Massage: Is It Worth It?

[Frugalityisthenewblack]

I was waiting for the reponse that Trobone Al predictably gave......(earlier today my comment on another thread......
"The "sheetburner" comment reminded me of the many times I would try to engage my (mostly male) coworkers with some serious discussion, only for the dialogue to be sabatoged by a gratuitous, politically-incorrect response which would leave the others convulsing with laughter and me rolling my eyes in exasperation . I laughed out loud when I read it. Guess I am missing the daily blue-collar banter now that I have been on sabbatical."


...actually I am surprised by the restraint....the comment wasn't made until post #19

[eytonxav]

I've never had a professional massage, but if I ever do, might go for a rolf:

Introduction to Rolfing - CMS - YouTube

These ususlly do not end with happy endings like T Al suggested.

[Meadbh]

I have had massages from time to time over the past 15 years. The best practitioners do a great job. Here in BC, massage therapy is highly regulated and my doctor recently prescribed a course of massage for me. I had four massages and was able to reclaim the entire cost from my personal health insurance plan.

[Notmuchlonger]

I don't know if they are worth it. But darn hot rocks then finished up with some excellent smelling oil is bliss.


I have to add it felt great. But darn that little blond lady worked the heck out of me. I was fairly sore the next morning...

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItDontMeanAThing I consider strong Thai massage by a knowledgeable probationer (who is willing and able to put herself through the exertion required to do it correctly) to be physical therapy that has transformed my body. My body was misaligned bundles of tight muscles before I started on a once every 10 days regiem of Thai massage. The change has been nothing short of amazing both in visible changes to my body and improvement in quality of life because my body now rests MUCH more comfortably in seats and beds. I live in Thailand, so it costs me about $13 a session (almost said 'a pop' but it's not that kind of massage). If I knew in my 20s what I know now about the effect of Thai massage I would have spent whatever it took to have done this then.

I keep hoping that a Thai massage business will open in the shopping center of our dojang. If it was right next door then I could finish training, walk through the shower room, and get a massage before heading home. It'd save a lot of stiffness (and ibuprofen) over the next 24 hours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I guess it's more relaxing if you order the happy ending.

Yes, but much more costly...

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mickj similar to chiropractors they may make you feel better, true cause.. unknown

Sometimes science is overrated. Geckos can walk up vertical glass and upside down on rougher surfaces. Scientists don't know how the geckos do it. Either do the geckos but that doesn't stop them.

[urn2bfree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItDontMeanAThing Sometimes science is overrated. Geckos can walk up vertical glass and upside down on rougher surfaces. Scientists don't know how the geckos do it. Either do the geckos but that doesn't stop them.

And sometimes all it takes is to actually look something up and find maybe science is not so much overrated as ignored or misunderstood or just not bothered with?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5220912AAalRqW

[ItDontMeanAThing]

Quote:

Originally Posted by urn2bfree And sometimes all it takes is to actually look something up and find maybe science is not so much overrated as ignored or misunderstood or just not bothered with? How do geckos walk on the wall? - Yahoo! Answers

answers.yahoo.com is your source?

[Moscyn]

I have massage once a week - the ones I like are deep tissue massage. I usually have them after golfing. I usually fall asleep during the massage and wake up refreshed with relaxed muscles. It is important to find the type of massage which suits you and of course, a masseur with good skills. I've had really bad massages before - usually when I am trying out a new place.

[M Paquette]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItDontMeanAThing Sometimes science is overrated. Geckos can walk up vertical glass and upside down on rougher surfaces. Scientists don't know how the geckos do it. Either do the geckos but that doesn't stop them.

http://geckolab.lclark.edu/dept/geckostory.html

Now, you have to wonder, with two million sticky little setae per gecko, what sort of a massage could they give? How many geckos are needed to give a proper deep tissue massage?

Quote:

Maximum potential force of 2,000,000 setae on 4 feet of a gecko = 2,000,000 x 200 micronewton = 400 newton = 40788 grams force, or about 90 lbs! This is 600 times greater sticking power than friction alone can account for. Weight of a Tokay gecko is approx. 50 to 150 grams

So, one of the little guys can theoretically deliver up to 90 pounds force, limited by adhesion. This suggests that the massage capability of the gecko is limited by properties other than adhesion, such as unit strength or mass of one gecko.

If we assume the mass of one gecko is 100 grams, or 0.22 pounds mass, then a stack of geckos sufficient to deliver force near the adhesion limit of one geckos combined setae would be about 409 geckos high. This suggests avenues for further research by one of our members with an adequate supply of geckos and suitable time and training facilities...

Nords, you up for some gecko training? You get a massage if all goes well...

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItDontMeanAThing answers.yahoo.com is your source?

Is this better? I'm sure you could have done the same, instead of laughing.

-ERD50

References

^ Hyman, H.L. (1966) "Further Notes on the Occurrence of Chitin in Invertebrates" Biological Bulletin, 130: 1-149. http://www.biolbull.org/cgi/reprint/130/1/94.pdf

^ Butterfield, N. J. (1990). "A reassessment of the enigmatic Burgess Shale fossil Wiwaxia corrugata (Matthew) and its relationship to the polychaete Canadia spinosa Walcott". Paleobiology 16 (3): 287–303. JSTOR 2400789. edit

^ a b Santos, Daniel; Matthew Spenko, Aaron Parness, Kim Sangbae, Mark Cutkosky (2007). Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology 21 (12-13): 1317–1341. Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology | BRILL. "Gecko "feet and toes are a hierarchical system of complex structures consisting of lamellae, setae,and spatulae. The distinguishing characteristics of the gecko adhesion system have been described [as] (1) anisotropic attachment, (2) high pulloff force to preload ratio, (3) low detachment force, (4) material independence, (5) self-cleaning, (6) anti-self sticking and (7) non-sticky default state. ... The gecko’s adhesive structures are made from ß-keratin (modulus of elasticity [approx.] 2 GPa). Such a stiff material is not inherently sticky; however, because of the gecko adhesive’s hierarchical nature and extremely small distal features (spatulae are [approx.] 200 nm in size), the gecko’s foot is able to intimately conform to the surface and generate significant attraction using van der Waals forces."

^ Kirk PM, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA. (2008). Dictionary of the Fungi (10th ed.). Wallingford: CABI. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-85199-826-8.

^ Raven, Peter H.; Evert, R.F. & Eichhorn, S.E. (2005): Biology of Plants (7th ed.). W.H. Freeman and Company.

^ Engineers create new adhesive that mimics gecko toe hairs Physorg.com Jan 29, 2008

[martyb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Yes, but much more costly...

Not always.....

[Mulligan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M Paquette http://geckolab.lclark.edu/dept/geckostory.html Now, you have to wonder, with two million sticky little setae per gecko, what sort of a massage could they give? How many geckos are needed to give a proper deep tissue massage? So, one of the little guys can theoretically deliver up to 90 pounds force, limited by adhesion. This suggests that the massage capability of the gecko is limited by properties other than adhesion, such as unit strength or mass of one gecko. If we assume the mass of one gecko is 100 grams, or 0.22 pounds mass, then a stack of geckos sufficient to deliver force near the adhesion limit of one geckos combined setae would be about 409 geckos high. This suggests avenues for further research by one of our members with an adequate supply of geckos and suitable time and training facilities... Nords, you up for some gecko training? You get a massage if all goes well...

Sounds interesting, but can you get them potty trained first?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by M Paquette Nords, you up for some gecko training? You get a massage if all goes well...

When a gecko drops off the ceiling to administer a deep-tissue massage to the back of your neck, you certainly end up moving quickly. Especially if you were just sleeping a microsecond ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulligan Sounds interesting, but can you get them potty trained first?

They're kinda territorial about that-- they tend to poop in the same places each day so that the other geckos know who owns the turf. I wonder if little gecko sergeants run around consulting clipboards and saying "OK, here's your spot, remember to wait until after dark so that they don't clean it up until daylight!"

Sadly our geckos seem to be on the decline, crowded out by the invasive anole lizards. I'm hoping it's seasonal but I'm seeing far fewer geckos on our windows & ceilings these days.

[urn2bfree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ItDontMeanAThing answers.yahoo.com is your source?

And again sometimes when what you post is so easily refuted even Yahoo answers (just one of many links which confirmed the same answer over and over) maybe doubling down on how much smarter you think you are then so called "science is overrated" is not so impressive.

[Helen]

I usually have one or two a year. The best massage I ever had was after 5 days of backpacking, it was well worth the money.

[obgyn65]

I do not use these types of massage services at all. Maybe I am too cheap when it comes to my needs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangomonster I am way too cheap to spend the money on massage, but I did have one yesterday because it was reimbursed (I did it as a mystery/secret shopper!).

[jerryo]

In SE Asia, with massages at about $20 a session at top of the line spas in Manila or Bangkok and $10 a session in resorts like Bali or Boracay, and usually no more than $50 - $100 for 90 - 120 minute sessions at places like Banyan Tree in Phuket, it's hard to pass up....

[bo_knows]

Rather than massage, you all should look into "self myosfascial release". Get yourself a foam roller and a few lacrosse balls, and you can essentially massage yourself and release a lot of tension. Very small investment ($20 for a foam roller, $5 for a 3-pack of lacrosse balls).

I do some form of SMR on myself every single day.

[omni550]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bo_knows Rather than massage, you all should look into "self myosfascial release". Get yourself a foam roller and a few lacrosse balls, and you can essentially massage yourself and release a lot of tension. Very small investment ($20 for a foam roller, $5 for a 3-pack of lacrosse balls). I do some form of SMR on myself every single day.

Sounds interesting. Would you be willing to suggest some good resources where to learn more?

omni