Our Upper Back can be the centre for a lot of tension and pain. For many of us, the tension in our upper back and neck is caused by straining our muscles sitting at a desk for long hours day in and day out. The strain of staring at the computer screen, typing away madly puts a lot of pressure on our upper back muscles.
As a Massage Therapist, I always want to help release the pain and tension in this area to allow my clients to feel more relaxed and pain-free. In the video below I have demonstrated a mini treatment on the Upper Back to focus on releasing the superficial muscles. Another topic I touched on briefly was the difference a good quality stone can make.
I really want to focus on showing you the moves on the upper back with our Granite stones, however, I am really passionate about something else and would like to touch on that. What I mean by that, is the difference between Basalt, the traditional form of hot stone, and Granite.
What I want you to understand is how much more beneficial Granite, Semi-precious, Crystal, or Marble stones are; rather than Basalt. Granite is a non-porous product, whereas Basalt is not, hence why I want to show you how much difference there is in them. Basalt continuously absorbs oil and over time it becomes heavy with the oil and stops heating properly. That is why we use a product that is non-porous. Our product is high in quartz content so it stays hotter for longer.
Below I have a step-by-step guide on massaging the Upper Back. I will also demonstrate the use of a Basalt stone on the Upper Back, compared with Stone Eagle’s teardrop Granite Stone. Once you have read the step-by-step guide, please take some time to watch the full video on our Youtube channel.
Step 1: Pushing the stone from the palm of our hand. Don’t strain your wrist and hands by having the incorrect grip. If you hold the stone at the top you will get a lot better effect.
Step 2: Work through the Rhomboid area, through the outer trap, in and down so that you can really get in through the area. It is incredibly effective.
Step 3: You can then come from the side, working through the same area. Again holding the stone correctly, pushing up against the scapular to stretch out the muscles. Ensure the stretch is slow to allow the heat of the stone to relax everything.
Step 4: Next, you can come up on top of the levator scapular (making sure you don’t hit the boney prominence). Again, body mechanics are vital when you’re working with these stones.
Note: Upper back is such an important part of the body. There is a lot of stress that people hold through here. So, sometimes when I’m working with the stone, I might use my hand and the stone. Coming through, making sure that I’m relaxing with the stone and getting the muscles to really respond that way
By the end of it, the Basalt is completely covered in oil, most likely absorbing it. So now, the Basalt is completely covered in oil, probably absorbing it. The difference is that it doesn’t feel as smooth and certainly feels like you’re straining through your wrists when you are working with this stone. I’m not saying Basalt is all horrid. I’m saying we need to consider the effect that Basalt has compared to the effect that Granite has; and that is having a porous stone, you will pick up their dead skin cells, and you will pick up oil, it’s unavoidable.
That’s why our product is high-end, because of its quality. The difference for me personally is that I get a lot more ability to get those muscles to relax when I’m using my Granite stones and I honestly have much better results. Don’t get me wrong, I used Basalt when I started out, but now I know that there are products that are much better, which are our products.
I hope with the step-by-step guide above along with the full video linked below, you have gained a broader understanding of good quality stones and how to use them to release strained muscles in the Upper Back.
As always, Love and Light
Sandra Jones-Rider