Massage Therapy...Why, What, Where, How, Who

Massage therapy has been around for thousands of years.  Most recently it has become more and more popular as people are recognizing the health benefits of getting regular massages.  Doctors, chiropractors physical therapists, and even insurance companies are beginning to see that massage therapy is a valuable complementary therapy alongside traditional Western Medicine.  

This is wonderful news, but there are still some common misconceptions and questions regarding massage therapy.  I hope this article helps to answer some of those questions and clear up the misconceptions.

Why should you get a massage? What type of massage should you get? Where should you go for a massage? How do you find a massage therapist?  Who is the right massage therapist for you?

All great questions!  Lots of answers....

Let's start with why you should get a massage.  Massage therapy is great for so many reasons.  The most common reasons you will hear are:  relaxation, to loosen tight muscles and relieve pain, or because it's nice, and a good way to unwind and pamper yourself.  These are all true but there are so many more very specific reasons.  Did you know that massage therapy is good for increasing circulation?  Or that it helps to improve your immune function?  Massage therapy is good for those suffering from headaches and migraines.  Massage therapy can help relieve insomnia, and assist in pain relief from TMJ and other musculoskeletal disorders, it can also help to reduce stress and anxiety.  The list goes on and on.  Over the course of this blog I will touch on specifics so please stay tuned.

As for the type of massage you should get, that is up to you.  It is a personal preference that is usually dictated by your specific needs.  There is the traditional Swedish massage which tends to be more relaxing with long, slow strokes.  There is sports massage which incorporates stretching and assisted movements. This is a more active massage.  We have all heard of deep tissue and therapeutic massage, and these tend to focus on specific areas of concern and chronic, troublesome muscle groups that give us pain and limit range of motion. Then there are completely different modalities that originate from various cultural backgrounds and practices such as; Thai Massage, Tui Na, and Ashiatsu to just name a few.  There are some newer modalities such as Rolfing, or CranioSacral that use different techniques to align certain structural parts of the body.  The bottom line is there are many,  many types of massage therapy and each practitioner is different.  He or she may incorporate multiple types and styles of massage into their practices.  Licensed massage therapists must partake in continuing education over the years and therefore have greatly expanded their knowledge and repertoire.  Most of us have used this increased knowledge and experience to create our own specific modalities and style of massage that we have found to work well with our clients.  Talk to your therapist and ask what style and modality they practice.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.

That leads me to the next three questions; where do you go, how do you find a therapist, and who is the right therapist for you?  The easiest way is word of mouth.  I am sure that you know multiple people that regularly receive massage therapy.  Ask them where they go and ask them about their therapist.  The majority of my clientele has been built solely on word of mouth.  You can always just Google "massage therapy or massage therapists in my area" as well.  Regardless of how you find available therapists, check out their website and social media.  You can get some good insight into their practices and personalities.  When you found someone that you are interested in, give them a call and ask questions.  It is okay to ask about their training, how long they have been in practice, and what their style of massage is and where their expertise lies.  You may ask about visiting their practice to meet them face to face and tour the facility.  That is perfectly normal and acceptable.  You want to be sure that you 'click' with the therapist and that they are practicing in an environment you feel comfortable in.  Be sure to verify that the therapist you are interested in is fully licensed and insured.  This is extremely important.  You do not want someone that has not been properly trained and who is not licensed and insured working on you.  Check your particular state or location to verify what is required to legally practice massage therapy.  Your massage therapist should have their licensing credentials available for you to view on their website and posted at their studio or spa.

When you have your massage be sure to explain to your therapist exactly what you have been experiencing, why you are there and what you are hoping to achieve or resolve. If you are there because of pain in a specific area give examples of when it hurts, or what you are doing when it hurts, or what you may have done to initiate the pain.  As the therapist is working be sure to communicate whether or not the pressure is acceptable.  If you need more or less pressure, let your therapist know.  He or she should work with you to make sure you are comfortable, but they cannot know that if  you don't tell them.  Personally I like to check in with my clients periodically to make sure they are comfortable, but please let us know.  There's nothing worse than hearing from a client at the end of a session that they would have liked more pressure or that the pressure was too intense for them. 

If after receiving a massage from a particular therapist you don't feel you connected with or that you don't have a good working relationship with, it is totally acceptable and recommended that you search for a new therapist.  Of course please make sure that you were thorough in explaining your issues and expectations to your therapist and that you gave them ample time to work on you.  Remember most times you cannot expect immediate relief, especially when we are talking about a chronic issue.  I mean we are good at our jobs, but we cannot "fix" a lifetime of wear and tear on the body in one session. Most times it will likely take multiple sessions or ongoing regularly scheduled sessions.  Be sure to discuss this with your therapist well.

I hope this helps give some good ideas of where to begin your massage therapy journey.  Stay tuned to future posts where I will get into some specific topics regarding benefits of massage and common questions that I get from my clients.

** PLEASE NOTE:  Nothing on this blog is meant to be medical advice.  Always seek professional medical and mental health attention for any physical and/or mental health issues and concerns.**