Shoulder Care Checklist (Part 4)

This is the final part of the four part series on the guide and care of your shoulders. I hope you have learned something great about taking care of your body!

The Shoulder Care Checklist
To prevent shoulder problems from occurring, always practice healthy shoulder habits with these helpful
ideas:

• Maintain good posture - stand with shoulders back and keep shoulders back when on the computer
• Avoid excessive and repetitive use of your shoulders
• If you sit at work, take frequent breaks and stretch
• Don’t put undue stress on the shoulders with heavy backpacks or purses
• Warm up your arms before exercising
• Consult your chiropractor, massage therapist or doctor if you injure or develop pain in your shoulder, even if it seems minor
• Do any maintenance exercises that is given to you
• Stretch shoulders frequently
• Strengthen shoulder muscles

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Could the Computer Be Hurting You?

In today's world we are hooked on computers, myself included. Most people spend their whole work day on the computer and then come home and play on it more for personal fun and social networking sites like on of my favorites, Facebook. The downfall of all this time on the computer is that we do not take the time to be aware of our posture using the computer, nor do we take a moment to step away and give our body and minds a much needed break, even if it is just for 5 minutes. With this, most of us find ourselves in a bit of pain from the all day use of the keyboard and the mouse. This pain could be in your upper shoulders, your forearms, wrists and for some in the fingers (ever feel that numbing sensation?). Sometimes these muscle issues start showing up right away. Sometimes they may not be for years.


I'm sure if you take a good look at your computer set-up and your posture, you'll quickly realize that things are not ergonomically correct. Yet there are some ways to help yourself have better posture and be more ergonomically correct. These simple measures can help deter you from compromising your body.


1) Receive regular massages :)

2) Acquire ergonomically correct products to support your wrists, arms, lower back and even for your legs.

3) Take breaks away from the computer. Even a quick 1 to 2 minute walk down the hall will refresh your body, get the blood flowing and even refresh your mind.

4) Bring the mouse and keyboard closer to your body so that your not reaching for either.

5) Take a few moments to stretch. Here are a few suggestions:
a) Doorway Stretch: Place your forearm against the frame of a doorway with elbow up. Step forward with the same leg that matches the forearm and lunge. Hold and gently come back. Switch sides.

b) Deltoid Stretch: Pull the right arm across the front of the body using the left arm. Make sure you stretched arm has the thumb facing down. Hold and then switch arms.

c) Tricep and Lat Stretch: Point your right elbow toward the ceiling, then lean the upper torso to the left. You may grab the elbow with the left hand for a further stretch. Hold and switch arms.

d) Wrist Stretch: Hold arm straight out with hand upside down. Gently pull down on the fingers to stretch. Switch hands.


I'm sure one of your first thoughts is how could I fit this into my day? Or I can't do these, what if the boss sees me and thinks I'm being unproductive? Please realize that these simple things don't take up much time and will help you be more productive. If your body is not in pain you will not be spending the time complaining about it, you will get more done and you'll feel better. In the end it is your body and you only have one chance to take care of it.

Ergonomic Massage Table

About two years ago I needed to upgrade my massage table. I did the usual Internet search to check out various tables. However, I knew for me being a hands-on type of person, I needed to go to the massage specialty store and check out the various tables as well as laying down on them to get a feel for the size and weight of the table as well as how soft that they may be. By the time I went to the store, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. That is until I went into the store. At the store, the employee showed me a table that was ergonomic for females. Besides this table having the ergonomic aspect of it, it also fit the other requirements I had of size and weight. The ergonomic part of the table means that the table has padding cut-outs that pop out so that a woman's breast are 'dropped' down into these specific holes. I know this may seem like quite a silly or odd topic, and it's not one I usually discuss. Yet I've realized that it is something that I can promote that makes me a bit unique compared to other therapists or spas.

In my practice, I have a few large breasted clients, as well as a few with implants and that is what this table is mostly designed for. As a female and getting massaged, we usually get what I call the 'squish factor.' I'm pretty sure you can figure that out. If I am doing bodywork on a large breasted client, not only is she getting the 'squishing' of the breasts as I work on her back, her back is also very much curved up and not quite flat which can be a hindrance for the massage therapist as well as not being able to receive massage in the best form to get into the muscles they way the client might want or need. This table helps relieve that curving and squishing, whether you have implants or have large and even small breasts. Just these simple cut-outs relieve so much pressure on our bodies during massage. And when a client is not thinking (or maybe even hurting) from the pressure that is being placed on her during the massage, then the client gets to relax even more. It's just one more thing to think about when you make your next massage appointment... do they have ergonomically correct massage tables?