Help! Wide table...sore body

[nosa]

I have recently started working out of a great athletic club and am enjoying the place, clients and coworkers. I do have one slight problem. The tables are GIGANTIC. I haven't measured them but suffice it to say it is MUCH WIDER than I am used to. I am constantly stretched out way too far in front of me and so am off balance. After a week I am headed toward serious pain and need to figure out what to do.  ??? ( And no, changing tables is not an option)  Has anyone encountered this situation? Do you have any tips for me? Oh, and I already tried adjusting the height and that doesn't make a difference.Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

[tommie]

If you can't change the table then I suggest you ask one of your coworkers to work on your sore body!!!  Does anybody else have an issue with the size of the tables?

 

[chasmodeee1]

Even though the tables can not be changed, I would seriously complain to my superior... and if they don't care, then I would consider complaining higher up and leaving if they don't make any effort to accomodate.  Your body mechanics are very important to you being able to work effectively and long term.  You hurting after a session is not the answer and you will burn out quickly.  There have been others here that have had similar situations and it has worked out... so I wish you luck!

 

[PuppyMama]

Help! Wide table...sore body

I haven't worked with a body cushion before. Can you "slide the client over to your side of the table" with minimal strain on the therapist and with minimal disruption for the client?

 

[mauveme49]

Help! Wide table...sore body

How about altering some of your techniques? Petrissaging the side of the body closest to you, for example, instead of reaching across the table. As well as keeping the table low, maybe you could keep a pair of slip-on clogs under your table for those strokes that require you to be even "taller."

 

[Wamishda]

That's not a dumb question. Here's the situation. We have 6, soon to be 7 therapists working out of these two rooms. The tables are the stationary kind that have a shelf, which is used to stock needed items. They also are easily adjustable. They don't have the hydraulic lift but one of those cranks at the end of the table. We do so much switching back and forth during the day between therapists that it would be a pain without this. My table is just a portable one without these features. These tables are in great shape, many of the other therapists have no problem with them and the club feels the wider tables are more comfortable for the clients so that's why changing tables is not an option.  

 

[rentacar182]

How wide is the portable table you have been using?I know a MT that constructed a small "step" that he could slide in under the table when he didn't need it. It wasn't super tall, but gave him the height he needed (a few inches) at some points of his massage.And I agree, try to do less reaches across the body and see if that helps.Though to be honest, I'm trying to get the MT I mentored last year to notify the place where she works that the area they have provided her to do massage is not big enough and she's hurting her back as a result. I really think it's the cause of her low back pain... it's so cramped you just can't have good body mechanics in there.It's hard to help others to get out of pain when you are enduring pain yourself.  :

 

[ariellee.]

Help! Wide table...sore body

In an athletic club, you are probably doing a lot of sports massage and deep tissue. You probably are not doing a lot of Swedish or Relaxation massage. I would suggest to you that you change your routine. You are probably used to working back and forth from one side of the body to the other keeping things even as you go. Instead I would suggest that you have your client slide her body closer to one side of the table and work the entire right side of the body. Then have them slide to the other side of the table and work the entire left side. Turn them over and do the same.-Melody

 

[WRFSLG]

Help! Wide table...sore body

???Hm, what about adding some "side-lying" techniques to your routine? That way it justifies having the client change position and slide to your side of the table... ;D

 

[Mabel B]

Help! Wide table...sore body

They don't have the hydraulic lift but one of those cranks at the end of the table. We do so much switching back and forth during the day between therapists that it would be a pain without this.

I have been wanting to know about one of these tables for a long time.... with the hand crank.  Is it the Living Earth Crafts? http://www.livingearthcrafts.com/spatable_napa.htm

Or something else?

And, if I may ask, how does it compare to an electric hydrolic table.  It is something that has less breakable parts or more, and how much wear and tear do you see on them with so many therapists using them?  Do they really hold up and would you buy one (in your case, if it was not as wide)?

 

[Jiraiya]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'm definitely going to try some of them out. Part of me is bummed because the techniques I currently use work so well for me that I hate to have to change.    But on the other hand, maybe I'll come up with something even better.  Texas-Gal, I'll check into the brand and see if I can answer a few of the questions you asked after I go into work tomorrow.

 

[:) i try to smile]

Just a little update and the answers to questions like I promised.First, I'm slowly trying to adjust some of my techniques such as petrissaging only on my side of the table and not across it like I usually do for the legs. I also plan to try what Melody suggested and work one whole side of the body instead of both arms and then both legs, etc. I'm going to try it on another therapist first and see how it goes. Second, I am pretty sure that the table is a Living Earth Crafts table.  I actually couldn't find the brand on the table anywhere (it may be on the shelf and covered with all of our supplies) but I did find their catalog and info in the filing cabinet and it looks pretty close to the picture in the link that Texas-gal provided. I also found out that the tables are approximately 3 years old and have definitely seen heavy use (7 days a week and probably averaging 7 or 8 hours a day). They are in great shape and the crank hydraulic system still works with no problems. I got underneath it to check out the parts but to tell you the truth I'm not very mechanically inclined and don't know if there are more or less breakable parts then the electric kind. It also is solid as a rock and you never hear a squeak out of it when you are working on clients. So....if it wasn't as wide and I was in the market for a stationary table I would buy one.  

 

[M.P.M]

Help! Wide table...sore bod

Hi Vorehealer,I just wanted to reassure you that working one side of the body and then the other side works great!  I try to always use this progression, especially when doing deep tissue,  as I have found that I get a better release of the muscles.  I think the reason why is the way the brain works (controlling a side of the body) and by you just concentrating on one side at a time allows the brain lots of time to notice, focus and, most importantly, accept what you are doing.Happy massaging.

 

[peyton blair summers]

Help! Wide table...sore body

vorehealer - when you do clinical, sports, TP, and most other non-feel-good-fall-asleep-on-the-table type massage, having them move to your side of the table is completely acceptable. After all, most people are not 6'2" with long arms. Good luck and have fun.

 

[Metallica]

Help! Wide table...sore body

I use a pretty wide table in my office. When I first got my table, I had no idea what size to get, so I just bought the widest one I could. Problem is, it's too wide for comfort. What I do to be able to reach my client is just lower my table, and bend my legs a little more than most people have to. That way you don't have to stretch across the table, you can just lower or raise yourself. I'm assuming that you can adjust the height on the table with the hand crank...

 

[Wems]

Help! Wide table...sore body

... you can just lower or raise yourself.

Thats a really important point.

When your working low down on your client this is really, really important to avoid injury to your back. It can take a lot of therapists a long time to learn / remember this.

Because the table is so wide I guess you are stretching across the table to reach areas. Where are you noticing the problems in your body? I would assume a big area would be the back.

When you come up back to standing, don't just lift your backup. Instead bend your legs, not a little - a lot. As you bend your legs your body will move to the floor and your back will return to the neutral vertical position where it likes to be. Just straighten your legs and your done.

It sounds easy, but really it takes a lot of work to remember to do this and not take the easy way up, you may want to practice on a co-worker a few times to see how it feels / works for you.

Hope this helps

Mat xxx