Taking a load off: Massage therapist offers stress relief
With finals around the corner and projects and papers due in many classes, students may be feeling a little stressed and tense.
To help alleviate some of the tension is the campus massage therapist, Teresa Alterbernd.
Located in the Wellness Center, Alterbernd will give an hour-long massage to students for only $30.
Alterbernd said that although she does stay busy and has a fairly large client base, she knows that there are a lot of students that could really benefit from getting a massage.
“Students are always so stressed out and tense all the time,” Alterbernd said. “Getting at least one massage a month would be enough to help them.”
According to massagetherapy.com, getting a regular massage can help alleviate pain, increase range of motion, improve flexibility and relieve headaches.
“Most students don’t know this but a massage can help increase concentration,” Alterbernd said. “I know with finals coming up that would help a lot of students out and I don’t think they know getting a massage can do that for them.”
Students with heavy work loads and a lot of classes seem to suffer the most, Alterbernd said.
“I can see it a lot of pharmacy students,” Alterbernd said. “I don’t know if they have more classes or they just have to carry around heavier books.”
Although there are hundreds of different forms of massage, Alterbernd said that she uses the same on most students.
A Swedish massage is one of the most common types that Alterbernd uses.
According to massagetherapy.com, a Swedish massage is one of the first types taught and strengthens areas such as relaxation, rejuvenation and is therapeutic.
Another type of massage therapy that Alterbernd said she commonly uses is deep tissue massage and usually addresses the deeper musculature of the body and the.
“Deep tissue work done properly can be painless,” Alterbernd said.
Alterbernd said that when someone says you have a “knot” in your back, it’s basically the muscle fibers bundling together, this causes a lack of circulation.
Poisons and waste that the body is trying to get rid of also gets tangled up in the “knots,” Alterbernd said, which is why it’s important to drink lots of water after you get a massage.
According to massagetherapy.com, once someone gets in the habit of getting a monthly massage, tension will become less noticeable.
Alterbernd said that muscles that receive a massage, get use to receiving that and it becomes easier and easier to relieve tension and stress from the muscles.
For students with injuries, Alterbernd said a combination between visits to a chiropractor and a massage therapist is the best way to heal up.
“Chiropractors deal with realignment,” Alterbernd said. “When someone has their neck or lower back out of place, the muscles will adjust to being that way as well, so after an adjustment, it’s very beneficial to have a massage therapist work on getting those muscles healthy again.”
For more information or to sign up to receive a massage, call the Wellness Center at 231-5200.