Why I Pay Particular Attention to Your Hands, Feet, Stomach and Head

Some of the most important areas I work with aren't necessarily the areas you expect.

When people think about deep tissue massage, they usually think about the obvious areas — the back, shoulders, legs and neck.

But in my Advanced Raynor Massage treatments, I also pay particular attention to the hands, feet, stomach and head.

These areas are an important part of how I approach the body as a whole.

The hands and feet

Our hands and feet are constantly working.

They help us move, carry load and interact with the world around us, and for runners and other active people, the feet can experience a huge amount of repetitive loading.

That's why I might spend time working through your feet even if you've come in with lower-back or hip tension.

I'm not automatically assuming your feet are the cause.

I'm exploring whether there are patterns of tension that are worth working with.

The same applies to the hands.

If you're experiencing tension through your shoulders, arms or neck, I may explore the hands and forearms as part of the wider treatment.

The stomach

The abdominal area is often overlooked when people think about massage.

For me, it's another important area to consider when looking at the body as a whole.

The abdomen is involved in breathing, movement and the way we hold ourselves, so it can form part of the wider picture I'm assessing during a Raynor massage.

Any work around the abdomen is always approached appropriately, with your comfort and consent being essential.

The head, neck and jaw

The head, neck and jaw can also hold a surprising amount of tension.

If you spend long periods at a desk, train regularly or simply find yourself carrying tension through your upper body, these areas can become an important part of the treatment.

Working through the scalp, face, jaw and neck also gives me another way of approaching tension without simply applying more pressure to the obvious area.

The centre line

Some traditional bodywork approaches place particular importance on the body's central pathway, sometimes referred to as a centre line.

This is one of the ideas that has influenced the way I think about the relationship between areas such as the hands, feet, abdomen and head.

I don't use it as a rigid map that dictates every massage.

Instead, it's part of the wider understanding I bring to whole-body bodywork.

Every client is different, so I don't automatically work through all of these areas during every treatment.

It's not about following a formula

If you've come to me with shoulder tension, you may need something completely different from a runner preparing for an ultra-marathon or someone who spends most of their working day at a desk.

The hands, feet, stomach and head are simply part of the wider picture.

I don't follow a map. I use the body in front of me to decide where to go next.

That's what makes my approach to deep tissue and Advanced Raynor massage in Pershore different.