There’s a short introductory article about Thai massage on the Day Spa Magazine website.

We know that massage makes you feel better and has many benefits. But until now, we didn’t even know what the underlying physiological reasons for the benefits of massage were. We didn’t really know – from a medical standpoint – why massage makes you feel better AND helps to regenerate your muscles after strenous exercise.

Now scientists took on the task of figuring that out. They did it by recruiting volunteers and have them do strenous exercise to the point of exhaustion, particularly having them exercise on a bike. Then they massaged one leg, but not the other. Then they took samples of the muscles from both legs and compared them with each other to see what difference there was on a cellular level.

They found that massage reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Massage also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky.

That’s pretty impressive, because it is a mechanism that is superior to medical treatments to counter inflammation. Medication can effectively reduce inflammation and pain, but at the same time it also stymies the healing process that is associated with an inflammation.

So instead of taking an Aspirin (or other drug) when you have sore muscles, getting a massage is much better for your muscles.

You can read more about this fascinating piece of research in this article by the New York Times: How Massage Heals Sore Muscles

If you’ve studied at the Wat Po massage school (which is actually named Chetawan) then you might have gotten to know Khun Preeda (Preeda Tangtrongchitr), the owner. IF so, then this article might be interesting to you, as he answers some questions and shares his views, expertise and opinions about traditional Thai massage and tells the story of how he got into this business.

His massage school has trained an estimated number of 200,000 massage therapists over the course of the last five decades, and a Wat Po certificate is still the most widely recognized accreditation for Thai massage practitioners worldwide today.

Click here to read the full article.

There is an article about the history of massage in the Examiner, written by Lisa Ferguson, CMT. There’s also a short mention of Thai massage, so it makes for an interesting overview of different traditions.

If there’d be a name for this style, I’d call it “dancing Thai yoga”. Very artful video.

If you want to learn Thai massage or currently practice it, just remember that the way it feels for the person receiving it is a lot more important than the way it looks to someone observing :-)

Here’s a little Thai massage demonstration that shows you some techniques from the seating position. These aim mainly to stretch the body and release the flow of energy:

If you are flexible, this feels great. But it can feel even greater if you are not flexible, because it opens up your body in ways that you might not imagine – however, it’s important that a skilled, experienced, qualified practitioner performs this with you slowly and carefully so that you are able to enjoy the movements in a relaxed and safe manner.

And here another video that shares some basics of how to take care of your hands and wrists when giving Thai massage:

Here is another part of the series on wrist care of Thai massage practitioners. Make sure to take care yourself just as good as you take care your clients! :-)

Here’s another video on wrist care for Thai massage practitioners. If you haven’t seen part 1 yet, watch the first part first here.

Here is another video for Thai massage practitioners. It’s another part in a series of videos that will help you to take proper care of your health, joints, tendons and muscles by using good body mechanics.

This is a very fundamental lesson, but it’s good to review it anyway – because if you get the basics right, you’ll always provide good work for your patients, and you’ll be able to practice for many years to come.