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Did you know that using good bending form may be one othe most effective things you can do to reduce the rounding effect that gravity has on your spine over the years? Here are some reminders on how to carry items without damaging your fragile back and leg muscles.

Bad Bending Moves:

• Feet too close together: If your feet are closer than should width apart, you’ll have poor leverage, will be unstable, and will tend to round out your back
• Keepings knees and hips straight, with your low back rounded forward. This is the most common and stressful lifting, especially if done while twisting the trunk.
• Tensing and arching the neck up: This crams the neck joints and becomes a pain, especially if maintained for awhile or during heavy lifting.
• Avoid lifting and carrying an imbalanced load
• Lifting and bending too much in a short period of time: If you start getting tired, you’ll start slumping, which causes increased compression and strain
• Lifting objects that are too heavy for you. This will typically result in a jerk-lift and/or to lift in a slumped or overached. If you can’t lift slowly and smoothly in good alignment, don’t attempt it!
• Lifting heavy objects right after sustained sitting, especially if you’ve been slump sitting: This is a bad, dangerous combination!



Good Bending Moves:

• Place feet and knees at least should width apart or front to back in a wide-step position. This helps you to bend at the hips, keeping the back relatively straight and unstressed.
• Lean over or squat with the chest and buttocks sticking out. If done correctly, your back will be straight and the neck will balance in a relaxed, neutral position
• Take weight through one or both arms. As you squat down or push back up, prop your hand or elbow on your thigh, the furniture, a wall, etc. This good move take some of the strain off the low back.
• Balance your load on either side, or switch sides so that both sides are equally stressed
• When reaching overhead, keep the chest up, and/or used a step stool to keep the low back and neck in neutral alignment

Pictures and information taken from “The Back Pain Book: A self-help guide for Daily Relief of Neck and Back Pain” By: Mike Hage, MS, PT.

Hi Everyone,

As of Saturday April 16th, Margaret Bacon will no longer be working Saturdays at Trikinetic Massage Therapy. Moving forward she will only be available Tuesdays and Wednesdays for appointments. Check out the calendar on her bio page for a more detailed look at the days and times she will be in the office.

Also, she is available Fridays at another Massage Therapy clinic in Kitsilano, Sage Integrated Health. Call them for more info on Margaret’s schedule at Sage.

Saturday appointments are still available with Yvonne, Jessica, Heidi and Ray, between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Call us at 604.879.9400 to book an appointment with Margaret or any of our Registered Massage Therapists.

Stay tuned for more scheduling changes in the upcoming months. Thank you for your continued support of Trikinetic Massage.

- The Triki Team

In our last post we talked about how breathing can illicit the “rest and relaxation” response in the body through the parasympathetic nervous system. This week, we wanted to talk more about what goes on in the body when that happens.

During a Massage Treatment you will likely hear your Therapist tell you to breathe deeply in order to fully relax. But what some people don’t realize is that this is not just psychological response, but a biological one as well.

When you breathe the lungs are inflated with the assistance of the diaphragm muscle. The greater the breath, the greater the expansion and contraction of the diaphragm. When this happens, the diaghram actually massages a nerve called the Vagus Nerve.

It is the Vagus Nerve that controls not only heartbeat and blood flow, but the digestive system as well. When it is stimulated through, say deep breathing, messages are sent to slow the heart rate and increase healthy digestion by releasing a greater amount digestive juices into the digestive tract.

We hope this gives a more complete understanding of the importance of taking the time to breathe both in and out of the treatment room.

Happy Breathing Everyone!

- The Triki Team

 I don’t know exactly when I became interested in the breath, but once I did no one was safe! Now, all my clients, friends, and family gets reminded to BREATHE.

When I work with clients I remind them to breathe to induce the relaxation response. The relaxation response occurs when the body is no longer in percieved danger, the counter-part to the well known “fight or flight response”. The relaxation response will help to kick in the parasympathetic nervous system (aka the “rest and digest” nervous system). When this is turned on the muscles and fascia are more likely to release and relax.

– By Karen Fleming, RMT

The city of Vancouver has recently put in parking meters on 10th avenue between Commercial Drive and our office in the East Van Medical Building. Please be aware that if you have parked in this area for free in the past, this will no longer be possible.

The meters are in effect 7 days a week from 9:00 am to 10:00pm. The rates for these meters are $2.00 for a 2 hour portion, which is less expensive than the building’s lot rate of $2.75 per 2 hours.

There is some free parking in the sorrounding residential streets, as there are also multiple transit options. Parking at Safeway is not recommended.

We apologise for any inconvenience,

- The Triki Team

Good news everyone! This week we are welcoming the newest member of the Trikinetic team, Ray Ranger. Ray will be taking appointments on days that our regular RMT’s have scheduled off.  Click here to see Ray’s schedule over the next few weeks. Here is a little more about Ray…

Ray graduated from Utopia Academy in the summer of June 2010. Since completing the program, Ray couldn’t be happier, or more passionate, about his choice of profession.

His approach to Massage Therapy blends deeper techniques with more subtle modalities. Importance is given to working with the breath and always within the person’s comfort level. Making sure the treatment room is a safe space for everyone, is also a top priority.

Since becoming an RMT, Ray has found that the following modalities have been key elements to his treatments: Fasical Release, Trigger Point Release, Active Therapy, Deep Tissue, Muscle Unwinding, Osteopathic & Craniosacral techniques.
He also notes that homecare exercises are the key to any successful treatment plan.

Call the clinic at 604.879.9400 to book an appointment with Ray or any of our Registered Massage Therapists.

Welcome to the new and improved website of Trikinetic Massage Therapy. On the new site you will find…

• Updated bios and pictures of all our massage therapists
• Calenders showing which days each therapist is working at Trikinetic, located on their bio page.
• Detailed descriptions of the techniques we utilize with photos
• List of products we carry and instructions on how to use them
• New photos of our clinic space and treatment rooms
• A “Frequently Asked Questions” section
• Easy to use contact email form

We hope you find our new web presence more helpful and informative. Take a look around and leave a comment!