How do doctors heal themselves? Who do psychologists turn to when trying to sort out their own problems? What about massage therapists? Who will work out the kinks in their muscles if they’re in need of a good rubdown? Here, we will focus our attention on how massage therapists can take care of themselves. These trained professionals offer a huge service to people who are stressed or are in need of prolonged therapy from physical injuries. Due to the strength that they need to administer a professional massage to dozens of tired bodies on a weekly basis, it is a must for them to learn how to take care of themselves in return. Find out how they can do just that in the next section.
Self-Care Tips for Massage Therapists
If you’re a massage therapist whose job is to ease the knots of tension and stress in people’s bodies, here are a few tips on how you can take better care of yourself so that you can properly care for your clients as well:
- When administering a massage, switch up the position where you’re bending on your back.
Massage therapists usually work with clients who are prone or are lying face down; or supine who are lying with their face up. While you’re working out the kinks from the muscles of your client’s body, you would usually be in a bending position, something that can mess up your back and your neck. To prevent this from happening, don’t forget to switch up your position or ask your client to switch positions. A side-line position will require you to be upright as the massage therapist, so you won’t always have to bend your back. You can also ask your client to be in a sitting position during bodywork treatment.
- Consider investing in an electric massage table.
Some massage therapists work with old-fashioned massage tables, but an electric type is a good investment. It lets you easily adjust the table height depending on the position that you need to be in, so you won’t have to keep on bending your back any more than necessary.
- To prevent hand or wrist-related problems, know how to position your hands during a massage.
When administering a massage, keep your wrists straight as much as you can. Make sure that your hands are at an ergonomic position so that you can prevent wrist injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
- Do stretching exercises prior to working.
Again, being a massage therapist is mostly physical work so you need to prep your body as well prior to working on healing and relaxing your clients. The best way to do just that is to perform some stretching exercises.
- Additional tips for taking care of yourself as a massage therapist.
If you’re working on one client after another, make sure to drink plenty of water. If you feel that your upper body gets tired more than your legs during a long work day, check on your body mechanics. Your upper body might be doing more work than it can actually handle. You can also check out the variety of hand tools that you can use to prevent strain and injury, especially on your hands which are your best tools in your line of work.