Surgery - Part Four

For this final part on surgery I'll discuss a great massage treatment both to soften superficial scar tissue and also to re-energise the pathways through the lesion. This must be done with oil, otherwise the client will be hovering a few centimetres off the couch. It is not subtle but does the trick, it falls into the 'no pain, no gain' category of therapy. I am talking about Connective Tissue Massage (CTM). This was pioneered by an Austrian physiotherapist named Maria Ebner in the late 1960's. I was fortunate to do one of her courses in the early '70's. I would strongly recommend that you purchase her book on the subject as it covers oodles of  other things as well- it really was the holistic massage of its day. CTM is performed with the radial border of the middle finger superimposed on the ring finger, and consists of three phases:-

1. Contact with the client to the required depth of their of their tissues and at the correct starting point
2. Take up the 'slack' of the tissues by putting them on the stretch
3. Carry out a short or long stroke along a prescribed line.

Clients will feel that you are dragging a sharp pair of scissors across the skin and, without using oil to buffer it, it can be extremely painful. Start by doing some short strokes of app. two inches (5 cms) long at right angles to the scar tissue until the whole length has been covered. You may then do some long strokes travelling with the meridian energy flow through the scarring. By the time you have finished the whole area will feel warmer and more energised. Let me know how you get on.