Aug 29 2011
Thumbstitute
This may be a new word for most of you: Thumbstitute.
OK, it’s a silly word, but it’s an important concept for massage therapists. Finding something other than your thumbs to perform your work just might prevent an injury down the road. Thumbs are one of the most frequently injured parts of a therapist’s body, and overuse is the most likely reason for this.
Consider this biomechanical tidbit – for every pound of force you apply with the tip of your thumb, you experience 10 to 12 pounds of force in the CMC joint at the base of your thumb. The pressure you apply to a trigger point might be 7 or 8 pounds of force, which could mean close to 100 pounds of force concentrated at your CMC joint. Over time that amount of force can damage cartilage and ligaments, resulting in joint laxity and osteoarthritis. Definitely something that we should all try to avoid.
So what’s your thumbstitute? Please share your favorite way to save your thumbs with the rest of us.
I love to use my thumbs when I’m working on the tight spaces between joints, but i try to spread the joint to reach the trigger point more easily. So rather than simply pressing down with my thumb, I use the rest of my fingers to support the thumb and spread the joint. Where the spaces are larger my elbow allows me to use less force while giving my client plenty of pressure.
THUMBSAVERS — wish they were on the market BEFORE i got the osteoarthritis in my thumbs, but in using them for back work, it has allowed me to continue to give deep massage. Thanks, Greg!!