September brings the fall garden to its peak: asters, the leaves turning golden and red tones, chrysanthemums ablaze. September also means fall cleanup is just around the corner – a strenuous time for gardeners. Weekend gardeners especially will feel the aches and pains of raking, mulching and cutting back the perennial bed.  It can all add up to sore muscles, stiffness and lower back pain. Massage tailored specifically for gardeners provides therapeutic relief from gardening aches and pains.

Massage tailored to gardeners grew out of athletic massage. It differs from a relaxation (often called Swedish) massage because it is a deeper form of soft tissue treatment. Specific techniques pinpoint the areas stressed in gardening activities: the lower back, shoulders and neck, hands and forearms, and the knees.

Massage therapy is a proven complementary health care. Scientific research shows that massage relieves pain and stiffness, speeds recovery time and improves joint flexibility, to name just a few benefits. Massage is effective before and after gardening. If done shortly before a strenuous day of garden cleanup, you can minimize soreness by boosting circulation to the muscles and loosening the joints. Massage is used to reduce the chance of injury – especially from those at-risk tight spots prone to strain.  

Massage is probably used most often to ease stiffness and soreness after gardening. Massage for gardeners can speed relief from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, those aches and spasms that show up the day after. A one hour massage is more effective at relieving soreness and stiffness than stationary rest of the same duration. It normally takes a muscle that has been stressed to a point of fatigue 48-72 hours to rest, adapt and recuperate. Massage tailored for gardening and other strenuous physical activity can reduce the recuperation time by as much as 50 percent.

Massage follows medication as the most sought-after form of pain relief. Over half of those 65 and older who got a massage within the past five years did so to reduce pain, for injury or muscle soreness, or to regain full usage of a muscle after an injury. Massage is more effective for chronic back pain than other complementary therapies.

Massage as a pain management therapy has gone mainstream in the US. Massage therapists are viewed as health care professionals by more and more American consumers. Of those who discussed massage therapy with their healthcare providers, 70 percent of the providers strongly recommended or encouraged their patients to get a massage. (Facts are quoted from studies by the American Massage Therapy Association.)

A massage session tailored for gardening starts with a brief medical history and setting some goals for the session with your massage therapist. Sessions are 30 minutes for specific work and at least an hour for a full body treatment. General conditioning can be done clothed, but most of the time to work deeply on the muscles, you will undress to your level of comfort. Very little or no lotion is used.

The massage itself will be relatively fast-paced. Techniques such as compression soften the muscles and increase the circulation to speed healing. Passive joint movements lubricate and open the joints for increased flexibility. Treating specific trouble spots may include releasing trigger points to relieve soreness and return the muscle to full function. Deep pressure is really appreciated as you feel those “knots being ironed out,” as one client put it.  At no time should the massage cause pain, which just triggers the muscle’s protective response and greater tightness. A feeling colloquially known as “the good hurt” may sometimes occur as the massage therapist treats a specific tense muscle, which results in an “ahhh” of relief from the client as the muscle relaxes.

There are a few situations in which massage tailored for gardeners is not safe. The massage therapist should take a medical history, and often will ask a few questions on the phone when the appointment is set up, to ensure the massage is safe for you. A heart condition, anemia, advanced diabetes, liver or lung conditions, cancer, or recent surgery all create situations in which the deep muscle work and increased circulation may overtax the client’s system. In cases where massage for gardeners is not recommended without a physician’s permission, there are gentler methods that can be helpful in these situations.  Skin conditions like poison ivy, open wounds, and varicose veins may limit the massage application to unaffected areas of the body.

There are a few helpful tips in choosing a massage therapist. Massage therapy is licensed in North Carolina, so ask if you are speaking with a licensed massage therapist. Massage tailored to gardeners requires some specific training. Ask if the massage therapist has any training in “sports or athletic massage”. This is how the techniques used are taught in schools. Trained massage therapists are happy to share their credentials with clients. In addition, the massage therapist should be familiar with gardening so they can focus on the specific muscles likely to be over-worked.

Insurance companies are adding massage therapy to their covered services. They are coming to understand the benefit in speeding recovery and even preventing injury. Check with your individual policy for your covered services, and whether you need to use in-network therapists.

Gardening is a joy and a therapy all its own, as well as a favorite activity that helps keep us young and limber. It’s one of life’s little ironies that the people who enjoy and benefit most from gardening are often blocked by muscle aches and sore joints from continuing it. Massage therapy is a proven solution to twist that irony around and get you back in the garden.

Erica Bliss Winston, LMBT (NC License # 4797) is a Nationally Certified Massage & Bodywork Therapist based in the Cary area. Ms. Winston provides individually tailored massage therapy for gardeners out of a combined love of massage and gardening.  For more information, call (919) 924-6786 or visit her website at: www.ericaBlissWinston.com.