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March 1, 2007

Forget Cellulite, Give Me Relief!

I'm not a big fan of gadgets for massage therapists. An early experience with a Thumper left me feeling pummeled and unimpressed. For me, a massage therapists' knowledgeable hands are irreplaceable. However, after a massage trade out session I received today, I may have found an acceptable compromise.

This therapist has a GX99 which has an oscillating head on it which can be changed from a broad area to a specific point. Required is the palpation skill of the massage therapist to find adhesions. The devise breaks them up with a pressure that I qualify as "hurts so good." It is no mystery for regular readers that I have had low back issues for quite some time now. I derive power behind my work by using my body weight--the driving force comes from my hips. After today, I am sure that this is the source of my back discomfiture.

After the breakup of multiple adhesions around my sacrum, my initial reaction was that I felt numb. What I was really experiencing was lack of pain because tissue was no longer binding or restricting movement. My legs rotate more freely in the hip sockets. I can touch my toes without pain and drop into "downward facing dog" without difficulty. If I didn't understand the biology behind what was going on, I would almost tout the change as miraculous.

Interestingly, the GX99 is marketed as an estheticians aid and can be quite pricey:
Treatment options include:
•Cellulite Techniques to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite
•Deep Muscle and Tissue Treatment
•Lymphatic Drainage & Circulatory Stimulation
•Exfoliation
•Shiatsu, Acupressure & Trigger Point Therapy
•Relaxation treatments to relieve pain, and to reduce stress & fatigue

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at March 1, 2007 5:22 AM