Our latest addition happens to be Judy. Judy comes with a wealth of experience and expertise, see her autobiography, and one of those specialities that she brings to our dynamic team is Tui na.

I asked Judy to help us all better understand what Tui na is all about. So here are a few bits of information that you might find useful.

What is Tui na?
Tui na is a type of massage therapy that involves using two key actions with the hands on the patient’s body: tui (A Chinese word for push) and na (A Chinese word for grasp). Other actions include rolling, kneading, brushing, and rubbing of the affected areas. A major focus of the tui na method is the areas between the joints, otherwise known as the eight gates.

What can Tui na do for me?
It gets energy moving in muscles by sensing and opening the body’s chi gate. Tui na creates a rhythmic flow of pressure along channels of energy. It is used to massage and lubricate joints and to relieve stress or pain. A practitioner can focus on specific problems such as chronic pain and tension but when used regularly,  Tui na helps in a proactive way to maintain good health. The principal of Tui na is based on energy flow in the body from an inner level. A practitioner is able to facilitate energy flow and distribution of energy throughout the body.

Where did Tui na originate?
Similar techniques were first used and documented in China during the Shang Dynasty. It was shown to be used to treat infants and various digestive problems amongst adults. It then spread and developed to other Asian countries such as Japan and Korea, which began popularizing it as a form of massage. It was originally named Anmo.

What does a Tui na experience feel like?
To some, they would say that it is a combination of Shiatsu and acupressure. The techniques mostly consists of steady, paced movements of pressure along the energy lines of the body. It is very similar to many Chinese methods of massage by pinpointing the pressure points of the body. It is an entwined combination of kneading, gliding, pushing, rotating and vibrating the skin.

What are the benefits of Tui na compared to other types of massage?
Tui na has similar benefits to other types of massage. It is primarily used in a therapeutic manner to  help solve various musculoskeletal conditions. By treating trigger points and other points that are symptoms of a variety of conditions, Tui na either lessens the pain or resolves the problem. It is similar to many other styles of Chinese massage, but what distinguishes it from others is its ability to treat specific problems.

What problems can Tui na help resolve?
It can help a number of conditions, especially chronic pain in muscles, joints or the skeletal system. It could also be used to treat joint pain such as arthritis, sciatica, neck, back and shoulder pain, and muscle spasms. It could also be used to treat more unorthodox conditions such as insomnia, constipation, migraines, and tension.

What is Tui na today?
It is widely practiced in China, but has long spread and influenced western therapists as well. Tui na could be classified closer to the work of chiropractors and physical therapists than massage therapists. It is equally as difficult to earn a degree as an acupuncturist or herbalist.

Why else is Tui na important for well being?
Tui na corrects anomalies in the body; it senses the flow of energy and evenly distributes it. It relaxes muscles, and it promotes blood circulation. Overall, it’s a very effective treatment to try.

So if Tui na is something that you’re interested in giving a try book a massage with Judy and ask her to apply Tui na techniques during the treatment.

Stretching is as important as any other exercise, e.g., jogging, weight lifting, playing sports like hockey or ultimate, but it is often undervalued. The problem is that most people don’t consider stretching exercise and therefore, I think you’ll agree, it often gets neglected. It’s something that many of us really don’t take the time to do often enough and I attribute that mostly to the simple fact that it’s boring and it sometimes hurts.

Something that I’ve been experiementing with is stretching hip flexor muscles to combat low back tension. What I’m really referring to is stretching the quadriceps muscle group and involving a bit of hip extension to include the iliopsoas muscle and tensor fascia latae. I know, too technical but if you just think hip flexor muscles you’ll be in a good head space.

I like to call my stretches “lazy” because I hate to work hard while I stretch, so I often look for easier ways to accomplish the same benefits of stretching with minimal work. Besides, I’m not much different than most people and I too neglect stretching enough at times.

Check out my latest quad/hip flexor stretch video. Quad/Hip Flexor Lazy Stretching

The benefits are amazing! If you detect tight hip flexor muscles and low back pain then try what I’ve suggested. It helps me tremendously and it could be the key to a healthier back.

TBM for Rotator Cuff Dysfunction

Often it’s easy to assume that everybody should know the ins and outs of how to deal with muscle aches and pains but unfortunately it’s not the case. I’m definitely a guy who likes to dabble with lots of things: motorcycles, computer stuff, and building projects. Those are things you can learn to do quite easily but just don’t ask me about doing income taxes or doing a brake job on my car. I simply leave those jobs to the expert accountants and mechanics that have all the tools to get it right the first time. I suppose that many other people out their may consider taking care of their muscle aches and pains in a similar light… let a Massage Therapist handle it because that’s what they do daily and they do it really well.

So what happens when the pain is too much? Or you just can squeeze in an appointment? Search the web, bookmark my site and then visit my video blogs on YouTube. It’s a self help project in itself and it’s amazing how easy it is. Check out my latest at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMHGsZzUon0

It’s that easy!

This is pretty exciting especially for a newbee video guy like myself. I have to admit it was very weird sitting in front of my macbook and talking to an inanimate object – a computer screen and camera, and all the time trying to engage my video audience. Consider it an experiment and a work in progress. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gm1G41_e8k

On another note, I want to share with all our friends out there that Hillsview Massage will be supporting Strides for Stroke 5k Run/Walk again this year. We are community partners with York Central Hospital in Richmond Hill and support their fundraiser by offering complementary 10 minute sport massages to run/walk participants. Yes, I did say complimentary, whcih is in fact a synonym for FREE! All you have to do is register and participate and our team of great RMT’s will be waiting for you at the finish line. Massage therapy is a great way to help recover from sporting events especially from running.

I almost forgot to mention that we’ll also be giving out more FREE tennis balls at the event too! So if you haven’t had a chance to get one from the clinic here’s your chance. We’ll be at Richmond Green on Saturday May 1 between 9:30 am and 11:30 am. Come visit us and you can gladly pick our brains for some self help approaches to treating your muscle aches and pain. Check out the run/walk event at: http://www.yorkcentralrun.com/

So now that free coffee has come to an end I thought that I’d share another freebee with everyone out there.  Starting March 13th at Hillsview Massage and Therapy Centre or HMTC as I like to call us, we are giving out free tennis balls! Ok, it’s not quite as good as coffee, it doesn’t come with a caffeine kick – or should I say enough cream and sugar to turn your java into a sweet tooth desert but they are FREE! I really don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep this free kick up – I’m afraid I could run out of free items to promote or give out – without giving the shirt off my back to someone. Anyway, we are recycling good used tennis balls, not the cheap three for a buck kind that break after lying on it for 30 minutes.  I mean the hardcore kind: Dunlop,  Wilson, and Penn that people serve at 100 km an hour developing a trademark grunt because they hit so hard. So if they can stand up to that kind of beating then they should do us just fine.

Drop by the clinic, book a massage, or just come by and pick up your free tennis ball. Oh, and keep on the lookout for a “how to” video coming soon.

Time to get to what you came here for – self help tennis ball massage. Now lets assume that your pain is typically between your shoulder blades – which is extremely common for anyone that works at a desk in front of a computer or for those who just have poor posture. I would just suggest using your hand to do the job but the real problem is that most of us don’t have the flexibility to reach the sore spot and that’s why a tennis ball is so great to have handy.

1. Find a comfy carpeted floor in your house and bring along a couple of pillows – one for your head and one for under your knees.
2. Begin by lying down and place the pillows in a comfortable position under both your head and knees.
3. Start with the spot on your back that is tight, sore, or is causing you pain.
4. While lying down, slide the tennis ball under your back and lie directly on it. The sore spot should now be on top of the tennis ball.
5. Relax by closing your eyes and breathing deeply or  diaphragmaitcally (see our self care tab).
6. Apply some form of deep moist heat (see our self care tab) to the area you self treated with the tennis ball.

The soreness or pain should decrease over time and the longer you lie on the ball the less the soreness or pain should be. This is confirmation that what you are doing is working.

For multiple sore points, roll the ball to another location and repeat. Take intermittent breaks if the pain it too great or if the intensity is too much. If the ball is too hard, try a different kind of ball. One ball that I’ve used in the past is called The Miracle Ball and it is good if a tennis ball is too specific or too hard.  Personally, I prefer a harder ball and if you do too try raiding your kids toy box and find a hard bouncy ball, you know the kind that are half red and half blue with a white stripe running through the middle, and use that instead.

This whole process may take some finagling but the more you do it the easier it becomes. Experiment with other areas of your body that are sore too. And hey, if it doesn’t work go for a free coffee at McD’s…at least until March 14th.

I’d like to introduce you to Tennis Ball Massage. Tennis ball massage is a great self-care tool that can help you deal with muscular tension and stress when you can’t get a massage. Whether it be early in the morning, at work, or in the middle of the night, pain knows no time limits and will strike when you least expect it. That’s why you have to be prepared with natural massage approaches to deal with it, eliminate pain, or at least get you by until your next massage. All you need is a tennis ball, a carpeted floor to lie down on and a bit of creativity to get started.