Just worked on a teenager recently.  I really enjoy getting to work on that age group, they have a surprising amount of stress and tension in their muscles for such small bodies!  With all the growing that is done during those years and the stress from school and athletics, it is really beneficial to hit that "reset" button for their bodies.  Studies have shown that massage is really beneficial for self esteem and self image, and it can be a real morale booster for these young people.

Great Day at work yesterday!  Had a client whose body was over stressed from both work and physical activity.  She got a "charlie horse" in her leg on Saturday and could barely walk by Monday morning and was also experiencing extreme pain in the gluteal region of that leg.  She had also been awake since 3:00 am.  In the first ten minutes of the massage she said that she was more relaxed than she had been all day.  We did a lot of focus work on that leg and gluteal area.  I treated her leg with slow, firm elongation strokes to "recalibrate" the muscle spindle cells.  The muscle continued to spasm until I performed a passive stretch on the calf muscle.  This affects the golgi tendon organs that send signals to the nervous system telling the brain to allow the muscle to relax.  The muscle immediately stopped spasming and we were able to continue with the rest of the therapy.  Following the massage, the condition of her muscles and mobility were greatly improved (as well as her mood!)  I love the feeling of being able to help one of my clients.