Being Tall

Height is actually an interesting problem for some people when it comes to getting body work. Now only do we have to contend with the idea but tell her people tend to need a larger furniture but they also have unique physical properties that make it much more difficult for them to receive a relaxing massage as well as the actual therapeutic massage work done. In this post I'll be discussing a little bit what makes taller people unique when it comes to working with their body type. Some of you might be asking me why am I writing this post today? The simple answer is that most average height and shorter people don't really understand always some of the more subtle problems that taller people have the most people would never think of. And for those taller people who are reading this I would suggest that you look at yourself honestly and see if you have had some of these more interesting issues and know that in almost all circumstances there can be an improvement in how you feel in your own body.

So let's first classify it for purposes of this article what would constitute a taller person. In general those I see with these unique problems tend to come in over 6 foot tall. Generally taller individuals will need to deal with some problems going through their day-to-day life that will affect her body and most of those are very understandable however there are some more subtle ones which I'll cover today as well. Not to say that shorter people don't have an interesting way around the world but for today's purposes let's just focus on those individuals 6 feet and taller.

The biggest problem that I see the color people have when they get onto my table or come to me for the first time to be assessed is that a larger and larger portion of their time as they age is spent in a seated position with equipment that is typically used by someone of average or much shorter height than themselves. If you're taller certain sports 10 to appeal to your physical strength more than others for example basketball. This can in some cases create patterns from very young and life and more importantly injury patterns that can persist through adulthood. Everything from ankle or knee problems to something as simple as low back and neck pain from sleeping in places that are not designed for someone of their height. Other issues with height, as we grow into adulthood and start to do things like driving and working in workplace that may or may not allow you to sit or stand to your comfort level.

One of the most common things I see you from taller people that come into my practice is a lack of uniformity and muscle tone from right to left in the lower half of their body starting at their pelvis going down to their feet. Most often this occurs because they tend to sleep on their side or they have to be in vehicles for long periods of time that do not allow them to sit comfortably or ergonomically for the task. Cars are a wonderful example of how tall are people are not exactly accommodated to the fullest extent though I am will say in defense of the auto industry in general as a height of Americans has increased some car manufactures have to better job building cars that are more ergonomic. The most common issue tends to be the ratio of inches between the edge of the seat and the steering wheel and the Seat to the gas and brake pedal also including the gearbox. When you look at a proportional ergonomic seating pattern for a driver there is a ratio between the length of the arm and the leg. In other words if you're tall you don't want to be driving a car were a few pull back the seat too far so that you can comfortably reach the gas pedal's that you were unable to reach the gears box or the steering wheel properly. One of person lives on their side as well because a person's legs are longer there's also a greater fulcrum affect on the pelvis which can cause some steep muscle imbalances.

For all those tall people who are in relationships with people who are shorter than them there's often a problem with the peck and shoulder region. Similar to that of people who have tight shoulders and necks what is exacerbated by the fact that if your lover is shorter than you there's often a need to bend down to hug them which can cost on the back problems but also to simply be asked to do war wide variety of activities that involve height such as rage and a high cabinets to grab things that are not needed very often but still could be very heavy like cooking appliances are large dishes which also have an impact on the fulcrum of the shoulder. 

One final thing for Taller individuals to deal with more often than others has to do with the idea of the amount of force placed on the lower vertebrae in the spine. The lowest portion of our spinal column support a great deal of weight and pressure over our lives patellar people proper curvature of the spine is absolutely essential to preserving function and reducing pain. When we look at the actual weight of the opera body forget to realize sometimes the distance between the center mass of the body and it's extremities can cause a great deal of force on the joints throughout the body but also in the spinal column as well especially in the area of the mid thoracic column where most of the twisted action that we were doing our day-to-day lives in simply cause greater straight out somebody who is taller and has longer limbs.

When I work with taller clients one thing I like to do during their initial appointment is talk to them about all the sports they have played as well as some of the more particular topics I just discussed to see how much those things affected them as an individual. During the diagnostic palpation and visual assessment there are many detailed notes that need to be taken in order to properly document the specific challenges of that client that should be addressed in a very particular order. Even for those clients who are receiving a relaxation service do need to have these considerations coming to play to some degree because you do not want one side of their body to be tighter than the other from the onset and apply equal pressure to both sides there should be a little bit less pressure placed on the areas that cannot take the additional force provided from the practitioner. A great example would be the middle of the back because if there is a muscle tension problem from twisting or simply bending over a great deal want to be careful how you apply your pressure to make sure it's relaxing and enjoyable service without causing additional pain or stress on the muscles and other tissues.