New Therapist Blog

I haven’t started promoting this site yet, so I would dearly doubt that I have visitors at this point.

Part of the reason that I started this blog (and WILL continue to work on it) was that I am currently writing a book in the same vein. I’m not including a lot of the information that I’m posting here and I need to decide what topics are fair game to go ahead and write about. Before I would have to consider if it’s too close to what’s going to be in the book (or already is).

Does that make any sense?

I have so much information I’d love to get out to new students. I just need to decide what venue each bit of info is better off being in.

So the plan, for now, are updates as I can to get a larger number of posts on the site for those who will be visiting in a few months. Meanwhile I’m going to be working on my book’s outline more specifically. The publisher whose submission guidelines I’m working with is very clear about the information they want submitted and this will make creating posts versus book topics a very easy decision once I’ve gotten that package together.

In the meantime… see you very soon!

When my husband and I were in massage school together we experienced something that is pretty common in the workplace; massage jealousy.

His boss often would ask him to work on her shoulders for a few minutes during the day. This became part of the way they interacted. He had a few other people that he would massage during the week, but mainly it was Sabrina.

About a month later he received his review, an increase in salary, and a promotion. The grumblings started. Then, a few weeks after that, when some of his coworkers were laid-off it became more than just grumblings.

He was asked to come into the HR office. This is a scary thing in the midst of layoffs! Luckily they were calling him in to reprimand the two of them. Apparently some of the laid-off employees had said something along the lines of, “Well the only reason he’s still here is because he’s constantly rubbing so-and-so.”

As a massage student you will get frequent begs for help from your friends, family, and coworkers. And you won’t think anything of it. “Yay, a chance to practice!” Perhaps you’re even thinking, “this person will definitely turn into a paying client if I do a good job now.”

There’s nothing wrong with massage in the workplace or helping people who need it. You do, however, need to make sure that it’s not against company policy. You also need to consider your chain of command. Do they know you’re in massage school? Are they worried about you leaving as soon as you get your license? Do you intend to leave? Giving massage during the day might make them think that you’ve already got one foot out the door.

I certainly don’t want to scare you. I would just recommend that you play it safe until you get a better feel for what’s going on around you in the workplace. Don’t let your enthusiasm cost you future opportunities or create resentment!

There’s an old joke about a massage therapist who is standing in line at a bank. It’s slightly offensive, but it illustrates my point.

A massage therapist was standing in line at the bank. After a few minutes he noticed that the guy in front of him looked like he was hurting. He did what came naturally and started kneading the guy’s shoulders.

The man turned around, infuriated. “What the hell are you doing?” the man demanded.

“Well you see sir, I’m a massage therapist. I just love helping people and you looked like you could use some help.”

The man replied, “Look kid, I’m a lawyer and I also love what I do. But you don’t see me screwing the person ahead of me in line!”

There are a lot of people who, believe it or not, don’t like to be touched. It always amazes me. I’ll be the first to admit that I am a touchy-feely-huggy type. New people can almost always count on a hug from me if they are receptive to it. Pretty much the entire faculty at the school is like that as well. Not so for the outside world.

This can get you into trouble. It only takes a few seconds to ask for permission to touch someone. And while it’s uncomfortable, it’s a lot more comfortable than the rejection and anger that can happen when you cross a line you didn’t know was there.

If you or your class-partner has low back-pain start adding a bed pillow to your list of things to take to class. It’s a good idea to keep your bolster-pillows separate from your bedroom pillows. When prone (face down; supine is face up–think “on the spine”) on the table place this pillow under the hips. It should be in a pillowcase that is changed for every client or under the bottom sheet so that it does not directly touch the client. (If it’s just for you, it’s not a huge deal.)

Pro Baseball Player Thanks Massage for Recovery

Dmitri Young gives credit to his team’s massage therapist Tiana Tchamouroff for reducing his hip and low back pain.

This would be a great article to highlight in your next client newsletter!

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080501&content_id=2623743&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnered=rss_mlb

…that will happen to you at some point.

You walk into the room and find the client naked on top of your sheets.

And the close cousin.. The client is under the sheets but facing the wrong way and is face-down when you said face up or vice versa.

Fix: “When I come back I’d like you to be under the sheets,” showing with your hand, “face up, head here.” Be specific and visual. You can even say, “Face up, looking at the ceiling,” to be even more specific.

The client will start undressing before you leave the room.

Fix: “Let’s talk for a minute and then I will leave the room before you get undressed.” Say this shortly after entering the treatment area. Sometimes this comes from not wanting to “lose” time on the table due to talking. Make sure the client understands when their treatment time actually starts. Is it when they show up, is it at their appointment time, or is it once they are on the table?

The client will “help” you.

Fix: This is a really tough one because you must address this in a way that does not make the client feel like an idiot. They are simply trying to be helpful and don’t realize that they are making your job harder and getting less out of their massage. This is a good one for role-playing. For now, try variations of: “Client name, I’d like you to take a nice big breath for me and see if you can relax this arm.” (This is a whole topic that might make for a good post of it’s own. )

The client seems to be taking forever to get dressed.

Fix: Make sure the client knows exactly what to do after the massage. This is what I say, “Okay client name, how do you feel?” I acknowledge what they’ve said. “I’m going to leave the room. Take your time. Get fully dressed. When you’re ready open the door. When you open the door, that’s my signal to come back inside. Once I’m back in the room we’ll have a chat and schedule your next appointment.”

Notice that I’ve repeated the instructions several time. I’ve mentioned opening the door. Then I’ve said what’s going to happen after they open the door. Then I talk about coming inside the room. Then I mention what’s going to happen when I come back inside. You’ll also notice that I mention scheduling their next appointment. This is a whole other blog post but basically most clients are waiting for you to ask them to rebook rather than suggesting it themselves. Ask for the sale, in other words.

(If you’re visiting this blog for the first time, any italics in a conversation are where I purposefully emphasize what I’m saying. If I was talking to a client these would be the words that I slow down and put more force into.)

I’m not too enthused with the floor situation in my office at the moment. It’s tile. I use oil. Put the two together and you get slippery feet.

Because this is a potential risk for slippage, I do the following:

• After massaging the feet I use the sheets to take any excess oil off. I do this by squeezing and using compression on the feet. It feels wonderful–the client shouldn’t “know” that I’m removing the oil. It should be an extension of the treatment.
• Before the client gets up I say, “I want to remind you of something; you have oil on your feet and this is a tile floor. Please use the top sheet to wipe off your feet if they feel the least bit slippery.” The key here is to be specific.
• After each massage I look for any oil droplets on the floor and make sure to clean them up. There’s nothing like trying to do an unexpected split in the midst of a massage to give you a pulled muscle!

And, of course, I have liability insurance just in case.

When students complain of back pain these are the first things I have them try to adjust:

- For most students I will ask them to raise their table slightly. This helps if the table is too low and he or she has to bend over. It does take awhile for those muscles to develop and really allow for a low stance. Don’t fret! It will come!

- In the Archer Stance (an asymmetrical stance where one leg is forward and one is straight and back; the front leg bends and weight is transferred to the same side’s hand) students have a tendency to really twist the back foot. At most it should be turned outat a 45-degree angle. If it’s twisted beyond that the weight goes to the adductor muscles instead of the larger muscles of the thigh.

What have you found to help your back?

“Go ahead and sit up slowly for me,” I say, putting my hand in the middle of their upper back. “How do you feel?”

I always always always engage in at least a few lines of conversation. This helps me get feedback from the client and it allows me to make sure they aren’t dizzy before standing. I’ve only had one person get dizzy from standing up, however there are a wide range of health conditions (especially blood-pressure related) that could mean a potential fall.

“Go ahead and stand up carefully.”

Much easier to get them up from the chair than on it, yes?

After the client gets up I shake hands and give them my card as I ask them if they have any questions. As a student you can’t necessarily give out your card, but you can give a clinic brochure and let them know they can ask for you (if they can). There are a number of things that you can do to market yourself at this point, but that’s another post.

This is my favorite way to get someone on the massage chair. Italics are words that I emphasize.

“Have you had a chair massage before?”

Yes: “Great! Let me just remind you how to sit down.”
No: “It’s really easy to get comfortable. Let me tell you how to do it.”

Then I say, “What you’re going to do is straddle and kneel.” If I have the time and don’t have a line (therefore they may not have seen it) I’m going to demonstrate.

Once they are sitting. “Now, because each person is different, let’s adjust this chair so it’s perfect for you.”

“First, go ahead and lean forward with your face here (point to face cradle) and then give it a hug. Leave your tush on the cush.” I like to say the hug part because it describes exactly what I want them to do with their arms and that’s the part most people get hung up on. Telling them to keep their bottom on the chair keeps them from putting it up in the air. Believe me, they will find ways to make themselves uncomfortable if you aren’t specific.

If I can tell the chair needs to be adjusted I say, “go ahead and sit up for me. I’m going to change this a little bit so it feels better.” Then I ask them to get back into position.

Once things look right, “are you comfortable? Is there any way I could make it more comfortable?”

If they assert they are I tell them, “I’m going to press on your back for a moment. I want you to see if this puts any stress on your low back, neck, or face, okay?”

Then, “how was that? It will only take me a second to adjust the chair so please let me know.”

If I’m not sure where the face cradle pad is hitting them I’ll ask, “now, is the face part going across your eyebrows or across your forehead?” This is important because if it’s across their brows they are at a higher risk of getting dizzy.

It may seem as if I’m giving quite a few instructions and that it would take a long time. I might spend thirty seconds, at most, adjusting the chair.

One of the things that clients are most nervous about is doing things wrong. Give very clear, concise instructions. Speak slowly and pause. Emphasize important words. This alleviates the stress of fearing mistakes.

If the client is uncomfortable they will not enjoy the massage. They will focus on the part that’s discomforted. They will hold tension in their body. They will not get what they need to get from your work.

The client should feel as though you are there for them. That means putting their comfort first, not hurrying up to get to the next person in line.

Look for future posts on:

• Asking for health information in a public setting
• Instructions on getting up from the massage chair
• Addressing complaints in a short amount of time