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Practicing Massage And Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Hello everyone, I'd like to gather some insight from some massage therapists regarding my present situation. In a month I'm going to start school for massage. It's a program with multiple stages, each one lasting a few months, after each stage gaining the right to practice techniques that were covered up until that point.

The problem is that I have carpal tunnel syndrome. I did an EMG a few months back and I have a moderate phase of bilateral carpal tunnel in my left wrist and a light phase in my right. I just did ten sessions of electrotherapy with them, and I have ten sessions of therapy to address a slight problem I have with a curve in my spine. Afterwards, I'm going to return to the place where I did the electrotherapy to start a personalized therapy of kinetotherapy and possibly more electrotherapy I would presume.

I guess I'm just wondering if there's anyone here that practices that either has carpal tunnel syndrome or if they had it at one time, and just how much of a problem this will create with practicing. The idea is that, in the meantime, and even as I start to go to school and start using them more and more, I'll also be working to develop these muscles in my wrists to help prevent the cause of the problem and, subsequently, the pain.

I don't know, I guess I'm just interested in some conversation in general about this too because it's really important for me to start practicing, and I don't want to have this impede my ability to do so. Maybe someone knows some tips on ways I could do some self-massaging of these areas to help alleviate the problem as well?

Any input at all is appreciated, thanks! :)

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on March 12, 2012 at 12:46pm

You are making it too complicated...If if feels good, you are doing it right...If it feels bad, you are doing it wrong.. What I mean by feels good is...Hurt Good.. The hurt part is your body telling you that something is wrong(duh), the part that feels good is you body telling you that what you are doing is healing, or it wouldn't have that good feeling mixed in with the pain. You are thinking too much...Dont think, just feel your body...don't worry so much about direction or pressing in the wrong place...It wont feel good if you are doing it wrong.. I self massage every night. My left thumb is sore now.. PS- worst case scenario is you over due it.. Not to worry though..You just back off a bit, but never stop your self massage. Once you see that you can heal yourself..It will empower your massage work.

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on March 15, 2012 at 8:25am

http://yamunabodyrolling.com/store/kits/?show_item=60

Another way to work on yourself....What you learn on yourself, you can apply with your own hands to your massage work on clients.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on March 15, 2012 at 8:30am

A good point Gordon. We often learn from our own bodies.

Gordon J. Wallis said:

http://yamunabodyrolling.com/store/kits/?show_item=60

Another way to work on yourself....What you learn on yourself, you can apply with your own hands to your massage work on clients.