Carpal Tunnel is an injury affecting the fingers, hand, wrist and arm and can move even higher to affect the back as well. The numbers of work related injuries to the hands and arms are growing as education to the average office employee is lacking. The average worker can end up spending a considerable amount of time in their workstation. With proper positioning and use of the correct ergonomic equipment, problems can be avoided for both the employee and employer.

Carpal tunnel in the workstation environment is caused by the improper positioning of the wrist and arm while typing and using the mouse. Your arm should be held a completely relaxed position and at the same level as the mouse and keyboard. You don’t want to angle your wrist upward or downward while typing, but keep it in a relaxed angle making it easy to type.

In order to get the proper height, most desks will require an ergonomic adjustable keyboard tray attached to them in order to help with height adjustment and maintaining that relaxed position. The keyboard tray can include a mouse platform on the side of keyboard placement or the mouse can be separate from the tray. One can feel the effects of good ergonomics once they start to use a keyboard tray within hours as less stress is put on the arms and back.

Most desk heights are incorrect for the chair placement when it comes to leaving the keyboard on your desk. If using the keyboard and mouse on your desk, make sure that your office chair is adjustable to help with height placement. Even the most economical office chair models can include a height adjustment mechanism which is also recommended for proper positioning.

The office chair that you sit in can also be important both to proper ergonomics and to the prevention of injuries like carpal tunnel. Carpal tunnel is said to have roots in the upper lumbar area and neck as well, with many massage therapists treating carpal tunnel through therapy in the neck and upper back area. Sitting in an office chair with proper lumbar support and tilt mechanisms to keep the body at a slightly reclined and relaxed position is also important.

With proper employee training and equipment, carpal tunnel can be avoided and employees are more productive when comfortable in their environment. With all of the new ergonomic products and equipment on sale, it can be easy to find the right supplies for your workspace and avoid injury completely.

Amy Lieberfarb has been in the office furniture and interior sales industry for 11 years and currently runs two online websites dedicated to Office Chairs and Furniture. Providing information on how to pick the right ergonomic chair and featuring hundreds of different chairs, the site is very informative.

stores.ebay.com/liebswholesale stores.ebay.com/liebswholesale

Specializing in Office Furniture and Ergonomic Chairs.

liebswholesale.com liebswholesale.com

Please see her websites and her many other articles for more information on ergonomics and proper positioning.

She is an expert in most things office chairs and is an eBay Powerseller with years of experience and great positive feedback from all of her loyal customer base.

Related posts

• Washington Massage Therapy Schools (0)
• Staying In Business As A Massage Therapist (0)
• Massage, The Healing Power of Touch Can Help Relieve Pain (0)
• Massage Therapy Schools for Natural Healing (0)
• Massage Therapy Schools and Your Future Career (0)

Tags: Hair, massage, massage therapist

If you have never had a professional therapeutic massage before, you could be intimidated by what you do not know or you may not be aware that the successful outcome of your massage session depends largely upon - not only your massage therapist - but also on how you prepare and receive the massage. So what can you do to benefit the most from your experience?

Preparing is about Attitude

First, how do you view taking time out for yourself? Do you view it as being selfish, time better served towards family, or time well spent in caring for oneself? Our views towards our own self wellness stem from our cultural, environmental, or social values. If we feel guilty when we are having a massage, it is counter productive to becoming stress-free and relieving tension. Adjusting our attitude towards our own self-wellness may be the key to unlocking our stress-relief and tension-free self.

Are you worried about nudity? Are you concerned that your therapist will be making judgments regarding your physical appearance? Therapeutic professionals are specially trained to ensure that your personal dignity is maintained throughout the entire treatment. Draping techniques are used that will only uncover the areas of which are being worked - areas that are defined by you. You can undress to the level of your own personal comfort. Your therapist is trained to observe your body’s structural and muscular condition, not its physical appearance.

Preparing our Bodies

Considering that the majority of your body’s weight is made up primarily of water, water is essential to maintaining your body’s well-being and health. A massage will flush toxins from your body’s muscles to your lymphatic system, thus requiring that you follow the treatment by drinking water to remove these toxins from your body; how much water depends upon your age, weight, and other such factors.

You should not drink alcohol or use illegal drugs prior to your treatment. These will adversely affect the outcome of your massage. Allowing thirty minutes to an hour between eating and receiving a massage is recommended as your body’s digestive system is still actively processing during this time.

If you wear contact lenses, you will not want to wear these during your massage since they will become dry. If you choose to wear your contacts during your treatment, be sure to bring your contact solution to moisturize your contacts after your session.

Removing your jewelry and safely securing them with your belongings is also recommended, this may include body piercing as well. Bring an antiseptic with you if you have a naval or other body piercing to sanitize the area before and after your treatment.

Preparing Your Therapist

Arrive early for your treatment, approximately by ten to 15 minutes, to finish the paperwork that you will need to provide to your therapist. This is the perfect time to discuss any questions and concerns that you may have such as how much clothing to remove, draping procedures, etc. Some massage therapists and spas require that payment be made prior to the treatment session. Gratuities are not included at this time; although it is usual and customary for a 15% - 20% tip.

In a general sense, you will complete paperwork that outlines your consent on the treatment, what treatment will be received, and what areas that you would like to be worked. You will also complete a health history. This health history will help you and your therapist to determine the best massage techniques or modality to use for you. You will need to include any conditions, diseases, medication, vitamins, and past medical procedures that you have had in the past or are currently undergoing so a proper assessment can be made.

There are a few medical conditions that will limit what massage techniques that can be used during your treatment. For instance, a diabetic will not be able to receive a deep tissue massage or another sugar stimulating treatment. Other medical conditions can also negate an individual from even receiving a massage, such as an individual with certain types of immune system or blood disorders. If your medical condition will allow a massage under specific circumstances, it is best than that your health care provider’s consent is given in writing to the therapist before a treatment can be received. This consent should comprise of specific details on what areas and techniques can and can not be included in the treatment session. If your treatment will be limited in any way, this will be discussed by your therapist prior to your session.

Since your treatment will take several minutes, it is recommended that you utilize the restroom prior to your treatment.

Receiving the Massage

Finally the moment has arrived for your massage. So what now? Your therapist will direct you to your treatment room where you will receive instructions for your treatment session, such as lying on your stomach on the table, getting in between the linens, etc. Your therapist will leave you to undress.

As you begin your massage, your therapist will give you any additional instructions as required throughout the treatment. Your only job now is to relax, breathe deeply, and concentrate on having a stress-free experience. If the therapist needs to make adjustments to the placement of your limbs, allow the therapist to move them. Not you. This will allow your mind and body to completely rest.

In order to benefit from the massage, you may want to keep conversation to a minimum or if it helps you to relax more, then chat away. Refrain from soliciting advice from your massage therapist on anything not pertaining to your treatment session since he/she is not qualified to provide it. If any conversation is distracting to your primary goal of stress and tension reduction, it is best left for outside the treatment room.

If at any time during the treatment session you are uncomfortable, let your therapist know immediately so the necessary adjustments can be made. If the adjustments do not relieve your uncomfortableness, you have the right to discontinue the massage at any time.

At the end of your treatment, your therapist will again step out of the room for you to dress. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to ask! Before getting off of the table, take a moment to reorient yourself. Your feet may have some residue left on them from the massage oil, cream, or lotion that may make the floor slippery. You can take your time in getting dressed and check around for any forgotten items, especially jewelry and watches. Remember, it is good practice to drink water after your treatment to help flush the toxins from your body.

Tipping is customary for good service. Usually it is approximately between 15 - 20% of the cost of the treatment session. Depending upon the locale, some spas will have an envelope for you to place your tip for your massage therapist. This is also a good time to make your next appointment.

After the Massage

After your massage, you will want to avoid doing anything that is particularly laborious for the next few hours, such as working out. Some individuals may feel sore the next day from their massage depending upon the therapy technique or modality used. If you had any aromatherapy during your session, it may also be advisable to avoid direct sunlight to ward off heat sensitivity and/or sunburn.

mailto:cherisa@naturesparadisespa.com Cherisa Chapa, LMT is the owner of naturesparadisespa.com/ Nature’s Paradise Spa where you can learn more about stress and tension reduction, pain management and injury recovery, and self-wellness and pampering information.
We also offer advertising and marketing techniques for massage therapists. - Finally Pampering Just for YOU!

Related posts

• Important Health Update (0)
• Yoga Down — Twist This Mess Around (0)
• Why Won’t My Shoulder Pain Go Away? (0)
• What in the World is Detox Ionithermie? (0)
• Wedding Day Massage (0)

Tags: diabetic, massage, massage therapist

It’s the day after you climbed a huge crag and your muscles are not very happy about it. A great way to relieve your aches and pains is to have a session with your local sport massage therapist.

Sports massage is a special form of massage and can be used before and after you go climbing. This is an excellent way to help in fatigue, relieve swelling, reduce muscle tension and to prevent injuries.

Sports massage also helps to promote flexibility, which is great for rock climbers.

Sports massage is essentially a specialty branch of Swedish massage. The massage employs the cross-fiber strokes that help to break up and stretch out contracted and restricted tissue. This restriction and contract contributes to a lot of pain and restriction of motion.

If sports massage is received prior to climbing, the massage helps to protect against injuries and will also boost performance. Sports massage aids in the recovery of normal muscle tone and aids in the removal of lactic acid. This lactic acid is what typically leads to muscle soreness.

Another benefit of massage is that it enables athletes to move through plateaus with greater ease. Massage has been shown to help climbers with tight and contracted forearm muscles.

Massage in the forearms has been shown to help improve strength, grip and achieve higher levels of climbing ability. Both the flexor and extensors will benefit from massage. Other muscles that benefit from sports massage for rock climbers are the hands and wrists and quadriceps.

Many climbers have found that massage has helped them go to the next level in their climbing because they no longer suffer from muscles that become too tight to climb and they have been able to improve their style and grip.

Simply put it allows climbers to climb harder, faster and improve their range of motion.

Climb strong, climb safe.

Ryan Coisson founder of rock-climbing-for-life.com www.rock-climbing-for-life.com and co-author of Mastering the Rock.

Related posts

• Yoga Down — Twist This Mess Around (0)
• Why Won’t My Shoulder Pain Go Away? (0)
• What in the World is Detox Ionithermie? (0)
• Wedding Day Massage (0)
• Washington Massage Therapy Schools (0)

Tags: massage, massage therapist

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has symptoms of tingling and numbness in the hands, fingers and wrists that is sometimes so painful that it is difficult to sleep. These are the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. CTS is almost always a consequence of some sort of repetitive movement, that is, some sort of movement that you have repeated several hundred to several thousand times in a day.

Relieving CTS in the wrists and other areas is not as difficult as the pain would suggest. Persons who experience CTS at its most extreme symptoms cannot be easily convinced to avoid the often-recommended surgical procedure. The surgical procedure itself is not necessarily dangerous. The problem with the surgery is that, should it not be successful, or should the condition relapse, and return to its full symptoms, this option is no longer as valid a solution. It is wiser to initially begin in a conservative care program.

Chiropractors, Massage therapists, and acupuncturists often offer successful treatment programs. There are also several herbs available on the market that offers a high level of success. Most importantly, there are a series of stretches and trigger point reductions that you should be made aware of. Reducing these trigger points and incorporating stretches, when used appropriately, will be exactly what you need to reduce your symptoms and to maintain a symptom free condition in spite of your daily activities.

Look for and learn the routines, and if you are unsure of what to do, approach one of the alternative practitioners listed in the paragraph above, and ask questions to make sure that they are well trained to treat CTS before you make any appointments. Stretching routines and Trigger Point Reduction may be all you need to provide real, lasting relief.

About the Author:

Dr. Bryan Brodeur is the owner of the

Related posts

• Why Won’t My Shoulder Pain Go Away? (0)
• Massage Therapy Is A Great Stress Reliever (0)
• Massage Magic - Music & Touch (0)
• Chronic Pain Management (0)
• Your Pulse Rate (0)

Tags: massage, massage therapist, sleep