The following are some of the more common self-care suggestions for our clients that may compliment your massage therapy treatment with Kylie.
Drink water
Some of the most obvious necessities in life are often over looked and water consumption is definitely one of them. Each person requires 2.5 litres of water on average daily. More water is required when working in hot and humid conditions or when exercising indoors or outdoors. Many people are dehydrated and thus their body will not function to its optimal level because of it. Consider the amount of coffee, tea, and alcohol that is consumed by the average person and it’s not really surprising that many of us are dehydrated. All of these have a diuretic property, which means that for every cup of coffee, tea, or alcoholic beverage you have, you need to consume two cups of water to offset the diuretic effect. Drinking water helps to flush out toxins released from the muscles and properly re-hydrates your muscles therefore reducing muscle aches and pains after a massage. It is a good idea to increase water consumption post massage treatment to help the body take full advantage of healing itself.
Stretch
It is important to stretch, especially after a deep tissue massage. Your muscle fibers need to realign and be flushed of the toxins released from the muscle. Stretching can help to do this realignment and improve proper muscle recovery therefore reducing post massage muscle pain.
Hydrotherapy
Similar to the effects of drinking water and stretching, hydrotherapy can also prolong the sense of relaxation to your body/mind and induce a deeper sleep that night while promoting healthy muscle recovery.
Hydrotherapy – Deep Moist Heat Guidelines
As a rule of thumb, adhere to time specific guidelines for all hydrotherapy applications. The older you are, the cooler the temperature and the shorter the hydrotherapy application. More does not mean better! Consult your physician prior to initiating any form of hydrotherapy.
Instructions for an Epsom Salt Bath
For an eighty (80) litre tub (average tub size is 20 gallons) use 4 cups (1 cup = 250 ml, so 4 cups = 1 kg) of Epsom’s salts. Make the tub water as hot as you can tolerate, without scalding yourself, and adjust according to the temperature set on your hot water heater. Drink 1 glass of water before the bath, one glass during the bath, and one glass after the bath to prevent dehydration. Soak for 20 minutes, immersing the treated areas of your body in the water. Drain the water and rise slowly. Rinse with a cool stream of water in the shower afterward. Allow for 30 minutes of rest.
Ice or frozen gel pack
Use an ice or frozen gel pack for an inflammatory situation such as a sprained ankle or bruise in order to reduce the body’s natural inflammatory response to injury. Applications should be no longer than 15-20 minutes in length and decreased for areas of the body that have less body fat. Always use a wet cloth or paper towel between the gel pack to prevent hypothermia to the skin, which will allow the transfer of cold to the injured area. Let the gel pack sit on the injured area or wrap using a tensor bandage to hold in place. Natural sensation includes: cold, burning, aching, numbness. These sensations may vary from person to person.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]