UpClose & Personal - Ralph Stephens

There is a very high drop out rate in the massage profession. Two of the most common reasons listed are "burnout" and injury. This is very sad. Both are so easily preventable.

Burnout is really a form of boredom. Let's look at this for a moment. In many schools, and in most chair massage seminars, therapists are taught a massage routine that leads them through a massage in a prescribed amount of time, usually about 15 minutes. The therapist goes out to work and begins doing this routine over and over. The busier they get, the more they do the routine. Of course the therapist gets bored doing this routine eventually.

What the therapist may not notice is their patients are just as bored with the routine as the therapist is! If you are examining each muscle as you work, with a focus on helping the individual patient with their complaint, you are doing a slightly different massage every treatment. This eliminates the boredom for both the therapist and the patient. While the general pattern of the massage may stay the same, more time is spent on the shoulder for Mary, on the forearm for Bill and on the low back for Joey. Each massage becomes an exciting challenge. Time flies.

If you are getting bored with your routines, but you still love doing massage, it is time to learn something fresh and new. Invest in yourself. Take some courses or get some videos that challenge you and give you new information and techniques to better serve your patients. Study methods that allow you to address specific problems. Grow beyond a routine. Learn to work therapeutically, in a way that every massage you do is different, custom tailored to the person you are working on. Massage/bodywork will then become an exciting, rewarding challenge. It is virtually impossible to be bored when you do your work this way.

Injuries from doing massage are mostly preventable. If the therapist uses their body correctly, transferring pressure through the axis of their joints and using gravity as the "source for force" injuries will seldom occur. Usually, therapists that injure themselves doing massage are either using incorrect body mechanics or are doing more treatments per day than they can physically tolerate. You must know your limits and respect them. Know when to say, "No."

However, your capacity can be increased by implementing a strength training routine that includes stretches. One of the best systems of stretching for massage therapists to use is Active Isolated Stretching (AIS)© by Aaron Mattes. This system not only increases flexibility, it builds strength to some degree as well. AIS can also be used on your patients as part of your chair massage treatment. It can be taught to the patient and given to them as homework to maintain what you gain.

Massage is hard work. It is very repetitive. To perform massage as a career, you must train and take care of yourself. How often do you get a massage? If you believe your patients should get a massage every week and you only get one a couple times a year at a continuing education seminar, there is a real congruency problem in your thinking pattern. Either you need to take a lot more continuing education or get a massage more regularly! Take care of yourself so you can take care of others. Train for massage. Establish a regular fitness program that includes some form of stretching and some form of strengthening exercises. Using proper body mechanics, a good fitness program and observing your limits will prevent most injuries.

If you are experiencing pain or injury from doing massage, you are doing something wrong. It is sad, but true fact, that body mechanics is poorly taught in many massage schools and continuing education programs. Therapists get hurt and wonder why because they were never taught good working postures and movements. Evaluate how you are using your body and how much. Invest in training programs that include proper body mechanics . Always work in ways that protect your body.

May you have a long, prosperous, and injury free career!

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