Don’t Touch My Butt!

Don’t Touch My Butt!!!

Does it make you nervous when your butt cheeks are getting massaged? Does it embarrass you? Does it feel too personal? Or is your spouse the only one who can be that close to your butt?

Let’s redirect your focus for a moment! We grew up with the word butt attached to this area and was one of many funny subjects. As we grew older, at some point the butt became a sexual figure. For just one moment, set aside how you feel about the butt. It all sounds personal, but it really isn’t when you think about what it does for you. Redirect your focus from the word butt to the word hips and its functions.

Before we get into details, the first thing that needs to be understood is that massage therapists only see the muscles in need of attention and nothing else. Like an automotive mechanic, as you tell them what is going on with your car they are seeing the engine, transmission, or what have you in their mind's eye. As they listen to your explanation, they are staring at your car, but what goes through their mind is everything that is going on under the hood and frame, which you do not physically see. They are thinking about every function happening inside the vehicle. With no thought of how great or awful the outside looks. 

Massage therapists do exactly the same thing. You tell them what pain or limitations you are going through and they will see your anatomy, muscles, their attachments, and the nerves involved; to figure out what is causing your issue. 

There is no room or time for them to check out your tight butt! 

There are so many muscles in your hips you use to walk, run, sit, stand, jump, hike, bike, swim… I can go on and on. There are the Gluteal Group (3 muscles), Adductor Group (5 muscles), Lateral Rotator Group (6 muscles), Pelvic Floor (3 muscles), and the IT band/TFL. Then there are also the Quadriceps (4 muscles), Hamstrings (4 muscles), Sartorius and Iliopsoas (2 muscles) that are a huge contributor to your hip movements. Some of these muscles are attached to your pelvic bone, which you will read about later in this blog.

None of the muscles mentioned says anything to you, but add it up… 20 muscles right inside the lower back and in your butt cheeks! Then you add the muscles that are also attached to the hip and pelvic bone and that is a total of 31 muscles! 31 muscles that move your hips around. Mind you, these are muscles massage therapists are very aware of. There may be more! By avoiding the hip muscles you are welcoming a lot of discomfort and pain. 

Which brings up the next topic: your pelvic bone. A lot of the muscles mentioned are connected to your pelvic bone. This is a hard subject for some massage therapists, but it is a very important one. The pelvic bone does not necessarily need direct attention (for me anyway, I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve), but sometimes it does. 

The adductor muscles are attached in the inner thigh on the pelvic bone. It sounds very intimate, but when it is addressed, you will not feel that way at all. 

Story time! 

[A very good friend of mine started seeing me for massages. She was having a lot of pain in her upper back. Once I addressed those, I noticed her adductors were so tight, I had to address the muscle attachments directly. I told her “I need to address your pelvic bone and I am going to start palpating from your stomach.” Her response was an alarming facial expression with “what???” I laughed and assured her it won’t feel awkward at all. Then she said “but you haven’t taken me out to dinner yet…” I laughed and told her she was silly and as soon as I addressed the area, she almost jumped off the table. I told her I didn’t put much pressure on it and apologized for the pain she felt. Then I asked her “do you still feel like I should take you out to dinner?” She shook her head, wide-eyed.]

Then there is the pelvic floor, which is a group of muscles that are buried under all of the superficial muscles, therefore is in a very personal area, but when it needs to be addressed, it does not feel like it is personal at all.

It is such an important area to address. Massage therapists find this a hard topic, because when asked by a potential client, they don’t know what their intentions are. Are they looking for something else? They don’t know and so they choose not to even bring it up or may be a hard “NO” if the potential client does. 

Other massage therapists will talk and figure it out. There are ways to interact with potential clients to better understand their true intentions. That is a whole other beast and should be mentioned in another blog.

Did you know the main anatomical difference between human beings and apes is the Gluteus Maximus? According to an article, this very muscle is what our primate ancestors did not have and gave us the ability to stay completely upright and stand on two feet. Imagine, with this ability, living in today’s world. Most of us work at a desk. No wonder we have so many hip issues! (Read the article mentioned: The Complete Guide to Your Butt Muscles | Shape)

Let your massage therapist do their best job for you by letting them do what they do. Or maybe you need to find that one massage therapist that is not afraid to get into your hips. They are out there, you just need to have a conversation with them. In this case, in person may be best so the therapist can “see” you are not trying anything.

However, if you still have a hard time, there is another way!

Sign up for a Massage Lesson for Two at CHI. Cat will go through each session with the person on the table in mind and teach the massaging partner how to directly help the receiving partner on the table. It is the perfect way to help your loved one! 

When especially working on the hip and pelvic muscles, communication becomes highly important. Letting them know what you are doing and how the pressure is to make sure you are not hurting them or making them uncomfortable. Which means this “Massage Lesson for Two” is not only to teach you Cat’s tricks to releasing tension and pain for your loved one. It is also a way to bond at a higher level, but understanding each other at a physical level as well as enhancing communication skills, which adds to more trust.