Glutes

[Amanda & Jess S]

There have been so many threads on here about nudity v covering up, which parts it is appropriate to work on, etc, that I'm now seriously feeling I have missed out on something!
Like most newer-qualified people on here, all my training completely and explicitly omitted anything between the lower back/stomach area and the upper thighs.
Clearly, there is goingto be very limited commercial demand for massage of the glutes (or at least, that's what I would have thought before reading the posts here!) but I don't see why my wife should be denied the benefits of massaging the glutes.
Mostly it seems pretty obvious how you would massage them, from my first uninformed attempts on my beloved, but can anyone recommend a website/book/video/whatever that gives more information...?

 

[pbehbqhq]

Go with the flow. If your wife is happy massaging the glutes, let her do it. Too many people make too many rules. If anyone comes for a massage, they don't expect to keep their clothes on, and they do expect to have their bodies touched. So go for it. If the client is not happy, they will either say so, or not come back. The main thing is for your wife not to compromise herself or her client.

[sm=angel_sm030.gif]

 

[Dortheyodogue]

Sorry, I obviously didn't express myself very clearly! I'm the therapist and in this case my wife is my client... she's happy for me to work her glutes even if no one else is interested!
What I'm after is practicalinstruction on working that area.

 

[mlinda]

Sorry, looks like I got my glutes in a twist.

[sm=angel_sm030.gif]

 

[LoknoiFish101]

Hi Nick

Mel Cash has a good book called 'sports & remedial massage therapy' ISBN 0 09 180956 8 published by Ebury Press.

That goes through most of the muscle groups etc

 

[?My HeAD Is IN De ClOuDS?]

I was taught that the glutes are the biggest muscle in the body, and that they should be massaged. A lot of lower back pain can originate in the piriformis - below the glutes. Tight glutes can contribute to hamstring and sciatic problems. My technique is the same for the glutes as for the leg. Just make sure that you tuck the towel into the underwear and settle it in between the butt cheeks. Also, it is important to massage the adductors on the upper thigh. Again, make sure your client is not showing anything they shouldn't! These muscle groups get a lot of use so really need the work.

 

[hope2help]

Thanks for that. One advantage of working on my wife is that it doesn't matter too much if the client shows more than she should...!
(But, just in casea real clientever asks for it,what if there's no underwear to tuck into?!)

 

[Fred375]

Hi Nick

That is where your towel techniques come into their own, if you need to work the full muscle then you just expose and work one side at a time

 

[Slobo]

Hi,
Supersub worries me he talks like someone startingtheir first day massage course at college,not someone who is qualified.I would question any course carrying a qualification which explicitly omitted anything between the lower back/stomach area and the upper thighs as supersubs did.It would be like a dentist sayingthey are qualified but can't take out teeth.Kazzie72 and gilliebean1 have the right approach.Supersub you may need to re-think your outlook on massage.

 

[Just_curious]

You can do a great deal of glute work through the drape, you don't have to oil the area (a sheet as a drape, not a plush towel). I almost always work through the drape, it usually helps the client relax more than if I am tucking and adjusting the drape, it is much faster, and it's much easier to go in with elbows through the drape and not have to worry about your elbow sliding off somewhere it shouldn't.

There are some great stretches you can do for the piriformis which often is one of the main culprits for discomfort in the area, I'm pretty sure the Mel Cash book mentioned above covers the ones I'm thinking of (I'll try and check my copy later)

 

[ha-ha]

Hi Nick

I'd recommend the Sean Riehl DVD 'Deep Tissue and Neuromuscular Therapy' which shows how to drape a naked client in American style (ie folding the towel diagonally to cover the gluteal cleft) A cheaper DVD which shows gluteal massage is 'Whole Body Massage' by Affinity (where the towel is pulled down 'German-style' to expose the glutes). The London College of Massage used to produce a video showing gluteal massage on a naked client (draped in American style) but I'm not sure if it's still available.
As far as books are concerned, a basic book which shows gluteal massage is 'The Massage Manual' by Fiona Harrold (founder of the London College of Massage). A more advanced book is 'Basic Clinical Massage Therapy' by Clay & Pounds – the best illustrated book on massage that I have come across.
Personally I disagree with Cola about working through a drape (unless you are in a semi-public environment such as massaging at a marathon or triathlon). We discussed this at some length on the earlier thread 'Swedish massage and buttocks'. Firstly, I think that massaging through a towel is less effective: I doubt whether any of us would massage the shoulders through a towel ! But more importantly, when I am massaging a supine client, I use the towel to cover the genitals and (for female clients) the breasts, to mark the 'boundary' between the exposed area which I am going to touch and the covered area which I am not going to touch. I think that using the towel in this way is important to "create a psychological security barrier, putting the client at ease” (the quote is from Mel Cash's book 'Sport & Remedial Massage Therapy'). By massaging through a towel, you lose that 'security barrier'. And if a female therapist doesn't want to see too muchmale buttock, it is quite easy to work on one buttock at a time, covering the opposite buttock (and the gluteal cleft) with a towel in the style which is used in America and demonstrated on the Sean Riehl DVD which I've referred to earlier.
In principle I agree with Scorpio's comments – but my impression is that the majority of ITEC/VTCT tutors don't teach gluteal massage. However the London College of Massage teaches gluteal massage even on its basic introductory course – which you could always do as a 'refresher'. I did that course immediately after finishing my ITEC course, because I was so frustrated at the lack of practical massage we were given on my ITEC course.

Regards

Alan

 

[Sick Jane]

Thanks, Alan, that's really useful information. And thanks to everyone else, even Scorpio - though I'm not sure why he/she thinks I should rethink my outlook on massage?
As Alan says, this has all been discussed before, but if Scorpio can tell me of one public college that teaches gluteal massage, I'd be interested to hear about it. That's why I'm interested to learn (which suggests to me that there's no need to rethink my attitude..?)
And I didn't start this togo over againall the old ground that has been previously covered on this subject - all I wanted was some practical advice. For which I thank you all!

 

[PapeR TigeR]

I agree massaging through a towel is not as effective, which is why I specified through a sheet, not a towel! I actually sometimes do massage shoulders through a sheet when using my arms and elbows, there can be much better control, depending on what technique you are using. Sports massage is often done through shorts on the glutes, sports massage therapists are not obsessed with only massaging on bare skin.
I do not use a drape to prevent seeing too much buttock, I use it because it can be very effective and faster - I also do lomi lomi where the draping style is almost nonexistent -the sight of buttocks has no effect on how I work.

 

[cxegwutzijgiopewd]

Hi Supersub.
When I was studying at college, we were taught to massage the glutes and to npt be shy.
As someone else has said, the glutes can cause lots of problems when they are tight, i.e. lower back pain and tight hamstrings.
We were taught to get the elbows in the middle of the muscle and put some pressure on! This might be painful for the client but it will loosen the muscle. Also, just basic tapotment and efflerauge should work nicely.

Hope your wife enjoys and remember, when you want to massage a clients glutes and they have no underwear on, tuck the towel between the legs so you don't get an eyeful!!!

Hope this helps.

Claire. x

 

[Drea]

I knew Mel Cash wasn't that caught up with working on bare skin so checked the book out - the Mel Cash quote is specifically for breast/groin areas, I'm not even sure how supine work got into a discussion about glute work for a newly qualified therapist asking about basics.

Quoting from Mel Cash's book 'Sport & Remedial Massage Therapy' again - even in a conventional treatment, using oil, it is sometimes better to work through a towel when applying a very deep technique, as this provides better grip and control Personally, I find a decent towel a bit too thick to work through, so use a sheet.

The glutes are some of the larger muscle groups of the body,most people in office jobs sit on their glutes all day - the muscles are used to the weight of the body, deep work is appropriate for the area, and using a drape while working allows better control.Another advantageis using more draping over the area,it can give you moretime to get your face away if there is a gas release [:-]

 

[nona_goldencat]

Cola

I certainly agree with your earlier comment that “sports massage therapists are not obsessed with only massaging on bare skin”. As I mentioned in my earlier post, many sports massage therapists will work at events such as marathons and triathlons, where lack of privacy and/or cold conditions make it advisable to work over clothing. Mel also quotes the example of working on a mountaineering expedition, when nobody would take their clothes off!
However I’m not sure whether you have directly trained with Mel, or just read his book? I trained at the LSSM seven years ago (with Mel as lead tutor) and the second weekend of the course required us to work on the bare glutes (with the gluteal cleft exposed, which I know that some American therapists disapprove of).
Also, I imagine that Supersub will be massaging his wife in a warm and private environment! And most massage tutors (including Mel Cash) teach that deep tissue work should be preceded by effleurage. One can effleurage the glutes by working downwards (long strokes starting from the shoulder) or by working upwards from the legs, but one cannot do satisfactory long effleurage strokes if one is working over a drape!!

Alan