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10 secrets your massage therapist knows about your body

A massage does more than ease your aches and pains. It gives your masseuse a peek into what your lifestyle is like and what changes you need to make to keep those achy muscles from acting up. Do you sleep on your stomach? Wear your bra too tight?

We talked to Lily from Le Petit Spa to find out below what secrets your massage therapist knows about your body without you having to utter a single word.

1. If you have a desk job

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Your massage therapist will know that you have a desk job even if you don’t say so.

When you lie on the table, a good massage therapist will check to see if one hip is higher than the other. This type of misalignment is caused by tightness in the lower back, a result of prolonged sitting or poor posture, and usually results in pain.

When you are on your back, they will also see how much space is between the table and your lower back. Sometimes too much belly weight can cause the stressed gap, which may also lead to aching.

Working at a desk and staring at your computer screen for long hours every day can lead to a strained back and hunched shoulders.

Regular massages can help alleviate the pain and tension. To prolong the effect of the massages, remember to do these simple stretches you can do at your desk to relax those muscles!

2. Your sleeping position

Did you know your sleeping position can cause muscle strains?

The best sleeping position is one that keeps your spine as perfectly aligned as possible. Sleeping with your head tilted up or down or sleeping on your stomach puts pressure on your neck and spine.

Spare yourself the aches and pains and sleep either on your side or back. Don’t sleep on your belly, because it places incredible pressure on your spine and neck.

If you have ever woken up with a strained neck or sore back, then you know that not only the right sleeping position, but the perfect pillow can do more than just give you a good night’s sleep.

A good pillow is also essential in keeping those muscle strains away. It should support the shoulder enough to not bunch up around your ears.

Pillows should be turned around, fluffed, or replaced when their appearance gets a bit deflated or you no longer feel supported in your sleep. If your head is tilted down or up, it will put a strain on your neck.

3. If you are gassy or constipated

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If your stomach feels firm to touch, your massage therapist will most likely know you are constipated. But don’t feel embarrassed if you let out a fart or burp! Everyone passes gas, and it’s common to fart or burp when your abdominal muscles are being massaged as the gas needs somewhere to escape. Stiffened shoulders are also a common indication of trapped gas in the body.

PS: Experiencing constipation and painful periods? This Momihogushi massage can help regulate your bowel movements.

4. If you are not drinking enough water

Bet you didn’t think your massage therapist could tell you are dehydrated from just pressing your trigger points in your upper back.

Dehydrated skin is not the only sign that you are not drinking enough water. These pressure points in your upper back will become more tender when you are dehydrated so make sure you’re consuming enough fluids every day.

Water also helps to flush out toxins from your body, which is why after a massage you are given a glass of water to drink as a lot of toxins have been released and you need to flush them out.

5. That you look at your phone too much

Guilty of spending too much time on your phone? Looking at your phone often can cause your shoulders to slouch forwards and strain your neck, a posture commonly known as text neck.

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Hence, when your massage therapist rubs your shoulders and you feel pain, it’s probably due to the imbalance in your shoulders from bending your head down.

Try raising your phone to eye level, so you don’t have to tilt your head down too much and practice some simple stretches to avoid text neck.

6. Whether your bra strap is too tight or your bag is too heavy

When your bra strap is too tight, the muscles above the scapula become tightened. This can also happen when your handbag or backpack is too heavy.

For those of you who carry heavy handbags predominantly on one side, one side of your shoulder will appear to be tighter than the other.

Your glutes, hamstrings, and quads also tend to be tight and you most likely will also have an unnatural pelvic tilt as you are more inclined to shift your body weight to one side when carrying a heavy handbag.

7. Whether you have cancer

This doesn’t apply to all cancers and all massage therapists, but there have been documented cases of massage therapists detecting changes on regular customer’s skin and body that eventually turned out to be cancer.

A massage therapist in Canada helped a lady discover skin cancer after seeing this on her skin. Another massage therapist in Yorkshire detected a customer’s cervical cancer by feeling a “popping” and “crystal” sensation in her customer’s body. Therefore, don’t dismiss when your massage therapist urges you to go for a checkup, it could save your life!

8. That you like crossing your legs

Crossing your legs isn’t good for you.

Even if you’re just crossing at the heels, you put a lot of pressure on your hip flexors. In turn, the glute muscles shoot pain up to the lower back or down to the hamstrings and quads. That area is all connected.

Crossing legs also cause an unnatural bend in your pelvic girdle and prevent proper circulation. Don’t do it!

9. That you are on your period

‘Trigger points’ tell your massage therapist a lot about your body. These are sensitive areas which feel stickier, tense, hot, to the therapist and painful to you.

They will know when you’re about to get your period or when you’re ovulating because of sensitive hormonal trigger points in your low back.

Lily shares that there are a few times she reminds her customers that their period may be due… and her customers will laugh and tell her that she just got it that very morning.

10. That you gave birth recently

Even if it has been a year or two since you had the baby, your ligaments may still be very loose. They stretch all over your body, not just in your hips and pelvic region.

Some women have ankle and wrist problems, or they developed carpal tunnel during pregnancy.