Massage therapy is a form of alternative medicine recognised around the world as being able to treat people suffering from stress, fatigue, anxiety and help with the rehabilitation of injuries. Massage therapy is considered by most health professionals to be a form of Alternative Medicine however that view is quickly changing as the value of massage for its health benefits is fast becoming recognised as a Complimentary Medicine. As already 건마추천 mentioned, massage therapy can be used to relieve stress, fatigue and anxiety; all of which are experienced by people at some point during their working lives. Massage therapy can assist with rehabilitation from injuries such as strains, sprains, muscle tears and surgery. In some cases the right form of massage treatment is more effective than strong medications and in every case massage is healthier than pharmaceutical drugs.
The effect of massage and how it works differs depending on the type of treatment received with two major categories of massage being Therapeutic massage and Remedial Massage. Therapeutic massage is commonly referred to as Swedish Massage. This technique uses long, slow movements with varying depths of pressure to create a sense of relaxation and improved wellbeing. This is done to help alleviate the feelings of stress and anxiety, improve circulation, relieve congestion by loosening soft tissue and help create a positive mood for the client. Quite often essential oils are used in combination with Swedish Massage to enhance the beneficial effects of the treatment with oils such as lavender and ginger are either burned in an evaporator or mixed in with the massage oil to help the customer relax. Therapeutic massage is ideally suited to people who regularly suffer from stress and anxiety and it is a great way to enhance the experience of a holiday for people who are travelling.
Remedial Massage covers a very broad range of techniques such as Deep Tissue Massage, Acupressure, Cross Fibre Mobilisation and many, many more. These particular techniques aim to address problematic areas of the body that are causing a lot of problems or grief such as back pain, frozen shoulder, sciatica and more. Remedial Massage is used to break down muscle adhesions and scar tissue which will in turn restore proper function of muscles and limbs. Virtually all of the Remedial Massage techniques available use a rather firm pressure which is normally quite uncomfortable. Networking is important in any professional field, and massage therapists should be prepared to begin ‘massage networking’ almost immediately after graduating from massage school in order to get leads for jobs, professional advancement, and new clients. Massage networking is similar to ‘standard’ networking in that you should always try to connect with other professionals in your field for advancement, but specific to massage therapy in that networking opportunities not only help you find jobs, but help you become a subject matter expert, bring in more clients to your practice, increase your knowledge about modalities, sharpen your entrepreneurial skills, etc.
Massage therapists should take advantage of the opportunities offered to them by the instructors and administrators in massage school. Chances are that these professionals have years of varied experience in all facets of massage therapy, anywhere from spa management, to human resources/hiring, to working as a therapist, skin care esthetician, chiropractor, or doctor. Whatever their experience, they can provide you with a wealth of massage networking opportunities and knowledge about the industry, and can give you invaluable advice about starting off in your career. Who knows? Maybe they even have an ‘in’ at a local practice or know other massage therapists who can provide you with a recommendation that can help you land your first job as a massage therapist.
Even after you finish massage school, stay in touch with your classmates and massage therapy instructors either by meeting for a monthly lunch or seminar, or even by simply staying in touch via LinkedIn or Facebook, or some other type of social network for massage networking. LinkedIn is an excellent way for massage therapists to learn about opportunities in the field and network with a limited amount of effort – by adding instructors and classmates to your network, you can give and receive opportunities that come your way just with the click of a button.
Massage therapists are required to take continuing education courses every two four years, depending on where they live, to maintain licensure. You should not take any type of classes available just to get the credits out of the way, because you might be missing out on an excellent massage networking opportunity. For example, say you have an interest in sports massage, but there are no sports massage courses available within your recertification cycle. Instead of taking something you are not interested in, think about taking a course in Thai massage or reflexology. Yes, it is not quite sports massage but these are both types of therapeutic manipulation that could come in handy during a sports massage event. And chances are, there will be massage therapists or instructors in these classes who are also interested in the same types of modalities as you, and could help you with massage networking opportunities that can assist you with following your career path further down the line.