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Information about Massage Therapy (from a retired Therapist)
There are many aspects to running your own business. It takes more than just being a great body worker or massage therapist. I have seen many people underestimate the reality of being a therapist and quit because they can't start a thriving practice. Most people think that having a career in massage will be this wonderful thing because you get to help people. There is much more to it than that. This is a summary of my experiences presented so that you can understand me a little bit better.
Massage as in any other profession is a contract between the practitioners and the public so that the public can get a reliable, trustworthy service we must consider ethics. There are two possible relationships between the massage therapist and the client:
The primary responsibility of the therapist is ensuring the health and safety of the client. Work must be carried out with due care and diligence.
Becoming a massage practitioner has enriched my life greatly, but there have been some ups and downs along the way. Here are some of the lesser known facts and real life situations that you may find yourself in the middle of in your practice. These are mostly examples of real life situations from my practice or close friends practices.
Some of the negative:
Some of the positive:
Massage as in any other profession is a contract between the practitioners and the public so that the public can get a reliable, trustworthy service we must consider ethics. There are two possible relationships between the massage therapist and the client:
- Where the therapist simply carries out the client's wishes, with no significant decisions, providing the treatment as requested.
- Where the client transfers all decisions to the therapist, so that the therapist determines and carries out the treatment in consultation with the client.
The primary responsibility of the therapist is ensuring the health and safety of the client. Work must be carried out with due care and diligence.
Becoming a massage practitioner has enriched my life greatly, but there have been some ups and downs along the way. Here are some of the lesser known facts and real life situations that you may find yourself in the middle of in your practice. These are mostly examples of real life situations from my practice or close friends practices.
Some of the negative:
- Paying high rent, social security taxes, insurance, and having many expenses
- Waiting for months to be paid for an insurance claim. Calling insurance companies to find out what is taking so long only to find out they "never received the bill" even though you may have sent it 3 times.
- Doing all the marketing; sending brochures, special announcements, holiday specials
- Having clients call you Christmas eve at home because they are in pain and expect you to come in right away just for them. Having clients call in desperation to get an appointment immediately because they haven't been able to turn their head for 6 months and now they want you to fix it right away and in one treatment. Having clients ask you questions like "Is that a muscle"? Is that a bone?
- Having a man (or woman) become sexually stimulated and proposition you
- People saying "I don't know why I am in pain - I just ran a marathon this weekend"
- Last minute cancellations because important meetings come up for client or they just plain forgot
- Someone coming in who was given a gift certificate from their significant other and really hated being touched. I actually had one person bring a book in and ask if he could read while getting massaged. Another didn't want to fill out the intake form and threw it across the desk (but later said that getting the massage was the best thing that ever happened to him)
Some of the positive:
- Figuring out that the shoulder problem someone had for 2 years is really a neck problem and resolving it
- Assisting in the healing of a major problem that may have ended up in surgery (disc problem, carpal tunnel)
- Giving someone their first massage and having people say "WOW, what did you do to me?" or "I didn't know I could be pain free"
- Being a part of an athlete's training and having them stay injury free and achieving their best.
- Getting referrals because you are good at what you do not because you are just on some list of providers
- Educating client as to how their body works and what you have to do to take care of it. Being a part of someone's quest for health
Retired Owner & Clinical Massage Therapist
The Bay Area Massage Network San Jose, CaNov. 2002 – 2006I am no longer accepting clients due to an injury.
My private practice clinical therapy office provided targeted Myofascial therapy to promote pain relief and structural recovery of patients’ injuries.
My private practice clinical therapy office provided targeted Myofascial therapy to promote pain relief and structural recovery of patients’ injuries.
"Many occupational hazards of adult life will be greatly alleviated by massage:
- aching back and shoulder after a long office stint
- exhaustion or overstrained muscles from physical labor or excessive exercise
- circulatory problems from too little exercise by sedentary workers.
- Massage can benefit you right down to the cellular level!"
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Massage Therapy and its Benefits
Massage therapy has changed a lot over the centuries, and it is just that – therapy - the act of caring for someone. In the times of the Greeks and Romans, massage was used to help with injuries and muscle problems for soldiers returning from battle. Today, it is a means of helping someone regain and maintain good health.
Massage has moved from something expected in red light districts and given by people of questionable cleanliness to a part of mainstream healthcare. Licensed massage therapists are trained for hundreds of hours in anatomy, physiology, healthcare, pathology, and several styles of massage. Their goal is to help a person regain a level of heath that they may have had before being injured, and help people with no injuries maintain health simply by the beneficial effects massage has on the body.
Although a part of mainstream healthcare, massage is contained under the umbrella of 'holistic' treatments. In a massage session, the skin and muscles are moved, rubbed, and pounded to bring them back to and keep them in proper health. The movements used bring muscles into proper function, help remove pain, improve circulation, and many other things. These effects of massage are good for anyone whether they are in good condition or not. In cases where someone is in pain, it may be the answer to help bring them back to good health. Where someone has no problems, massage can help a person relax and de-stress.
When an injury occurs, massage movements can help to reduce pain and speed up healing. Problems like muscle pulls, back pain, stiff neck, tight shoulders, leg pain, and others can be lessened through massage. Sometimes, depending on the seriousness of the problem, that area may not be able to be worked on during the acute stage (the first 24 – 48 hours). During that time, the areas around the injury may be worked to make them stronger and increase blood flow to the injured area. (Increased blood flow equals faster healing.) The massage movements will lengthen muscle fibers and make them more pliable. Making them pliable makes them give and bend easier so they won’t knot up and cause more pain. After the acute stage, the injuries may be worked on directly to speed up healing and bring a person back to full health.
Massage can be a great tool to help a sore body feel better when it is hurting, but it can also help a body maintain good health even when it is not in pain. The massage movements help a person relax and become calm. They help relieve stress and give a person a little ‘quiet time’ where they don’t have to think about things in the world rushing around outside. Massage can help keep muscles toned even when one does not exercise. (It works even better when paired with a good exercise program.)
Massage also improves blood flow. The blood circulating through the body delivers oxygen and nutrients to all bodily systems. By improving the flow of blood, massage improves the body’s ability to stay healthy.
Massage has moved from something expected in red light districts and given by people of questionable cleanliness to a part of mainstream healthcare. Licensed massage therapists are trained for hundreds of hours in anatomy, physiology, healthcare, pathology, and several styles of massage. Their goal is to help a person regain a level of heath that they may have had before being injured, and help people with no injuries maintain health simply by the beneficial effects massage has on the body.
Although a part of mainstream healthcare, massage is contained under the umbrella of 'holistic' treatments. In a massage session, the skin and muscles are moved, rubbed, and pounded to bring them back to and keep them in proper health. The movements used bring muscles into proper function, help remove pain, improve circulation, and many other things. These effects of massage are good for anyone whether they are in good condition or not. In cases where someone is in pain, it may be the answer to help bring them back to good health. Where someone has no problems, massage can help a person relax and de-stress.
When an injury occurs, massage movements can help to reduce pain and speed up healing. Problems like muscle pulls, back pain, stiff neck, tight shoulders, leg pain, and others can be lessened through massage. Sometimes, depending on the seriousness of the problem, that area may not be able to be worked on during the acute stage (the first 24 – 48 hours). During that time, the areas around the injury may be worked to make them stronger and increase blood flow to the injured area. (Increased blood flow equals faster healing.) The massage movements will lengthen muscle fibers and make them more pliable. Making them pliable makes them give and bend easier so they won’t knot up and cause more pain. After the acute stage, the injuries may be worked on directly to speed up healing and bring a person back to full health.
Massage can be a great tool to help a sore body feel better when it is hurting, but it can also help a body maintain good health even when it is not in pain. The massage movements help a person relax and become calm. They help relieve stress and give a person a little ‘quiet time’ where they don’t have to think about things in the world rushing around outside. Massage can help keep muscles toned even when one does not exercise. (It works even better when paired with a good exercise program.)
Massage also improves blood flow. The blood circulating through the body delivers oxygen and nutrients to all bodily systems. By improving the flow of blood, massage improves the body’s ability to stay healthy.
Need Help?Many occupational hazards of adult life will be greatly alleviated by massage:
Massage can benefit you right down to the cellular level! Therapy Results: After a session , you should experience:
Massage specializes in treating computer stress. Neck and shoulder pain is commonly caused by forced bad posture while sitting at a keyboard. This is just one example of how regular daily life hundreds of people who use computers. This stress can manifest in many parts of the body:
I suggest a blend techniques of trigger point therapy, acupressure, body mobilization techniques, Swedish, and deep tissue----to release stuck energy, and reduce scar tissue and tension. I also work to lengthen chronically shortened muscles and tendons.
- aching back and shoulder after a long office stint
- exhaustion or overstrained muscles from physical labor or excessive exercise
- circulatory problems from too little exercise by sedentary workers.
Massage can benefit you right down to the cellular level! Therapy Results: After a session , you should experience:
- improved circulation,
- more range of motion,
- less pain,
- decreased symptoms of tendonitis and CTS,
- increased expansion of the musculature, and
- increased energy flow throughout the body.
- Lets consider computer stress...
Massage specializes in treating computer stress. Neck and shoulder pain is commonly caused by forced bad posture while sitting at a keyboard. This is just one example of how regular daily life hundreds of people who use computers. This stress can manifest in many parts of the body:
- head,
- neck,
- shoulders,
- back,
- between the scapula,
- arms,
- tendons,
- wrists, and
- hands.
I suggest a blend techniques of trigger point therapy, acupressure, body mobilization techniques, Swedish, and deep tissue----to release stuck energy, and reduce scar tissue and tension. I also work to lengthen chronically shortened muscles and tendons.
Emotional Response Is Common
I have often had clients breakdown crying and I have to give them some emotional support. The massage field is one of the few fields where you can’t say to someone “just deal with it”. So much emotion can come up from receiving and also giving a massage, it’s like we should have to go get a degree in psychology to deal with our emotions and the client’s emotions