Massage therapy is very useful for treating painful ailments, reducing stress, decompressing overworked and tired muscles, promoting general health, and rehabilitating sports injuries. Massage therapy is performed by manipulating the soft tissue muscles of the body to remove waste products from the muscles and improve circulation.
Clients may look for massage for relaxation or medical benefit. Today, there is an extensive range of massage treatment available to meet different requirements. Massage therapy aims at improving physical health usually varies in technique and duration from massage that is intended to rejuvenate or relax clients.
A massage therapist may specialize in more than eighty different types of massage, known as modalities. Deep Swedish massage, tissue massage, acupressure, neuromuscular massage, reflexology, and sports massage are few approaches to massage therapy. Many massage therapists specialize in various modalities that need different techniques.
Some of the therapists use exaggerated strokes that are ranging the length of a body part whereas other use quick and percussion like strokes with a closed or cupped hand. The time duration of massage may vary such as it can be of two hours or five minutes. Generally, the time of massage depends upon the clients' requirements and their physical condition. For instance, a therapist may use a particular technique for elderly customers that may not be used for athletes. A massage technique used for relaxation may not be used for recovering injuries. There are types of massage such as parental massage and infant massage.
Before starting a massage therapy session, a massage therapist conducts an informal interview with the clients to learn about the patient's history and desired outcomes from the massage. This information interview session provides the massage therapist a change to interact with clients and recommend techniques that could be beneficial to them. Generally, massage therapists specialize in few areas of massage, therefore, patients are recommended to the certain types of massage therapists.
Based upon the client's ailments, goals, stress or pain allied problems areas, and medical history, a massage therapist conclude with one therapy and then move forward with the session. At the time of giving massage, a therapist modifies their approach and concentrate on areas of discomfort as required. Some of the modalities of massage therapy use lotions, massage oils, and cream to rub and massage the clients' muscles.
Many massage therapists, especially self-employed, supply their own sheets, chair, table body lotions, pillow, and oils. Many modalities of massage need clients to be covered in a blanket or sheet and require patients to be undressed or to wear loose fitting clothing. A massage therapist may expose the body part that is massaged. Some of the massages are given without lotions or oils and executed with the patients fully clothed.
Massage therapists work in all types of settings such as public and private, hospitals, private offices, nursing homes, studios, sports medicine facilities, fitness centers, shopping malls, airports, etc. Many massage therapists travel to clients' offices or homes to provide a massage. A full-time massage therapist has to divide his/her time among various settings depending on clients' schedule.
Some of the therapists provide massage in dimly lit settings using candle. Soothing and calm music is played while performing massage. The purpose of dim lighting, background noise, and smells is to make clients at ease. On the contrary, when reaching a client, a massage therapist does not have these facilities. A massage therapist has to carry out following responsibilities.
Training and requirements for massage therapists may vary extensively by locality and state. There are approximately 1, 500 massage therapy postsecondary schools, training programs, and college programs across the country. Generally, a massage therapy program is a fine blending of theory and practical and it covers subjects like physiology, anatomy, kinesiology, ethics, business, and practice exercises.