Archive for 'Massage Therapy' Category
Sports & Massage
3 January 2012It is always amazing to find out how many people at the gym are unaware of the benefits of Massage. Also along those same lines the kind of stretching or lack of stretching that is seen.
I am a weekend warrior type that is obsessed with Volleyball. Twice a week I have the opportunity to play, and take full advantage as my schedule allows. The first thing I do when I walk into the court is stretch, then while I am playing and there is downtime… yup you guessed it, I stretch some more. Ideally I should end with a 5 to 10 minute stretching session, but I leave it to the Roller in recovery phase the next day. This is my routine that works for me. What works for one doesn’t work for all. The muscles I stretch and when I stretch them are for the activities I am involved in. This Hockeyjournal.com article explains deeper about the types of stretching.
Massage in recovery phase or to warm up before a sports event is very beneficial. Mr. Miyagi taught me when I was a young girl that knowledge in bodywork modalities can be very useful in many instances. You would think by now with all the education and knowledge available at our fingertips that an increasing amount of people would utilize massage for more then just a relaxation session. The possibilities are endless to the amount of benefits given and received to those with therapeutic bodywork knowledge. Lets keep this flow of knowledge in a continuous state of positive movement.
Massage Career
14 December 2011US News Put out their article “The 50 Best Careers of 2011” and guess what profession is on the Health Care list? You guessed it… Massage. Does it surprise you? I know it doesn’t surprise me, massage should have been on there years ago.
Let’s all continue to make our contribution for the proper recognition of the best profession out there. When you obtain your license to practice Massage you are signing a professional contract to simply do what you love, do it well, and serve your brothers and sisters so they in turn can spread the word about the benefits of massage.
Client Holiday Gifts
28 November 2011So this is the subject that has been on my mind as of late. In the past it has been simple little gifts for my regulars plus cards for all who have come in that year. This year marks 5 years as a Therapist and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I wanted to step up the gifts this year to show my appreciation to my clients. When I have asked around to other Therapists as to what they had gotten their clients, I have found that the gift given totally fit the Therapists personality.
One of my friends has made something every year, corn filled eye aromatherapy packs, Epsom salt bath soaks, and Himalayan foot soaks. I have another friend that gives local caught and smoked salmon fillets each year. I myself am a practical girl, I like to give gifts that people will use. So I am still on the look out for the perfect gift. I am sure I will include these Aromatherapy Inhalers by Kokokahn. Maybe some bath salts and packets of BioFreeze or my favorite hot cocoa with candy cain. That sounds good I think I will. Let me know what you have done in the past or what you will be doing to show your appreciation to your clients.
Massage Research
21 November 2011Massage research is being done around the world, and therapists can benefit from it all. PubMed.com has 10,121 search results under Massage. Out of these results only 1076 are Free Full Texts, with 1046 reviews. The Massage Therapy foundation provides a Research Article Library that is never ending.
The more research that is conducted the more correct information about the researched benefits will be known. Newsletters to clients and little board posts in your sitting room are ways to get the word out. If you think there is not enough supporting research, your not looking hard enough. These two sites are just a jumping off points to a wealth of information provided on the web.
November Massage Event
14 November 2011The World Massage Conference, this cyber conference truly shows that we are in the information age. Don’t we, when the clouds have saturated our weather for so many days, catch a glimpse of the sun and run out to stand in its rays before the moment has passed? Well this conference is a smorgasbord of information to feast upon for months.
Its never too late to sign up, you can still catch the rays, it just started. Go and get some CEUs taken care of and satisfy that hunger and thirst for knowledge.
Enjoy the sunshine:)
Massage Is Regulated By Who?
7 November 2011Many people are under the impression that the Massage State Boards have no way of regulating Professional Massage. The media should let everyone know that if people are aware of a “Therapist” (happy ending) who is licensed or not licensed and advertising “Massage Therapy” services for a price and not actually a Professional Therapist, to turn the happy ending “therapists” into the State Massage Board for investigation.
People who practice services outside of their professional scope should be fined, tried and jailed if needed. The state Boards are in place for many reasons, regulating the professions scope of practice is one of them. If the Massage Industry is to ever come out of absuraty and be well known for the Health Care Practitioners that we are, the word must get out as to the definition of a Massage Therapist the benefits of the Therapy and knowledge of retribution on those practicing without a valid license or using our profession as a smoke screen for underhanded activities.
Lesson Number One:
Massage Parlor vs. Massage Clinic
-If a Licensed Therapeutic Massage Practitioner is involved it is a Clinic or Office.
-If a “Happy Ending Therapist” is involved it is a Parlor
Lesson number two:
Masseur vs. Massage Therapist (even Massage Therapist sometimes get this wrong- YES there is a distinction)
-If a person is Licensed/ Certified and regulated by the Massage Professional State Board, their title is Massage Therapist, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Massage Therapist, Licensed Massage Practitioner or for a universal short MT.
-If a person is underhanded and claims to give massage services, their title is Masseur (male) and Masseuses (female).
Lesson number three:
Professional Massage Therapist Must take a stand
-If you are a professional, it is up to you to educate and maintain Professional standards. If someone comes to you and asks for underhanded services- TURN THEM INTO THE POLICE. IT IS HARASSMENT. This person will go to other therapists and do the same thing until they find someone who will “perform” for them.
-If you know of a “Therapist” who is soliciting out of Our Professional Scope of Practice- TURN THEM INTO THE BOARD. They are giving our legitimate Profession a Bad name.
Massage & Water
26 October 2011Good ol’ H2O. There has not been a time in my life that I haven’t heard or find myself saying; “Are you drinking enough water?” At the end of each massage I hand my client a bottle of water. I am an advocate for the benefits that water has on the body as a whole, and the role it plays with the success and results of a massage.
Many times in conversations people tell me that they can’t stand water. Now I am fully aware that I am a Water snob, I also know not everyone had parents who made sure they were well hydrated, but not liking the taste of Water? Isn’t there taste receptors that are specifically for the express purpose of tasting water? You have your bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and of course water (I cant prove it but I know its true:)).
Drinking water= Hydration, Hydration= Better functions of your bodies systems.
Water helps the muscular system with mineral transport and hydration so the muscles can function optimally. When massage techniques are applied, blood flow is increased and a kind of hydration flush occurs, replacing spent minerals to the tissue for healing and use.
I like to tell my clients that their are many factors to their water intake, activity level, our climate, and health. The 8 for 8 rule is 64 fl oz a day. I like to have my client take their total body weight and divide it in half, the answer is the amount of oz you should be having per day. Most of my clients who are more active with sports tend to report that they drink way more then that to feel like they are truly adequate in their water intake.
I found this article about resetting your taste buds to enjoy water. Now I know what to say to people who despise the taste of water.
Massage Cant Do Without Kinesiology, Anatomy & Physiology
17 October 2011Massage is not a profession without the basic knowledge of the Kinesiology, Anatomy & Physiology. Kinesiology is the study of movement, working with range of motion (ROM Active, Passive and Resistant), the function and structure of joints, fiber direction, location, action, origins and insertions of muscles, muscle contraction concepts, proprioceptors and muscle characteristics.
Anatomy is the study of system structure; muscular, nervous, lymphatic, integumentary, endocrine, digestive, circulatory, skeletal, respiratory, reproductive, urinary and special senses.
Physiology is the study of system function; tissue injury and repair, healthcare related and medical terminology, plus all the systems mentioned in the Anatomy. It is amazing how when you stop telling yourself the name of the muscle you are working on or think about its shape its fiber direction and all its actions, how fast the information leaves your mind.
If you need to refresh your knowledge base, check out Massage-Exam.com to review. You may find additional info to help you in your practice with our detailed rationale.
I’ll Say It Again
11 October 2011Self Care will make or break your Massage Career. This article will help you with a few other things as well.
One of the first things I learned from my sister who is a MT was to “Take Care of yourself”. I know that it is a given because we are all suppose to do it no matter what, eat right, exercise, and stretch. However, the first thing that tends to be thrown out the window when we are taking classes and studying or running a business, is the maintenance of Self. When in reality if you don’t take some time out for yourself, your body will force you to take some time with an injury or worse something debilitating for life.
So before your body forces you to take time for yourself, start the habit now and have a long and prosperous career.
Education After Massage License
4 October 2011I have mentioned many times before that Massage and any profession working with the body is a never ending buffet of learning. Sure you can be an expert at one thing, however there are 20 million more you know very little or nothing about. Each massage therapist has their own idea of what they could learn or want to learn to add to their existing tool-belt to better assist their clientele. This in turn gives each therapist the benefit of obtaining a client base that prefers the style they apply. Correct assessment is essential, correct application is even more essential, if you do not know the proper way to assess and address a pathology the results could be disasters.
I love that we have a choice of what modalities we as therapists can add to our repertoire. Their are so many to choose from but only the ones that appeal to you are the ones that you will do. This makes for a very different massage from when you stepped fresh green off the massage school train and onto the Professional student train. Even if your state is in the dark ages and doesn’t require you to have CEU’s get them yourself. Enhance your understanding of the Body through your studies, never ending learning,…. Oh how I love Massage:)