a massage therapist that suits your needs. You might go to five or six that weren't so good, but you'll find one that's suited to you, your body, and your needs. Stick with that person because they'll see you week after week, they'll see your progression, they get to know you, your outside life, and they know what's going on in your world so you become kind of friends, and your body relaxes a little more because you can trust them a little bit. But truly, truly, truly find a massage therapist that's going to take care of you and your needs. Don't worry about the ones that weren't so good because there are fabulous massage therapists out there that will help you. But keep any of your relaxation goals, your stress low, your body tension, and what your goal is overall; the health, well-being, more relaxation. When you're happy and less stressed, your family is happy and less stressed because you're not miserable, you're not feeling that pain. So definitely find a good massage therapist and stick with our treatment.

Host: Hear, hear. Great information, Janet. Thank you so much for joining us and explaining the field of massage therapy and the benefits that people can get from a really good massage. You're listening to It's Your Health Radio with Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. For more information, please visit www.HenryMayo.com. That's www.HenryMayo.com. This is Melanie Cole, thanks so much for tuning in.