Massage Professionals Article Archive

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

Finding new ways to infuse experience and profitability into a practice is how many achieve success. The beauty about adding chair massage to your repertoire is its adaptability. With the ability to work just about anywhere, a myriad of opportunities await the practitioner administering chair massage.

As a professional in business, a therapist typically asks the question, “How do I get clients to come to me?” This initial question drives the majority of advertising and marketing attempts. However, performing chair massage changes the initial question to, “Who would want and benefit most from massage?” Once a practitioner answers this, the goal then becomes bringing your chair to those you’ve identified as wanting and benefiting most from massage.

To spark your thought process on where you might aim to bring your chair, our experts have compiled some popular locations abundant with those who are likely to want and benefit from bodywork:

1. Sporting Events – While athletes are prime candidates for massage, it can be a challenge encouraging them to visit a massage office. High level sporting competitions are the perfect venue for setting up a massage chair. Whether it is the Olympics, karate championship, soccer competition, golf tournament or track meet – athletes reap the benefits of pain relief and enhanced performance when receiving massage before, in-between and after activity. Local sporting organizations are a good place to begin seeking information on the logistics of chair massage at a sporting event.

2. Expos, Shows and Conventions – Typically housed in large, sprawling spaces, these events require people to be on their feet or in a chair all day long. Home and garden expos, trade shows, health and wellness fairs and professional conventions are just a few examples of events where participants attend for the entire day. An easily accessible, quick chair massage can relax tense muscles while rejuvenating the recipient to tackle the remainder of their convention, expo or show. Venue marketing managers, event planners or professional organization directors can be valuable people to contact for setting up chair massage at such an event.

3. Business Offices – According to David Palmer, instructor of the Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies’ Chair Massage Fundamentals continuing education course, most office-related physical symptoms can be attributed to a loss of circulation. Tight muscles caused by stress and sitting behind a desk all day, especially at a work station that is not ergonomically designed, can impede blood and lymph flow through the body. Bringing chair massage to an office can relieve the mental fogginess, decreased energy and susceptibility to repetitive stress injuries (such as carpal tunnel syndrome) common in today’s work environment. Contacting the human resource department of the business you are considering is a good place to start for offering chair massage services. Be sure to emphasize the benefits of your presence to the employer such as increased productivity and retention rates, decreased absenteeism and ergonomic-related injuries, and lowered employee stress levels.

Depending upon the situation you perform chair massage in, being reimbursed can take on several different forms:

4. Direct Client Payment – Charge clients for short blocks of time. Those who really want it will happily spend $10 for a 10 minute badly-needed massage.

5. Second Party Reimbursement – Contract with the company, sponsor or organization to give chair massages for an agreed upon block of time. In this type of agreement, the client does not pay directly for your services. Instead, the company, sponsor or organization pays the therapist and uses chair massage as their marketing tool.

6. Volunteer – While this is not financially rewarding immediately, offering short, free chair massages introduces those who wouldn’t ordinarily sign up for massage a chance to experience massage therapy. This is a great way to distribute your business cards to those who might be interested and get new clients in the process.

Some additional tips to consider when offering chair massages to the public:

7. Get Permission – Whether you are volunteering, being paid by an organization or charging for your services independently, always make sure you have permission to work at your desired location.

8. Insurance – Most responsible companies will require you to have your own liability insurance. Discounted policies are typically offered when you belong to a professional organization.

By working with some of these eight tips, you can successfully bring massage to those who could really use it. The ability to perform chair massage in just about any location can change the way the public perceives massage therapy. Through experiencing its benefits on-the-spot, people who ordinarily wouldn’t seek bodywork can easily become long-term clients in your massage therapy practice.

Recommended Study:
Chair Massage Fundamentals

References:

www.eventschairmassage.com, Chair Massage Sponsor, Chair Massage, 2007.

www.joylifetherapeutics, Corporate Chair Massage for Offices & Trade Shows, JoyLife Therapeutics, Inc, 2007.

www.massagemag.com, Hospital Merges Mainstream Medicine with Massage, Brandi Schlossberg, Massage Magazine Inc., May/June 2002.

www.massagesuccess.wordpress.com, Using Chair Massage at Public Events to Build Your Massage Therapy Business, Amy Roberts, March 2007.

www.vpul.upenn.edu, Chair Massage Helps Desk-Bound Workers, Kelle Walsh, University of Pennsylvania, 2007.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

Discussing money can be a touchy subject, especially for those who have chosen a career emphasizing human wellness. Often driven by their own spiritual guidance, massage therapists are especially prone to conflicting perceptions of financial gain. While those in the healing field commonly spend years seeking the answers to some of life’s most troubling questions, very few apply these powerful practices to money. However, the yogic principles of self-observation and the cultivation of balance can transform anybody’s financial stress and worries into feelings of monetary freedom.

Spirituality
Too often, people confuse a spiritual practice with a religious practice. While religion is defined as an organized group of people with similar beliefs, each individual practicing a religion may or may not have a personal spiritual practice. A spiritual practice is anything done on a daily basis that acts to quiet one’s thoughts. This quieting allows seekers to abandon the rhetoric surrounding them so they can connect with their own souls. Most believe that this connection to oneself is the only way for an individual to identify their inner needs. This awareness of one’s needs is crucial for massage therapists to avoid feeling drained and burned out.

Encompassing many different types of applications, the most common spiritual practice is meditation. Quieting the mind allows a person to be fully present. For massage therapists, learning to be present is essential when working with clients. When focusing on helping and healing others, it is easy to neglect oneself. This neglect often deteriorates the practitioner’s health and mental composure, which can then lead to burnout.

The Caretaker
As professionals who put great importance on the well-being of their clients, many massage therapists fit into the caretaker archetype. Believed to be a pitfall created by placing others’ needs before our own, the caretaker syndrome leads to burnout or illness when allowed to continue. Capable of stopping the downward spiral of a caretaker’s self-neglect, a spiritual practice can help a massage therapist connect with their inner needs, saving them from deserting this important profession.

When it comes to money, the caretaker archetype is known to give and lend money to express their compassion and generosity. As we know, an overly caretaking orientation can lead to enabling or even self-abandoning behaviors. According to top financial adviser, Brent Kessel CFP, “caretakers spend more than 20 percent of their income on others in need – family members, friends or charities – but they are not financially generous with themselves and usually don’t feel a sense of ease about their generosity.”

Steve Capellini, massage school instructor and author of Make the Switch to Being Rich describes this pattern:

“I’ve spent my career working as a massage therapist in the health spa industry. If there is an entire group of people who are almost all inside the moneyless bubble, it’s massage therapists. We want to help people and heal them. We want to ease their aching muscles and soothe their unquiet souls. We want meaningful interactions with our clients. We do not, for the most part, want to focus on the monetary aspects of our jobs.”

In addition, caretakers often have financial dependents which may result in them having less than six months’ expenses in the bank and significant credit card debt. Ironically, the toll this type of financial worry can create is exactly the kind of stress that most bodyworkers work with their clients to relieve. However, with recognition and deliberate attention, caretakers can apply the spiritual practice of yoga to transform their attitude toward, and thus their relationship with, money.

Self-Observation and Cultivation of Balance
While many people regard yoga merely as a set of physical exercises, studying yoga is a type of spiritual practice. Referred to by its followers as a scientific method, the principles of yoga clarify the vastness of human potential, including our physical, mental and spiritual selves. While there are many values entwined with yoga, self-observation and cultivation of balance are two important concepts with the potential to shape one’s view of money:

· Self-observation – Self-observation is an honest view of your daily life, as it is. Once you see the truth and document it, then you can take action to alter it. While being content and happy with what you have, this principle teaches us that anyone has the ability to make changes.

· Cultivating balance – While a beginner may be under the impression that yoga is about perfecting their motion and mastering complicated breathing rhythms, those who practice the yogic way of life know otherwise. In general, practicing yoga is about cultivating balance in your body, your actions and your life.

Apply the Principles
Once familiar with the principles of self-observation and the cultivation of balance, you can begin applying them to feelings that could be hindering your prosperity. The following 20 statements about one’s potential feelings about money is posted on Massage Today’s website. By honestly agreeing with a statement and then consciously working to adjust your feelings about what may be holding you back, you can begin transforming your financial future:

1. I don’t deserve to earn more money.

2. Rich people are greedy.

3. Earning a lot of money isn’t spiritual.

4. Money is the root of all evil.

5. If I have a lot of money, people will want something from me.

6. If I have a lot of money, I will lose important relationships.

7. Money is power and power corrupts.

8. It’s better to give than to receive.

9. I’m not good at marketing myself or my business.

10. Wanting to have a lot of money is selfish.

11. There’s never enough money.

12. To make a lot of money, you have to be willing to walk all over people.

13. People who have a lot of money are generally dishonest.

14. People with lots of money are unhappy.

15. It’s greedy to have more money than you absolutely need to live.

16. In order to earn a lot of money, I would need to give up other things in my life that are important to me.

17. If you’re really a good massage therapist, clients will just come to you from the beginning through word of mouth without other promotion.

18. It’s trashy to promote yourself as a healthcare practitioner.

19. If I’m not getting enough massage clients, I must just not be cut out to be a massage therapist.

20. People who succeed in their massage practices have some skill or personal quality that I’m just missing.

While there is nothing wrong with being a caretaker, a person wishing for health and success must find an integrated, balanced approach to their financial situation. The key is identifying any unconscious negative tendencies you have towards money so you can emphasize the thoughts and behaviors in order to create more balance, fulfillment and freedom. By practicing self-observation and the cultivation of balance to adjust your perception of money, you can give it the power to be a profound spiritual teacher.

Recommended Study:
Marketing Massage: From First Job to Dream Practice
Hands Heal: Communication, Documentation & Insurance Billing

References:

http://massagepracticebuilder.com, Make the Switch to being Rich for Massage Therapists, Julie Onofrio, LMP, The Wealthy Massage Therapist, Massage and Bodywork Blog, 2008.

Kessel, Brent, The Yoga of Money, Kripalu, February-May 2008.

www.ezinearticles.com, Yoga Teacher Chronicles, Paul Jerard and Aura Publications, 2008.

www.massagemag.com, Explore your Money Beliefs, c.T. Harv Eker, 2006.

www.thebodyworker.com, Spiritual Practice, Julie Onofrio, LMP, thebodyworker.com, 2008.

www.worldproutassembly.org, Meditation and Yoga for those who love humanity, Ac. Madhuvidyananda Avt., World Prout Assembly, 2008.

www.yogajournal.com, Turn the Volume Up or Down to Tune In Your Practice, Claudia Cummins, Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., 2008.

by Nicole Cutler, L.Ac.

In order to provide safe and effective bodywork, massage therapists have a responsibility to their clientele to be educated on a wide range of conditions. A growing number of consumers seek regular complementary healthcare treatments as a vehicle to remaining healthy. Many rationalize that these visits replace or at least supersede a visit to their allopathic medical doctor. This trend means that massage therapists are likely to be the first healthcare professional seeing a condition requiring a referral. Whether a client comes in with a diagnosed Baker’s cyst, or you recognize it as a possible explanation for a client’s lump, all bodyworkers should have a basic understanding of this condition.

What Is a Baker’s Cyst?
A Baker’s cyst, otherwise known as a popliteal cyst, is a swelling at the back of the knee. According to Ben Benjamin, Ph.D., a Baker’s cyst is actually not a cyst or an injury at the back of the knee, although it could be mistaken for either. Some people are born with a small pouch behind the knee formed by an extra piece of tissue. When a person with this extra flap of tissue sustains an injury, the body secretes excess synovial fluid into the joint, which accumulates and fills the pouch.

Excessive synovial fluid in the knee can be a result of many types of damage to the knee:

· Injury to the collateral or cruciate ligaments of the knee
· Torn meniscus
· Chondromalacia of the patella
· Osteoarthritis

Popliteal cysts occur most often in adults between the ages of 55 and 70 and in children between 4 and 7 years old. Up to one in five people with other knee problems may develop a Baker’s cyst.

Symptoms of a Baker’s Cyst
In some cases, a Baker’s cyst causes no pain and goes unnoticed. However, signs and symptoms that may be noticed include:

· Round to oval mass behind the knee, ranging from soft to hard – typically the size of a golf ball
· Knee pain and stiffness
· Tightness in the back of the knee and difficulty bending the joint.
· A sensation of pressure in the back of the joint, which can progress down into the calf muscle
· Knee aching and tenderness after exercise
· When all lights are turned out and a flashlight is directed through the lump, a red glow around the lump is seen. The red glow indicates that the lump is filled with fluid.

Allopathic Medical Treatment
In order to correct the problem, physicians treating a Baker’s cyst typically search for the underlying cause of the bulge. When severe enough to hamper daily activities, the allopathic medical community approaches Baker’s cysts with both surgical and non-surgical solutions. In general, the more conservative tact (non-surgical) is preferred. Only a person’s physician is qualified to determine if surgery is necessary or if the fluid can be successfully aspirated with a needle. Unfortunately, the more common treatment, needle aspiration, is only a temporary solution. Rest and elevation are crucial to any Baker’s cyst treatment plan.

With the understanding that their intervention merely provides temporary relief, many doctors have their patients work with a physical therapist using massage therapy, compression wraps and electrical stimulation to reduce knee swelling. Flexibility and strengthening exercises for the lower limb are often used to help improve muscle balance in the knee.

Massage Therapy
Massage therapy can help individuals harboring a Baker’s cyst. By focusing on the probable underlying knee problem, the swelling and discomfort of a Baker’s cyst can typically be relieved. Seeking the cause of an imbalance in the knee can be aided by performing some manual resistive testing to your assessment skills. For more information on these tests, read the article, Eight Tests for Anterior Knee Pain.

Interestingly, popliteal cysts are located in an area contraindicated for most massage techniques. Although it is important for bodyworkers to avoid deep, direct pressure on the cyst, it is still possible to have a significant therapeutic impact. Experts recommend treating the area above the cyst, primarily by addressing the hamstrings and adductors. Balancing the musculature supporting the knee joint compensates for pathological injury or torque contributing to knee dysfunction. Additionally, including lymphatic drainage massage techniques into a session will facilitate absorption of the excessive synovial fluid accumulation, leading to a quicker recovery.

Bodywork Precautions
The presence of a firm protrusion behind the knee should not be assumed by a massage therapist to be an innocuous Baker’s cyst. There is a possibility it could be a tumor or popliteal artery aneurysm, thus necessitating thorough evaluation by a medical doctor.

It is very important for massage therapists to avoid firm pressure directly on the cyst. A Baker’s cyst could become large enough to locally impinge nerves or blood flow, which in the worse case scenario could spawn an embolus. Familiarize yourself with the signs, symptoms and risk factors for a deep vein thrombosis to avoid this potentially devastating scenario. Rarely, a Baker’s cyst bursts and synovial fluid leaks into the calf region, causing sharp pain in the knee, swelling and sometimes redness of the calf. These signs and symptoms closely resemble those of a blood clot in the leg. If a client demonstrates these symptoms, prompt medical evaluation must be sought.

Bodyworkers are regularly presented with all types of pain and physical abnormalities. Some clients will announce they have a Baker’s cyst while others will just ask if you can help reduce the swelling behind their knee. Regardless of the presentation, massage therapists are best prepared to handle these situations when they are properly informed of the condition being presented, understand any danger lurking and are comfortable knowing what they can do to aid in the client’s recovery.

Recommended Study:
Advanced Anatomy and Pathology
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Lymphatic Drainage Massage

References:

Benjamin, Ben, PhD, Baker’s Cysts, Massage Today, July 2003.

www.thebodyworker.com, Baker’s Ganglion Cyst, thebodyworker.com, 2006.

www.mayoclinic.com, Baker’s Cyst, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, April 2006.

www.sportsinjuryclinic.net, Popliteal Cyst, Sports Injury Clinic, 2005.