Massage Therapists. What Do They Do?
There has been a lot of information changing about massage in the last few years, but the majority of the people still do not know what it is, or what it can do. The same is true for massage therapists. Well, let’s start at the beginning.
Massage is the systematic manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. The goal can be many things from relaxation to helping those return from injury. It is scientific and quantitative, but on an individual level.
The popular belief is that massage is a luxury, something to be gotten at spas when you are vacationing. In some places they refer to it as ‘Rubbing’. But to many, it is needed part of healthcare. It helps them better do the things they need to do as they go through life. This could be something as active as sports, or as simple as sitting at a desk while dealing with a sore back. It helps people feel better, no matter the condition.
But what about therapists? Well, massage therapists are trained for hundreds of hours on things like anatomy and physiology, the same things doctors and physical therapists are trained on. But they also are trained on numerous ways to help people, and after schooling, they go out and learn more ways. While they are not doctors, they are artists, but that art is in helping people.
A massage therapist gets clients with all types of needs. Sure, there are the ones that just want loving hands on them so they can relax and let go of life for an hour. But the majority of work that they do is figuring out what someone needs, and finding the best movements that can help this person the most.
Basically, massage therapists are problem solvers. The majority of clients that come in have some type of problems. These could range from simple muscle pulls to alignment issues, to range of motion injuries (where they can’t move to the full potential that they normally do), to outright pain. A good therapist will talk with their client to understand what is going on, basically gathering information. Then they will make a recommendation on treatment, and then perform the treatment best suited to fix the issues that the client is comfortable with.
But there are a lot of variables that need to be worked out as the treatment is performed. “Howes the pressure? Is it too much?” “Am I hurting you?” “Is this the exact spot where it hurts?” All these things need to be weighed in performing the task at hand.
Good therapists will have a good feel for the required pressure, even though everyone is different, and each person’s definition of ‘firm ‘is different. They will then make changes as needed. They will use different movements based on each person’s problems and needs. They will work until they have done what they can to fix any problems. But they also understand that not all problems can be fixed in a session, and some problems can not be fixed. But they do their best to do everything they can to help.
Basically, a massage therapist is a licensed, trained healthcare professional who is also a problem solver in regards to the human body. They are professionals that caret give everything they can to help someone because that is what they do. So the next time you have a problem, see what your local massage therapist can do.