By: Rita Manno, Correspondent
Jen Probst, a massage therapist at Suede Salon and Spa in
Evesham, rounds her shoulders, bends forward and then looks down toward
her lap. She straightens out and then twists her wrist at an angle
unnatural to those joints.
It’s a demonstration on what technology has delivered to our bodies — a BlackBerry thumb with damage to the joint from frequent texting and a bent wrist and sore palms causing pain up the arm from constantly holding devices like smartphones.
Then there are the painful neck spasms and headaches from always looking down at those hi-tech wonders that keep us from actually talking to each other. Not to mention strained and tight muscles caused by hours in front of a computer, which can lead to the even more serious carpel tunnel syndrome.
Put your phone down now and listen to Jen.
Probst, a slim, fit 39-year-old who’s been in the massage therapy world for 12 years, said in the last few years she’s seen an increase in clients who unwittingly have become the casualties of bigger and better technology.
“You’re so into what you’re doing, you don’t even feel the pain until you stop and try to relax and then it hits you,” she said.
Pain sends them to her. Some clients hold onto their cells so much during the day that even when they’re not, their fingers are curled as if the phone was still there.
“Everybody is looking down at their devices,” whether it’s in the car (you shouldn’t be doing that anyway while driving) or looking down at a laptop or an iPad on a table without a stand. The result: neck pain, back pain and headaches. After awhile it actually is a strain to try and sit up straight.
“Over time with such great repetition, you get stuck with that position and it’s hard to retrain your body.”
Take Shavon Rodriquez, 26, who is a student at Camden County College. She puts together car engines; plays flag football in a co-ed league as well as leagues in basketball and volleyball. Active, for sure.
But it was the five years on a computer at a mortgage company that contributed to the painful muscles in her hands and the tense and tight muscles all the way up both arms.
“It gets so bad I have trouble brushing my hair. My hand cramps up,” she said.
Rodriquez said she’d be willing to slow down with all her activities, including her close relationship with her phone. “But I won’t stop. This is my life.”
All of this sent her to Probst, the massage therapist, sometimes twice a week.
In 60- to 90-minute sessions for a full massage, Probst uses essential oils to reduce inflammation in Rodriquez’s hands and arms — bringing the blood flow down her arms to her hands, relaxing the nerves and loosening the wrist. She uses light to moderate pressure to achieve a better range of motion.
Probst also sees a growing number of men who complain of back and neck pain from long hours driving. Add to that their preoccupation with electronic devices, the result is big-time pain.
There are even skin products available for “smartphone breakouts.” Yes. Believe it. Holding a cellphone against your cheek repeatedly and for long periods can cause skin breakouts, not an attractive look for a professional.
Probst wants to help her clients with their pain through massage but she also gives them “homework,” to eventually make it less likely they’ll experience the degree of pain that brought them to her in the first place. Clients are given instruction on stretches and strength exercises, which have to be performed regularly to see any results.
“I talk to them about their electronic devices and how changing their body positions can make all the difference in the world,” she said.
Posted by: Stevenswood.com: We invite you to visit our stevenswood.com/spa/spa-menu/ for a listing of spa treatments performed by our Licensed Massage Therapists and Estheticians for information and relief from pain associated use of technology which affects our joints, muscles, & etc.
It’s a demonstration on what technology has delivered to our bodies — a BlackBerry thumb with damage to the joint from frequent texting and a bent wrist and sore palms causing pain up the arm from constantly holding devices like smartphones.
Then there are the painful neck spasms and headaches from always looking down at those hi-tech wonders that keep us from actually talking to each other. Not to mention strained and tight muscles caused by hours in front of a computer, which can lead to the even more serious carpel tunnel syndrome.
Put your phone down now and listen to Jen.
Probst, a slim, fit 39-year-old who’s been in the massage therapy world for 12 years, said in the last few years she’s seen an increase in clients who unwittingly have become the casualties of bigger and better technology.
“You’re so into what you’re doing, you don’t even feel the pain until you stop and try to relax and then it hits you,” she said.
Pain sends them to her. Some clients hold onto their cells so much during the day that even when they’re not, their fingers are curled as if the phone was still there.
“Everybody is looking down at their devices,” whether it’s in the car (you shouldn’t be doing that anyway while driving) or looking down at a laptop or an iPad on a table without a stand. The result: neck pain, back pain and headaches. After awhile it actually is a strain to try and sit up straight.
“Over time with such great repetition, you get stuck with that position and it’s hard to retrain your body.”
Take Shavon Rodriquez, 26, who is a student at Camden County College. She puts together car engines; plays flag football in a co-ed league as well as leagues in basketball and volleyball. Active, for sure.
But it was the five years on a computer at a mortgage company that contributed to the painful muscles in her hands and the tense and tight muscles all the way up both arms.
“It gets so bad I have trouble brushing my hair. My hand cramps up,” she said.
Rodriquez said she’d be willing to slow down with all her activities, including her close relationship with her phone. “But I won’t stop. This is my life.”
All of this sent her to Probst, the massage therapist, sometimes twice a week.
In 60- to 90-minute sessions for a full massage, Probst uses essential oils to reduce inflammation in Rodriquez’s hands and arms — bringing the blood flow down her arms to her hands, relaxing the nerves and loosening the wrist. She uses light to moderate pressure to achieve a better range of motion.
Probst also sees a growing number of men who complain of back and neck pain from long hours driving. Add to that their preoccupation with electronic devices, the result is big-time pain.
There are even skin products available for “smartphone breakouts.” Yes. Believe it. Holding a cellphone against your cheek repeatedly and for long periods can cause skin breakouts, not an attractive look for a professional.
Probst wants to help her clients with their pain through massage but she also gives them “homework,” to eventually make it less likely they’ll experience the degree of pain that brought them to her in the first place. Clients are given instruction on stretches and strength exercises, which have to be performed regularly to see any results.
“I talk to them about their electronic devices and how changing their body positions can make all the difference in the world,” she said.
Posted by: Stevenswood.com: We invite you to visit our stevenswood.com/spa/spa-menu/ for a listing of spa treatments performed by our Licensed Massage Therapists and Estheticians for information and relief from pain associated use of technology which affects our joints, muscles, & etc.
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