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Apinya Srisawad
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Apinya Srisawasdi is co-founder and managing director of Leela Thai Herbal Spa, which first opened in Bangkok in 2002 based on the concept of a contemporary oriental spa for the everyday person. At that time, most spas were either located in expensive upscale hotels or downscale massage parlors along the street. Today Leela Thai Herbal Spa offers full spa services by skilled therapists.
Apinya has a BA from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and a MBA from California State University in the United States. She is also a member of the Thai Spa Association. You can visit her website at www.leelathaispa.com |
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Shoulder relaxation for a better night’s sleep |
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Laptops are a nifty modern convenience for people who need to work on the move. However, these portable little pieces of technology are bad news for your neck and shoulders. With a growing number of people lugging laptops along on their daily commute from home to office and even abroad, complaints about upper body tension, stress and soreness is becoming increasingly commonplace.
It is not only laptop users who are at risk. Working at a desk or computer all day, carrying heavy objects incorrectly, maintaining a bad posture, constantly using a computer mouse the wrong way, or sleeping on the wrong pillow can all have the same negative impact on your neck and shoulders.
Your shoulders are one of the most flexible parts of your body, and they are also one of the most used. Out of line joints, strained muscles or overworked ligaments can create a tension that leads to pain if left unchecked. The good news is that there is a fun way to massage away this stress and soreness into a heavenly relaxed state!
Treating a sore shoulder
Normally a recuperative night’s sleep on the right pillow should help ease stress and soreness in your neck and shoulders. But if aches and pains are keeping you awake at night, or if your pillow is not supporting you the way it should, your problem can compound, becoming a vicious cycle of sleepless nights and uncomfortable days.
Typical treatments for neck and shoulder pain are wide ranging. Ice packs are easy to apply and can quickly reduce inflammation. Herbal remedies have been used since ancient times throughout the world. Gentle exercise is an effective way to relieve stress and ease aches that are caused by it. Surgery is a last resort for areas such as the rotator cuff are irreparably damaged.
Massage to relieve stress and tension
Massage, on the other hand is a popular, simple and effective technique to relieve stress and tension.*
Most massage techniques use fingers to apply pressure on key points of your body. This pressure promotes better blood circulation and relieves the tension built up in the body. Massage is also thought to help channel the body’s energy throughout the body once again. This, in combination with massage oils scented with essential oils, helps you to feel more relaxed.
You can effectively massage through light clothing, but for maximum benefit, massaging with specially produced oils more quickly relaxes and soothes tense muscles with the extra advantage of moisturizing the skin at the same time.
*Please note: although massage is a simple technique that can be applied daily, care should be taken with people who have a shoulder injury from an accident, who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, or diabetes. Extra care should also be taken with women who are pregnant or menstruating.
Here’s the ‘how to’
To practice your technique, find a friend to massage and who will hopefully massage you in return! Get your friend to sit straight – but comfortably – in a chair, and then follow these five steps:
Start at the neck. Stand behind your friend, rest your left hand on her/his shoulder, and place your right hand on his upper neck. Using your right thumb, knead down the muscles in his neck. Start with very light pressure, gradually increasing strength as you go. Be careful not to press on any blood vessels. Repeat kneading 2-3 times, then switch to the other side of her/his neck.
2. Move to the shoulder. Now stand to one side of your friend. Press your thumb on the gap between the bone and the muscles, starting close to the neck. Gently knead, following the rhythm of your friend’s breathing, away from the neck and along the shoulder until you reach his upper arm. Repeat for three times and do the same for
the other shoulder.
3. Now work on his arm. Stand in front of your friend with your right hand holding his left wrist, raise his arm parallel to the floor and out to his side. Using your left hand, apply pressure with your thumb to the area around his shoulder. Then squeezing your fingers and your thumb together, work from his armpit to his elbow along the inside side of his arm. Repeat 3-5 times.
Now turn the inside of his arm upwards to face the ceiling. Use your thumb to work down the tendon in the middle of arm. Gently knead from elbow to wrist for 3-5 times. Pour a small amount of massage oil onto the palm of your hand. Now smooth the oil onto your friend’s arm and fingers. Squeeze from his upper arm to his fingers, applying more pressure on your thumb than with your fingers. Repeat 3-5 times.
4. Finish with his hand and fingers. Turn his hand up at a right angle to his arm and press on the gaps between his fingers, moving from thumb to little finger. Squeeze each finger from base to tip, increasing pressure at the tip. Lower his hand level to his arm and gently knead his hand and squeeze his fingers.
5. Repeat on the opposite side of his body. |
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