Injury prevention massage
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Injury Prevention Massage is a relatively recently developed massage technique used by many manipulative therapists to deliver massage strokes and manipulations to their clients without the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury and other related Work Related Upper Limb Disorders to themselves.
Injury Prevention Massage is among a few other types of massage technique which address the serious issue of damage to therapists' hands through massage, such as No Hands Massage and Hands Free Massage, and alongside these techniques it addresses in-depth the implications that posture and body mechanics have on RSI in manipulative therapists.
The techniques have been developed through years of clinical work and are popular with not only therapists who have injured themselves through their work and are looking for a solution for recovery and to continue in their practice, but also with therapists who are smart enough to protect themselves before they get injured.
Massage is by its very nature repetitive and physically demanding. Doing more than 2 hours of repetitive movement every day nearly guarantees developing an RSI related condition and most therapists work for more than 2 hours a day, making it nearly impossible to avoid a repetitive strain injury through their work.
The strokes involved in Injury Prevention Massage are performed with various aspects of the forearm, such as the musculature, the ulna, the styloid process, the medial epicondyle, and the olecranon, and the pressure for the massage comes from transfer of body weight as opposed to muscle push and strain. While the technique was originally designed to replicate the therapeutic benefits of traditional Swedish massage - effleurage, petrissage, friction work, kneading, etc., developers found it also introduced intramuscular stretch and encouraged lymphatic drainage.
Through the integration of several disciplines such as Lomi Lomi (Hawaiian massage), Tai Chi, dance, and principles of sports medicine, Ergonomics, and Chiropractics, in addition to helping to prevent RSI related injuries in manipulative therapists, Injury Prevention Massage has also been found to improve overall body health by encouraging greater range of movement in the therapist, improving flexibility and posture, and increasing proprioception, improving spatial awareness and cardiovascular health.
