By: Melissa McCutcheon LMT MA#105649
Let me first say that this is a true story that happened back when I started working my second job as a licensed massage therapist. It was a college town in South Dakota and the place I worked at was a huge office. It had six chiropractors, four massage therapists, one physical therapist, a lot of chiropractic assistants, and the sweetest receptionist I have ever worked with.
Not long after I started working at that office I was told the story of "The Foot and The Sciatic Nerve Pain."
The story starts with a client who could not get rid of his sciatic pain and the legendary massage therapist, whom I don't remember his name or I would give him credit. This client had seen and done everything you could do to help get rid of his sciatic nerve problem. He had already Doctor and had his lower back scanned. The scan showed no bulged disc or narrowing of his spine. He had seen our Chiropractors and Physical Therapist but had received no long-term relief. He had even seen this legendary massage therapist one time before.
Giving massage therapy one more try, this client came in for his second massage with this legendary massage therapist. The client reported little to no relief from the work the massage therapist had done that focused on the client's lower back and piriformis. Not discouraged or complacent with just doing the same treatment, the legendary massage therapist asked for the client's trust. The client agreed and so the legendary massage therapist worked the client's foot, on the affected side, for the majority of that session.
Of course, you guessed it, that was the cure.
But How? I wondered myself, so I did some research and found there were two main reasons it worked.
Anatomy: The sciatic nerve starts in the lower back and the sacrum and ends at the heel. At any point along the way, down to the foot, if the sciatic nerve's path gets pinched it can cause what is called referred pain.
Referral pain: Referred pain means simply that you feel pain in a different area than where the pinched spot is. In this case, I assume, the legendary massage therapist probably figured out at the end of this client's last session massage session that the client's heel was full of trigger points. So, as any legendary massage therapist would do he used his knowledge of sciatic nerve anatomy, trigger point therapy, and referral pain and concluded the sciatic must be coming from his heel.
It was by hearing that story, that I learned such a valuable lesson. Never underestimate the power of referred pain.
Invitation:
If you are having issues with your Sciatic Nerve and would like to experience The Sciatic Nerve Foot Smasher, make an online appointment for an in-home massage today.
Disclaimer:
What works for one person is not guaranteed to work for everyone.
That is why Melissa's Mobile Massage customizes her client's sessions. The name of the massage technique above is typically not a proper term for a technique, therefore other massage therapists would not know what the sciatic nerve foot smasher is.
Comments