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Scoliosis and Massage

Hello fellow Massage Therapist's!! I have a client who has had nerve pain in her low back for months now. The pain radiates into the front of her left leg. She gets relief after massage but not for long. Her spine seems to be twisting at the lumbar and sacral. I have done so many techniques however, I am feeling stumped.  Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you!!

 

Marla

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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on June 14, 2011 at 2:45pm

I like your psoas motto!

 

You did a great job of explaining what I couldn't figure out how to - about touching the anterior side where the thigh and pelvis connect.  I once had a client pretty close to jump off the table just at a light touch!  No psoas release for her...!!

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on June 14, 2011 at 3:31pm
?  You release the psoas by stressing the Glutes
Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on June 14, 2011 at 4:20pm
I'm going to punt to Mary-Margaret on that one.  Not sure...
Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on June 14, 2011 at 4:23pm
Im confused on how you think?  You say how  important releasing the psoas is, and why it should be released...But what you described about her almost jumping off the table at a light touch...indicates a trigger point in the psoas....But you say no release for her?  Didnt that book tell you how to release the psoas?  Just confused?
Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on June 14, 2011 at 4:31pm

At the point someone is so sensitive in that area, it's not exactly therapeutic to go digging on it when they can't tolerate it being touched.  At that time I only knew one way to release the psoas and that was with force.  It's not good to use force at any point, and certainly not when the issues are that big.  It wasn't pain that got her, it was ticklish.  This was while I was still in school and was clueless how to proceed at that time.  Now I'd do some stretches and some different approaches to releasing it.  I've learned a lot in the last 4 years!

 

The book actually tells you how to release your own psoas, rather than someone else's.

Permalink Reply by Mary-Margaret Mastin on June 14, 2011 at 5:00pm
Is that a typo or did you really mean 'stressing the glutes'???  If you meant stressing...or even if you meant stretching...neither in itself will release a Psoas.  The Psoas doesn't necessarily have an on/off switch to it, rather it is a process of 'noticing' how the body is torqued and then "like following the Yellow Brick Road"  working with the vaiables of how that tension, compensation pattern, matrix formation....is connected.  A typical 'Spa Massage' (the kind we were all trained to do), while very relaxing (to many)....doesn't really allow for the 'individuals history and subsequent patterning'.  Given that no two fingerprints are alike...........I believe that undoing the tension of the Psoas...is not a straight A to B formula....it's a process...just like it was a process getting snarled up in the first place.  Often times it is the client's personal 'habitual patterns' that do the deed, some times a trauma...the options are endless.  Opening the body back up, particularly the Pelvis and inner thigh muscles...is the pathway to getting release.  Haven't ever heard a 'boing' when the Psoas let down......but I sure do witness a lot of "releases" richochetting through the clients body's as their patterns release.  That's what I love about the Healing Arts....the wonderful and awesome phenomina of 'release'!

Gordon J. Wallis said:
?  You release the psoas by stressing the Glutes
Permalink Reply by Mary-Margaret Mastin on June 14, 2011 at 5:20pm
By the way I think it's fair to assume that we have all had ample training and experience in communication skills but I thought I'd just sort of remind us all that "when we use the word 'you' while sort of "challenging" a process or approach that any of us are utilizing in our practice...it sets up an immediate 'defense' response.  We are all of us doing our 'purpose' as it has been given us to do...nobody should have to defend themselves UNLESS they have crossed to the other side of integrity and then I would think that person would need and deserve to hear from all of us.  That is not the case here...so...Peace with All.

Gordon J. Wallis said:
Im confused on how you think?  You say how  important releasing the psoas is, and why it should be released...But what you described about her almost jumping off the table at a light touch...indicates a trigger point in the psoas....But you say no release for her?  Didnt that book tell you how to release the psoas?  Just confused?
Permalink Reply by Nyema Tolese Randall on June 14, 2011 at 7:45pm
It wont go away, but concentrate on those area that hurt, do pin and stretch, light vibration
Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on June 15, 2011 at 12:33am
Well I dont know what to say?  Hmm,  well I guess you can just believe I lie then.

Mary-Margaret Mastin said:
Is that a typo or did you really mean 'stressing the glutes'???  If you meant stressing...or even if you meant stretching...neither in itself will release a Psoas.  The Psoas doesn't necessarily have an on/off switch to it, rather it is a process of 'noticing' how the body is torqued and then "like following the Yellow Brick Road"  working with the vaiables of how that tension, compensation pattern, matrix formation....is connected.  A typical 'Spa Massage' (the kind we were all trained to do), while very relaxing (to many)....doesn't really allow for the 'individuals history and subsequent patterning'.  Given that no two fingerprints are alike...........I believe that undoing the tension of the Psoas...is not a straight A to B formula....it's a process...just like it was a process getting snarled up in the first place.  Often times it is the client's personal 'habitual patterns' that do the deed, some times a trauma...the options are endless.  Opening the body back up, particularly the Pelvis and inner thigh muscles...is the pathway to getting release.  Haven't ever heard a 'boing' when the Psoas let down......but I sure do witness a lot of "releases" richochetting through the clients body's as their patterns release.  That's what I love about the Healing Arts....the wonderful and awesome phenomina of 'release'!

Gordon J. Wallis said:
?  You release the psoas by stressing the Glutes
Permalink Reply by kristi marco on June 15, 2011 at 6:40am
marla, I'm kindof new to this thread thing...so "bear" with me please. After reading all the replies, I noticed that everyone seemed to have a the right answer in there own mind but maybe didn't all get put into words for everyone to read. Every BODY is different is an understatment. Who said...."you release the psoas by stressing the glutes??" Well, yes, actually. Don't remeber R.I.?It's defined as stressing the antagonist of  the impaired muscle, right?To my understanding, It wasn't just the psoas that she was trying to release, but the iliopsoas. That would put the antagonist point to the gluteus max. To do a Pin and Stretch with the psoas from the front, very, slowly in small incriments, on the exhale only(please Don't try this unless you have training in it. from a classroom enviorment,not from a book)being sure that you are resetting the proper proprioceptors after each release is also VERY important. but what also might help would be to release the Piriformis as well as the QL. just out of curiosity, Did your cli resently have a baby?
Permalink Reply by kristi marco on June 15, 2011 at 7:05am


Therese Schwartz said:

At the point someone is so sensitive in that area, it's not exactly therapeutic to go digging on it when they can't tolerate it being touched.  At that time I only knew one way to release the psoas and that was with force.  It's not good to use force at any point, and certainly not when the issues are that big.  It wasn't pain that got her, it was ticklish.  This was while I was still in school and was clueless how to proceed at that time.  Now I'd do some stretches and some different approaches to releasing it.  I've learned a lot in the last 4 years!

 

The book actually tells you how to release your own psoas, rather than someone else's.

Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on June 15, 2011 at 10:39am
Hmm, somebody intelligent..   Thank you Kristi..

kristi marco said:
marla, I'm kindof new to this thread thing...so "bear" with me please. After reading all the replies, I noticed that everyone seemed to have a the right answer in there own mind but maybe didn't all get put into words for everyone to read. Every BODY is different is an understatment. Who said...."you release the psoas by stressing the glutes??" Well, yes, actually. Don't remeber R.I.?It's defined as stressing the antagonist of  the impaired muscle, right?To my understanding, It wasn't just the psoas that she was trying to release, but the iliopsoas. That would put the antagonist point to the gluteus max. To do a Pin and Stretch with the psoas from the front, very, slowly in small incriments, on the exhale only(please Don't try this unless you have training in it. from a classroom enviorment,not from a book)being sure that you are resetting the proper proprioceptors after each release is also VERY important. but what also might help would be to release the Piriformis as well as the QL. just out of curiosity, Did your cli resently have a baby?

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