Many of you are probably saying, "I know that name from somewhere, but I can't place my finger on it..." For 14 years, Maryanne Martines owned the now closed Maryanne's Fabrics. ("Oh yeah! That's it!").  She closed her store when her daughter became pregnant. Maryanne wanted to have more time to spend with her. She is now a Registered Massage Therapist. Maryanne's personal experience with chronic pain lead her to get a specialization in Chronic Pain. She then saw the results of using massage therapy during her daughter's pregnancy and studied to earn a specialization in Prenatal Massage, as well. Many of Maryanne's clients come to her for pain relief. Because of the massage, many of those same clients no longer visit her for the pain, but rather for maintenance. Maryanne has the magic touch!

We asked Maryanne to share a few massage secrets for at-home relief.

Use a tennis ball for back, hip and shoulder pain. Put the ball between the wall and your painful spot. Rock or roll yourself down the wall. For instance, if your pain is in your lower back, place the ball on that spot, lean against the wall and bend your knees to create a rolling motion for the ball. It's like having an extra set of hands!

Pounding headache? Some headaches are triggered by tight muscles in the neck. To relieve your ache, spend a few minutes stretching your neck. Stretch with light pressure on both sides as shown here.

 To crack down on foot pain or athletic foot injuries, try the rope trick. Take a rope under the bottom of your foot and pull to stretch both the foot and lower calf muscle.

For those of us working on computers all day, give your arms a rest! Maryanne says we need to rest our arms at least once every hour. How to? Either hang your arms down by your sides or balance your arms on your desk when typing instead of holding your elbows up. You probably don't even realize the stress you put on your arms, shoulders and back by typing away all day. To remind yourself, set a timer for 60 minutes. When it goes off, take a break!

Calling all moms-to-be! Are you achy? (Yes.) Are you uncomfortable? (Double yes.) Would you really like a massage? (Sign me up!) Maryanne is one of the only RMT's in this area with the proper training and licensing to pamper a mom like you. Wondering if a massage could possibly be as heavenly as it sounds? Ask Melanie Herring of Beaumont. Melanie is 36 weeks pregnant, has a 2-year-old daughter and runs her own business from home. Think she's stressed, achy and uncomfortable? That's a given. Melanie had a little visit with Maryanne this week. "I could stay here all day," says the Wishful Thinker. You can even have your baby massaged (OPTIONAL). The massage is performed through the belly. Maryanne says it either puts the baby to sleep or kicks them into high gear.

You'll find Maryanne at the Body Mind Massage Clinic on Calder in Beaumont. To make an appointment or purchase a gift certificate for someone else, call Maryanne at 409.656.8998.

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