01/28/2025
TPS
After spending 34 years honing my craft as a Massage Therapist, my ability to circumvent the demise of the posture of the human race is slowly waning.
We go everywhere with our phones. Although they are not permanently attached to our bodies, it seems our ability to survive without a phone in our hands at all times is a nearly impossible task. We are forever connected to a monitor -- phones, watches, fitness bracelets, laptops, tablets, desktops, televisions, game systems, and even video monitors in our cars.
This is our current reality.
We wear watches that connect to our phones which relay constant information on our daily health regimen. We take our phones into the bathroom, into the tub, leave it on the counter while we take showers. It is the first thing we look at in the mornings and the last thing we see before we go to bed.
Forever in touch. Always reachable.
Conversations we used to have on the phone are now drawn-out text messages. Face Time has given us the power to have face-to-face chat time with family, friends, colleagues, and prospective employers. Our phone cameras have replaced conventional cameras. Theses cameras are ever-ready and provide a new tool for on site live reporting. People on the street are now rogue reporters of events, both good and bad.
Another effect of technological advances is our ability to work from home or anywhere.
We no longer need offices. Pajamas are the new pinstripe suit as more and more people work remotely from home. All of this, however, has led to the problems I see more and more in my massage studio. We are sitting on couches, comfy chairs, and even bringing our computers into bed. Poor postural problems are showing up at an alarming rate. Our upper backs and necks are developing forward tilt. We can become round shouldered, develop thoracic spine instability, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Not to mention obesity and a host of other problems that develop along with a sedentary lifestyle. All of this encapsulates what I call TECHNOLOGY PAIN SYNDROME, or TPS.
A sedentary work life will inevitably carry into our off-work hours. When we spend the majority of the day working, our small amount of leisure time follows from the habits of our work day. We are sitting, eating, drinking and watching movies, sporting events, television series and other things that keep us sitting for long periods of time. We are becoming a stagnant society. Stagnant and Lazy.
Work environments demand lack of movement and limited mobility. We are sitting at a desk with multiple video screens with little or no consideration given to our work stations. Poor seating leads to poor posture. We spend an average of eight hours a day at work. Fortunately, the one caveat is that more and more people are invested in their physical health and well-being. Boot camps, Crossfit, and variety of gyms and programs supply the outlet needed for a healthy lifestyle. It's a balancing act. Attention must be given to proper exercise in order to offset he constant assault of technology on out well-being.
As a massage therapist with many years of experience, I see more and more people with pain and discomfort from lack of exercise and careers that keep them enslaved to desks and technology. Technology Pain Syndrome is real. The effects are real. Our posture is evidence of poor habits.
Take the time to reevaluate your daily schedule and see what changes need to be made to ensure a future of health and comfort. Disconnect for a while. Make time for yourself. Schedule a massage to reset the musculature in you back, neck and spine. I specialize in Massage Cupping Therapy. Through special techniques, I can begin to break down muscles that have been forced into "knots" or adhesions through repetitive stress, lack of movement or lactic acid build-up. Cupping Therapy uses a vacuum technique that increases blood-flow through the muscle tissue. This allows the muscles to relax and receive unimpeded nerve conduction. With proper exercise, posture reeducation, new work habits and massage, we can begin to work together to eliminate the effects of Technology Pain Syndrome to increase the health and well-being of 21st century families.
6/25/2022
