Sciatica occurs when there is pressure on the sciatic nerve. This is often because of muscle spasms, but can be due to a myriad of reasons. 😮 A constant or impulsive / fluctuating pain radiates down throughout the path of the sciatic nerve. Having sciatica myself, this can be devastating and debilitating. It can be acute or chronic, that is, severe in intensity or long lasting. 😥 The sciatic nerve begins and extends from the sacral plexus via the buttock, down the back of the leg, and into the foot, especially the toes. Piriformis syndrome (or the piriformis muscle), alongside hamstring spasms, can exacerbate or cause sciatica. 🤤 However, true or real sciatica is extremely uncommon. True sciatica will resist treatment. This is because sciatica is a pathological condition of the nervous system itself, also known as neuralgia. Massage, and even self-massage to a certain extent, plays a pivotal role in the loosening of tight and compressed muscles which put pressure onto the sciatic nerve. It helps to indirectly reduce pain, lower stress levels and improve overall well-being. ❤️ Keep in mind, sciatic pain can also be in the form of a burning, shooting or stabbing sensation. #massage #swedishmassage #sciatica #sciaticnerve #nerve #neuralgia #sciaticpain #pain #chronic #acute

Sometimes letting go isn't about denying... It's about accepting. 😊

My healthy eating is going well. #inspiration #pizza #relax

'Evenings and mornings represent “the gates” to your inner universe. Taking care of how you enter and exit these “gates” is your primary responsibility; do not give away this power. Once you master it, life will never be the same again'. ― Stan Jacobs Have a great Friday night! 😀

😍😍😍😍😍 #catmassage #cat #kitten #cutie

Would you rather: 🤔

Here is a passage from David Chalmer's 'The Character of Consciousness' (2010, p. 4): "It is common to see... the mystery of consciousness [being aware], noting the strange intangibility and ineffability of subjectivity and worrying that so far we have no theory of the phenomenon [no understanding of things]". The word ineffability means that something cannot or should not be expressed through words. For me, this is one of the biggest challenges facing us nowadays. I think we constantly feel the need to categorise things to understand them - *which is fine*, as it is always what we have done. However, *sometimes* it is fine to just be... to relax... to not pursue what every feeling or emotion means or feels like. Sometimes, for example, to simply enjoy the experience without question should be the aim. Moral of the story? Next time you find yourself justifying if you deserve something, don't. Stop trying to persistently discover the meaning. Stop trying to discover why. Just let be and experience. Peace. Andrew #MassConnoisseur Don't just realise your potential, release it ;)

If you don't be yourself, you will never know what you could have been.

OMG.... Cutting edge news - anybody fancy a meat cleaver massage? 😐😐😐 Apparently this is actually a thing: 😂 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1488543/Customers-bizarre-massage-meat-cleavers-Taiwan-spa.html I guess if there is a will, there is a way...

So, how are the new year resolutions going? 😎

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention" - Oscar Wilde ❤️ Pass it on. Make it yours. Take this wisdom and practice it. We can only measure the consequences of our actions through our own understandings, and so the smallest act may mean the world to many, whether you realise this or not. Massage is one of the many ways in which you can change the quality of someone's life. #act #kindness #massage #oscarwilde #happiness #quote #motivation

Frozen shoulder, medically known as adhesive capsulitis, is a disabling, debilitating, and painful disorder/condition affecting the shoulder capsule. Essentially, the connective tissue enveloping the glenohumeral joint of the shoulder grows inflamed and stiff. This means that the shoulder becomes restricted and range of movement lessens. It is thought to happen when scar tissue forms within the shoulder area and joint. The capsule within the shoulder then thickens to protect the shoulder, however leaves less room for movement which causes greater pain. It’s difficult to shrug off. *waiting for applause* 🤔 Anyway… In cold weather, and at night, the pain worsens. Unexpected movements alongside unintentional bumps can bring about intense cramping and provoke major discomfort. Frozen shoulder is believed to be caused by trauma and/or injury. Frozen shoulder is also commonly and incorrectly used for arthritis, but the conditions are actually unrelated; furthermore, frozen shoulder can occur in both shoulders (Gillot, 2017). Risk factors involved or associated with frozen shoulder include heart disease, disease of the connective tissues, lung disease, tonic seizures, stroke, diabetes, depression (Tonino, 2016; Commereuc et al. 2014; NHS, 2018). Treatment of frozen shoulder is often manipulative and so painful. For instance, the following are ways in which to help toward the treatment of frozen shoulder: • Massage therapy (of course!) • Physiotherapy (more hands on and manipulative of the tissues than standard Swedish massage) • Medication (papers over the cracks – in other words, drugs are great for pain relief, but do not tackle the origin or cause of the underlying problem) • Occupational therapy (why not get help at work?) • Surgery (last case scenario?) • Hot and cold compression packs (try both to see which benefits you) • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS – a machine which is used to numb the nerve endings in the spinal cord to dampen pain) • Corticosteroid injections (a steroid hormone which reduces pain and swelling – however, too many injections have been known to make the problem of frozen shoulder worse) You can also carry out certain exercises by yourself to help your situation. For example, look at and try the following: 1) Pendulum Stretch: stand with your shoulders in a relaxed position. Lean your torso forward, with the hand of the ‘normal’ or ‘unaffected’ shoulder placed on a table. Allow the arm suffering from frozen shoulder to hang down the body vertically. Now, swing your arm in a small circle – this should be about a foot in diameter (when your shoulder begins to regain its former strength, you will need to increase the diameter at which you swing your arm) Here, have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQIsQItAcOI 2) Towel Stretch: grab both ends of a towel. Holding the towel, put it behind you back so it is hanging vertically. With the ‘good’ arm, pull the towel downwards so that the frozen shoulder rotates. Hold this stretch for about 20 seconds. Here, have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKpun8T2jbw 3) The Harvard Medical School have an excellent range of exercises that can be followed. Click on the following link for more exercises: https://www.health.harvard.edu/shoulders/stretching-exercises-frozen-shoulder Andrew. Peace. #MassConnoisseur :) Don't just realise your potential, release it ;) ✔ andrewbuchan@connoisseur.com ✔ http://www.massageconnoisseur.com/ ✔ https://twitter.com/MassConnoisseur ✔ https://www.instagram.com/massageconnoisseur/ ✔ https://www.pinterest.com/massageconnoisseur/pins/ ✔ www.linkedin.com/in/AndrewBuchan7 References https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166186.php https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2cbd/1f06ebfe6e6fe83bf370b5bb795441f67236.pdf https://www.sports-health.com/sports-injuries/shoulder-injuries/frozen-shoulder-causes-and-risk-factors https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Frozen-shoulder/