The sitting position in Thai massage is one of the most effective for releasing tightness, pain and soreness in the neck, shoulders, chest, back and arms. Thai massage focuses not only on muscle tissue but the sen (lines) of energy that flows throughout our bodies. In Thai, the feet, knees, hands and elbows are used as tools for compressions along the sen. A Thai massage session will also include range of motion movement and stretching to help heal and balance the body. By using Thai techniques on the upper body and neck/face muscles you can help treat headaches, frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel and so much more.
Chair massage is rapidly growing around the country as the method of choice for bodywork. Because of the inexpensive cost and shorter sessions, the demand for chair massage will continue around the country and even the world. If you haven't noticed but the above chair is made and used in Thailand.
Here are some useful positions for those therapists out there that might want to add some seated Thai techniques to their chair massage treatments: pressing the shoulders, thumb press the neck, backward arm lever, hacking the shoulders, arm lock, butterfly shoulder stretch & twist and the bear hug. In supine you can try the "cross town" (be careful). In prone you can also try the feet to back stretch. You should sit on a stool to do this one.
These are a just few of the techniques I use in my chair massage practice. In future posts, we will go deeper into the world of seated manual therapy.
