May 2002 [Volume 1, Issue 3]
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In this issue of To Your Health:
Massage Goes to the 2002 Winter Olympics
Nearly 230 massage therapists and 30 greeters went to Salt Lake City,
Utah in February and March, 2002 to provide massage at the Winter Olympic
Games. The therapists represented 39 states and 12 countries and ranged
in age from 17 to 74, and in years of experience from several months to
three 
decades
or more. These therapists comprised the 2002 Winter Sports Massage Team
(WSMT).
Massage at the Olympics began at the Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games in 1984, but has never been a mandated part of the Games; the host city has always had the option to decide whether it wanted to offer massage services to the athletes or anyone else. The organizers of the WSMT went through various meetings, struggles and red tape before being allowed to provide their essentially free services at this year's Games.
At the Athlete's Village during the Olympic Games, massage therapists performed 604 massages on athletes and coaches representing 19 different events and 60 countries, plus nearly 2,000 sessions with other Olympic staff. At the Paralympic Games, the therapists did 442 sessions with athletes and coaches, and almost 1,300 sessions with other support staff. Overall, from February 8 to March 19, the 2002 Winter Sports Massage Team did 12,435 sessions, working with athletes, coaches, trainers, journalists, Secret Service and FBI agents, bus drivers, cameramen, and various other attendees of the Winter Olympic Games.
So, have you had a massage lately? As you can probably tell from this story, massage is becoming more popular and prominent every day. To read the unabridged text of this story, go to https://www.massagetoday.com/archives/2002/05/01.html.
What Is Trager Therapy?
Trager bodywork therapy is a movement education approach developed by Dr. Milton Trager in the 1960s for the purpose of releasing physical and mental tension. Also called Trager Psychophysical Integration, Trager therapy relies on progressive gentle, rhythmic rocking and stretching techniques to promote easy and free sensations in the body.
In addition to the improvements in general function attributed to Trager
bodywork, patients receiving this type of therapy often report a long-lasting
sense
of health and well-being as a result of being able to move their body
more freely.
To learn more about the fundamentals of massage therapy, go to https://www.massagetoday.com/aboutmt.
This Month's Massage Q & A
Question: My five-year-old son is having some back pain about midway down his back. Can you suggest any massage techniques that I could perform to help him so that he doesn't suffer as much, or anything else I can do to help?
Answer: You can certainly rub his back muscles, which ought to make him feel better temporarily, but it hardly solves the problem. My suggestion would be to find a good posture-oriented bodyworker to work with him on body alignment. Most people, even from early childhood, have postural misalignments that can cause pain. These misalignments are correctible with good bodywork.
Question: How can massage therapy help relieve carpal tunnel syndrome?
Answer: A good clinical massage therapist should be able to release the forearm flexors and stretch the flexor retinaculum. That should help in most cases of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Note: Information provided in the Massage Q & A section is drawn from comments posted on the "Ask a Massage Therapist" forum, located at https://www.massagetoday.com/ask/.
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