ON THE FENCE

I received a telephone call yesterday from a woman who was entertaining the idea of becoming a massage therapist. She had recently retired and was interested in a new career. Concerned that she might not be able to handle the physical demands of massage, she was on the fence about investing time and effort into something that she might not be able to succeed with. She wanted to know if a career as a massage therapist was worth it.

I'm so glad that she called me. I couldn't be more passionate about being a massage therapist. I absolutely love what I do. There isn't anything more gratifying than waking up in the morning knowing that I will be able to really help people feel better. That's my job and that's the way I look at what it is that I do.

As far as the physical demands that a massage therapist experiences, that is up to them. In other words massage therapy can be as physically demanding as one makes it. I explained to this perspective student that there are so many different modalities that are available that are not physically demanding and that really work for people. Manual Lymph Drainage is one technique that does not require a lot of physical energy from the practitioner. This technique promotes lymph circulation in order to reduce toxins ultimately reducing swelling. Manual Lymph Drainage is very beneficial for post-surgical healing as well as for people who suffer from lymphedema.

The Swedish Institute offers a special concentration in medical massage. They set up internships where students actually work at hospitals and gain amazing experience before setting out into the "real" world.
The key to having a great career in massage therapy is to first get the degree, license, registration and insurance. After those technical items are out of the way, a whole world will open up to you and you will find so many different techniques (tools) that will work for you. The fun part is having all of these different "tools" to use and put together for each person that you will see. Every person that you treat will experience a great massage that is just right for them and for you too.