Articles tagged with 'massage therapy'

This variation of your massage stance can reduce discomfort, help conserve strength, and use your movement and body weight most efficiently during a session.

Find your bliss where you can.

A growing body of research on the craniosacral rhythm (CSR) is working to validate what has been palpated for decades—the CSR is a distinct and measurable physiological rhythm that has given way to its own distinct therapeutic discipline.

When we use the term emotional release, we create an agenda where none should exist.

Crafting a definition for this profession can help unify massage therapy and massage therapists in their roles as valid health-care providers.

Desmond Diaz used his background as a rehab technician to become a massage therapist who works with professional athletes and teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and US Men's and Women's soccer.

Debbie Pennington is an LMT who owns her own practice in West Virginia. Learn about her background and work in our Faces of Bodywork column.

Lessening lifelong chronic pain through bodywork can often require a lifestyle change for clients after the healing begins.

Building a connection from the moment you come in contact with a client can lead to a healthy, long-standing business relationship.

Clients who repeatedly take advantage of you and disrespect your boundaries should be dismissed.

No matter where you are in your career, it's of utmost importance to go through the process of identifying what your values are and how those will translate to your business.

Despite efforts by ABMP to advocate for changes to the US Department of Education's Gainful Employment rules in June 2023, final rules were released on October 31, 2023, that could greatly impact clock-hour programs in states with minimum clock-hour requirements for licensure or certification.

Massage & Bodywork magazine is a long-trusted resource in the profession. But did you know it's also a pathway to earn up to three free CE hours?

The first Black Massage Therapist Conference was held October 14 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event was rich with support, learning, and encouragement, and ABMP was proud to be a sponsor in attendance.

Heather Topoly has worked in a wide range of massage businesses, including chiropractic, PT clinics, corporate, and hospice.

Whether it's pressure-filled moments during our first years as practicing bodyworkers or the question of how much pressure a client wants during a session, gaining perspective is a handy tool.

The benefits massage therapy has to offer this population are substantial: Our work may help with pain, fatigue, muscle cramping, sleep quality, and much more.

Palliative care is an added layer of support for people living with chronic or serious illness. It enhances people's care by offering quality of life for them and their family. And your touch can make a difference in all their lives.

Tension overload can limit blood flow and nerve flow. Working this area can lead to much-needed relief.

Like it or not, friction is necessary to help connective tissue move, which can help muscles breathe a little easier.

The proximity and interaction between client and MT can lead to a different interpretation by each.

Scarring can hide the depth of an injury. Start with assessment to better understand that depth.

When essential oils are combined properly and diluted in a massage lubricant, they can expand the effects of massage.

Proper cleaning before and after sessions creates a safe work environment and lets clients know they are entering a disinfected space, creating peace of mind.

Returning to proper body positioning during your client's massage sessions can relieve your pain.

Networking with providers outside your field can benefit your client treatment process and add to your repertoire of valuable resources and referrals.

What we know about the body and how we affect it with our work is constantly changing. We must do the same.

We do a disservice to our clients, ourselves, and the profession when we downplay and/or deny the value of relaxation.

The power of thought is often overlooked in nervous system communication. Change comes when awareness is present within.

The skills of listening, noticing, and wondering help build the foundation of real, flexible, and ethical boundaries that allow us to connect meaningfully with our clients.

A truly superior therapist is client-centered and not caught up in their own ego.

Finding new ways to press, squeeze, and glide can help reduce the repetitive-use injuries common for massage and bodywork practitioners. Consider experimenting with different combinations.

By practicing using your whole body in every movement you make, your sessions will start to feel flowing and full of ease, rather than heavy and full of effort.

What we do and who we are as massage therapists needs to be more accurately reflected in massage therapy research.

Practicing active listening fosters compassionate client relationships and equips you to more accurately respond to client needs.

When we engage with each other, we have an incredible opportunity to teach and learn. Use language kindly, mindfully, and with a spirit of connection.

It's important to understand the components and criteria that define what it means to demonstrate professionalism.

Handheld percussion massage tools can be an effective way for massage therapists to enjoy the rejuvenating benefits of massage for themselves.

Using a variety of tools can create complexity in your work and can help prevent injury.

Histories taught in bodywork courses need to consult professional historians to become broader and provide context and understanding, not just fact files.

There are so many categories of soft-tissue dysfunctions, we cannot expect to know them all. But let's learn a few common soft-tissue injuries and how to approach.

As massage therapists and bodyworkers, it's time to advocate for being more than people who rub.

At some point in your massage career, you'll probably be looking for office space to rent, which can be an overwhelming experience if you're not prepared for it.

These sexual assault prevention guidelines provide a road map to maximize the safety of both clients and therapists for massage clinics, day spas, franchisors, franchisees, or those looking to expand their solo practice.

A heightened awareness of breath is essential for any type of massage or movement therapy. Helping and coaching clients to be aware of their breath through a session allows them to get the most out of their time on the table.

Ancient Thai medicinal herbs can be used to create hot compresses and integrated into massage and bodywork sessions. Specific recipes of Thai herbal therapies are effective in loosening tight muscles, increasing blood circulation, and relieving stress.

One of the challenges facing the profession today is how to appropriately credential practitioners for personal-care service and health-care service.

All businesses must comply with Title III of the ADA. There is also an ethical consideration—it is good and right to do everything we can to make massage accessible to everyone, and that includes people with disabilities.

The traditional and accepted processes of conducting and publishing research are deeply flawed. Researchers are dissuaded from being truly curious and are manipulated into publishing their findings in incomplete and misleading ways that don't serve honest inquiry and discovery.

This column focuses on recent research on mechanisms of massage effects, using a model that highlights massage's impact via the crossover effect.

Touch is something that we, as massage therapists, do so often it is easy to forget how powerful it is for the client.

As health-care providers, one of the most important ways we can show up in this moment is to work toward ending inequity and racism in massage therapy.

One licensed massage therapist explores what it's been like to distance and miss massage work due to COVID-19, and what it might be like to return to massage.

What's one of the best ways to relate to someone else? Put yourself in their shoes. The same goes for massage therapy; in order to be a better therapist, consider what it's like to be a client too.

We all agree we want our clients to feel better when they leave our practice. A big part of that is paying attention to the quality of the air we breathe.

Terrance Bonner's faith, determination, indomitable spirit, and zest for life led him to his first calling, massage therapy, and then to esthetics...all spanning a 36-year career.

Massage therapists can fit perfectly into the emerging paradigm—community-based, collaborative care is the future we will be working in. This is the future of health care, even if massage therapists do nothing.

As manual therapy professions continue to grow, the biopsychosocial (BPS) healthcare model has been embraced particularly by practitioners of a holistic mindset, because of its potential for a more nuanced and compassionate whole-person approach. Yet, 50 years after its emergence, it has not seen the success some may have hoped for.

Therapeutic friction offers many benefits, such as increasing local circulation, breaking up tissue, and stimulating nerve fibers.

We're all familiar with the shortages of oil, gas, computer chips, lumber, and, most recently, baby formula. But back in April 2020, at the height of COVID-19 uncertainties, massage and bodywork product wholesalers were predicting supply chain woes.

ABMP has launched an extensive instructor 24-course training resource that is free and accessible to all schools and massage educators through April 2023.

Approaching your sessions with a shift in your mindset around pain, including in the language you use, can help your clients embrace all aspects of themselves.

Practitioners have to think critically about when and how to share what we know and must resist the temptation to guess.

What we do every day as bodyworkers and massage therapists is taxing work. Here are some stretches to relieve back pain.

In March 2021, ABMP conducted a survey of US massage therapists and bodyworkers. Nearly 3,000 professionals were generous with their time and participation. Following is an overview of highlights from

In effect, massage therapy's principal aim is to increase flexibility but does little for strength and stability. That's where movement therapies can help.

Making false claims and inflated promises to clients about our work is unethical, sets the client up for unreasonable expectations, and can come back to haunt us. We'd all like to think we can help every client who comes through the door, but that simply isn't true. Promising a client you can "fix" their issues can backfire on you, in spite of your best intentions.

Because the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus affects so many tissues in so many ways, and because its effects can be long-lasting, massage and bodywork clients who have had this infection may bring with them some health concerns that are relevant to our work with them.

We need to be prepared for how to work with clients during circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. For those therapists who work with prenatal and postpartum clients, this is especially important.

As massage therapists, our product may not be sofas or lamps or fancy lingerie, but we are selling a product. Every time a person comes into our clinic or practice or spa or gym, they are buying a product from us. Simply put, they are buying massage therapy. So while it may seem odd to see us arguing that massage therapists are salespeople, we are. Let's unpack why this is important.

Cultures all over the world have used water for eons to soothe aches and pains, relax minds and bodies, and detoxify and rejuvenate. Today, bodyworkers continue to use hydrotherapy in new and creative ways. Let's dive in!

In the medical world, there are conferences called morbidity and mortality conferences, or M&Ms. I believe we in the bodywork field would do well to recognize that we, too, can and do cause harm. We need our own form of M&Ms. I propose we call ours "Missing the Mark."

In nature, friction exists wherever there is movement, and it affects objects in all sorts of ways. This is true for human joints as well.

Endangerment sites are places where careless massage could damage some of the body's most delicate tissues. This article provides a list of widely recognized cautionary sites, as well as some other cautions and considerations.

Massage therapy will never replace opioids. In acute pain, there isn't much that can rival the pain relief provided by opioids, but opioids are not a long-term solution.

To date, our profession does not offer meaningful, credible, and renewable credentialing to which consumers can look to find safe, clinically effective massage therapy for those with health issues. So, how do we get there?

I have dedicated the last 20-plus years to fully inhabiting my body in a curious, humble, and friendly way—and to helping other people do the same.

Massage therapists sometimes wind up with clients who are emotionally needy, who may ask for advice, or cry on the table. What to do?

In my classes, I see the same thing over and over again: too much lubricant, too much effort. As massage therapists, we have the best intentions in the world. But when we use too much lubricant, those intentions literally slip away.

Golfer's elbow and tennis elbow are both musculoskeletal pathologies that are hallmarked by elbow pain, hence their names. Even though these conditions cause elbow pain, they are not conditions of the actual elbow joint.

Currently, treatment approaches for ADHD include pharmacological interventions (e.g., stimulants or antidepressants) in addition to behavioral therapy, but integrative approaches, such as therapeutic massage, seek to provide assistance with ADHD symptomology.

Most massage therapists aren't even sure they can legally use CBD, even though plenty of spas and franchises are beginning to incorporate their use. Let's dive into the world of CBD use in massage.

With the popularity of cannabidiol (CBD) growing exponentially for human use, what do we need to know about CBD for animals?

As a subtle energy practitioner, I've been supporting athletes with my energy work for years. Let's look at how massage and performance can go hand in hand.

Join Cindy Williams in this informative walkthrough and refresher on effective body mechanics, and how to apply various full-body techniques.

After talking to a massage student regarding a project for her training, which included developing and scripting a treatment protocol for a particular condition, we had a interesting conversation about protocols. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Sound therapy is an energy healing modality that distills the essence of music into harmonic tones that promote deep healing and cellular regeneration.

Based in neurology and biophysics, sound healing is gaining mainstream acceptance. Here's how sound healing is being used to help with patients receiving cancer treatments and patients in recovery.

Manual lymph drainage (MLD) is a useful intervention employed in hospice and palliative care. Let's learn more about several approaches and techniques.

Research can reveal a lot about massage. The field of massage used to rely on a lot of assumptions, but now, research has provided practitioners better information on how massage can truly help.

Here we'll consider current the topic of addiction, and review some of the strategies being considered and implemented to try to reverse some of the dangerous trends of recent years, focusing on aspects of addiction relevant to massage therapists.

ABMP conducted its eighth national survey of American adults in January 2019. Dive into the results with us.

Let's examine the fundamental concept of stretching and the various types of stretching protocols that we can add to our repertoire.

This column examines recently published massage therapy research and focuses on a study derived in part from the MassageNet PBRN.

Ancient Essenian and Egyptian healers worked with a person's subtle anatomy, addressing all its luminous layers and auras. These healing arts were historically only passed down through oral tradition.

"If you want to write a book, then pick a subject that fascinates you, then do the work and write it," Leon Chaitow, author of Fascial Dysfunction, always said.

One ABMP member shares his story and passion for teaching after discovering his own path in the massage profession.

"Do no harm" is a core principle in all health-care professions. But what does the Hippocratic oath have to do with the precautions we take before we see clients?

You lost track of time. It happens all the time. But even if you are in a hurry, there are some aspects of a complete massage session that should never be left out.

Is your massage license valid when you cross state lines? Learn all about license reciprocity and how and when you can practice in other states.

paying attention.

We sleep approximately one-third of our lives—healthy sleep habits are critical for overall health. Sleep problems can be experienced at any time in life, but sleep problems in early childhood have an impact on two experiences—those of the child and the mother.

Massage therapy is a sometimes lonely profession. It's an unspoken truth that isn't addressed in schools or discussed among therapists. Understanding this lonely dynamic might be just as important as other skills you've learned over the years.

What advice do therapists who currently work with professional athletes have for other therapists? Let's explore what it takes to make it in the world of elite sports massage.

Let's uncover some treatment options for obesity, with a focus on bariatric surgery. We speak with a veteran of bariatric surgery and a certified massage therapist and lymphatic specialist.

Many massage therapists assume the paths open to them are limited: start a private practice; work in a chiropractic/physical therapy office; or work in a franchise. But there's another option—opening a clinic built on a team-based approach to massage.

From posterior to anterior, the human spine should be straight. Any frontal plane curve is described as a scoliosis. Let's examine effects and possible treatments.

After varying artistic careers in goldsmithing, diamond grading, and master stone setting, Kristen then discovered manual medicine, and then finally, massage therapy.

"Value" varies from person to person and from situation to situation. So, what makes your work valuable to your clients?

When most people think of the phrase retirement planning, they probably don't visualize something glamorous. However, it's incredibly important to help you plan and save for life.

Learn about a recent study regarding massage for paracyclists, using a mixed-methods research design, meaning they collected both quantitative and qualitative data to Olympic paracyclist athletes.

Due to the current demand for complementary therapies in mainstream health care, the field of hospice massage has come into its own...but this growth comes with growing pains.