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A career in massage therapy essay
Massage Therapy Career Goals
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What is massage therapy you might ask? The title for it explains almost the entire career. Massage therapist help their customers by using the manipulative skill of touching to relieve pain stress, and many other discomforting factors. As the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) state, therapists help rehabilitate injuries, improve circulation, relieve stress, increase relaxation, and aid in the general wellness of clients. Therapists also soften issues of the body and knead muscles. They promote general wellness and provide treatment for injuries. Massage therapists may use lotions and oils and massage tables or chairs as Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) writes. Massages can last as short as 5-10 minutes or even longer than an hour. These are …show more content…
only a few things massage therapists do/ use. Massages also have rules and priorities. One of their very few rules they have to follow is to always have the client tell the masseuse/ masseur what they would like done to their body. It is the client's right to know what is going to be done to their own body. As Pagura’s, I. (2011) suggest, failure to ask the patient, will mostly likely end with a lawsuit involved. If the patient cannot talk for themselves, a guardian shall do so. Therapists also have the jobs to sit down and communicate with the patron about the ups and down to massage therapy. They cannot force the client to take part of the massage against their will. Some necessary personal qualities and skills needed to be a successful massage therapists are patience, cooperation, organization, and flexibility.
Patience is one of the most important keys for any health care profession. A massage therapists must have the ability to remain calm in the midst of difficulties according to DeLaet (2013). Cooperation is when a health care team member can work together with someone else. They could work together on a patient. All the team members should all be going towards the same goal, to care and take care of a patient's well being. It’s very important for a person to be organized. Especially a health care provider. They need to be on task and have everything be easily accessed. Being flexible with time is an important talent all care providers need to have. Between their outside life, emergencies, and ill patients, it’s very difficult to complete their checklist. But a health care provider can be able to shift and balance all these jobs at …show more content…
once. Some professional attributes that benefit all health workers are trustworthiness, good communication skills, problem solving. Everyone says trust is the key to everything. In the medical care profession, this is somewhat true. Patients and workers are suppose to have that trust between them. For a massage therapist, clients are suppose to be trusting those people, they might have just met, with their body and emotions. Good communication skills can help a massage therapist handle the clients verbally. It’s very hard to say what’s on your mind, with good communication skills and trustworthiness, a patient is bound to tell you what’s happening in their life at the moment. All health care providers have to be quick on their feet and think of a solution to the problem in possibly seconds. Stress is part of being human. Either it’s stress about school, homework, your job, etc… Stress does get to massage therapists. They could be dealing with a lot of demands from patients and their own personally life. To deal with stress, some therapists could take a day off and relax. They can do something they enjoy to take their minds of the stressful work. Massage therapists can also keep a simple life, and don’t work too hard. They don’t have to over-work like some people do. A massage therapists educational level is postsecondary non-degree award.
Postsecondary non-dress award is programs which don’t lead you to an official degree, for example a medical degree. Depending on which state you will most likely to work at, you would need 500 hours or more of massage experience and studying. This meaning the studying of the body, and where soft tissues are located. You would need a license or certification to be a massage therapy in most states in the United States of America.
Massage therapists hardly use any equipment to do their hardworking job. They instead use parts of their bodies such as their fingers, hands, elbows, forearms and occasionally their feet. As I mentioned before, they could also use oils as long as the patron isn’t allergic to any ingredients in them.
Advancement opportunities come when your career starts to rocket off. A therapist can self-employ themselves. Or they can work for a huge firm. Your opportunities might grow as you make your way up the ladder of success. As more opportunities begin to come through, the career you have chosen might take different paths.
There are many working environments for a massage therapist to choose from. Some of the options are, spas, fitness centers, and it could both be private room, or public like in a
mall
One branch of CAM is biofield therapies. Most biofield therapies share the same philosophy, but differ in respect of the hand positions adopted during the delivery process (Anderson & Taylor, 2012). In TT, the practitioner’s hands do not make actual physical contact with the patient.
Massage therapy is used to treat Raynaud’s disease by treating the fascia tissue of the affected and surrounding areas (Walton 2007). Tension is provoked with chronic conditions or stress that causes the pliability of the fascia to diminish which causes restriction on the blood flow to the limbs. Any restriction in one area of the fascia can hinder blood flow in other regions. Waltons et al. (2007) used massage therapy in a six week study of a female patient with Raynaud’s disease. This study was done in the winter months when Raynaud’s disease effects are at their peak (Walton 2007). Data on daily habits was acquired for three weeks for post therapy comparison. The patient then received five, 45 minute massage therapy treatments for three weeks. The massages focused on the fascia in the arms, neck and back. Massage therapy was found to decrease duration of vasospasms and pain (Walton 2007).
“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease” by Thomas A. Edison. Chiropractors use hands-on spinal manipulation and other alternative treatments on the spine which will enable the body to heal itself without surgery or medication. Chiropractic care began in 1895 when its founder, Daniel David Palmer, claimed any and all diseases could be healed by nothing more than just his hands. Dr. Palmer examined a janitor who was deaf for 17 years after the janitor felt his back was out of place, so Dr. Palmer gave an adjustment to what was felt to be a misplaced vertebra in the upper back. The janitor then observed that his hearing improved thanks to Dr. Palmer. Chiropractors use manipulation to restore mobility to joints restricted by tissue injury caused by sitting without proper back support. Chiropractic is primarily used as a pain relief alternative for muscles, joints, bones, and connective tissue, such as cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. About 22 million Americans visit chiropractors annually
The demands on health care providers to provide the best quality care for patients is increasing. With added responsibilities and demands on our health care workers, it is hard not to become overwhelmed and forget the reason and purpose of our profession. However, there is a way where all professionals can meet and come together for a common cause, which is the patient. A new approach to patient care is coming of age. This approach allows all health care professionals to collaborate and explore the roles of other professions in the hope of creating a successful health care team.
You must also be able to give health care instructions, operate medical equipment, plan health care treatments, and you have to be a member of a health services team. A bonus skill to have is to be able to treat mental problems as well. This would be a bonus skill because some people may start to struggle with the fact that their lives may never be the same, sometimes the only person that can help them through that process is their physical therapist.
Touch is as essential to a healthy and happy life as eating right, getting proper sleep, and exercising. With the world growing more technological, the need for healthy human contact is more important than ever. Massage and body therapies are an age old healing refuge for us in this fast-paced, stressed-out world. The practice of massage therapy is rapidly growing in the United States. It has so much to offer and is becoming more widely accepted by doctors and the general public. Massage is touching another person by such movements as rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping, and tapping. This type of therapy provides circulation of the blood and lymph, relaxation of muscles, relief from pain, restoration of metabolic balance, and many other benefits both physical and mental. There is much historical evidence to indicate that massage is one of the earliest remedies for pain relief and for the restoration of a healthy body. It is said to be the most natural and instinctive means of relieving pain and discomfort. Massage has proven to be an effective method for treating many conditions for thousands of years and it will continue to be used for thousands of years to come. Massage therapy is a great treatment for the body and soul.
Physical therapy has been around since 460 BC (History of Physical Therapy). Yet, many people do not actually know what physical therapy is and how it benefits people with various injuries and surgeries. Many physical therapists personalize in different therapeutic practices including orthopedic, post-operative care, cardiovascular, neurologic, rehabilitation, or pulmonary rehab to specialize in the various needs of people. Physical therapy is more beneficial than chiropractors because it improves your mobility, prevents injuries, avoid surgery or recover more quickly from surgery, and the healing process is more natural and can help reduce pain.
Physical therapy is the one that deals mostly with injuries and their rehabilitation. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Physical therapists provide services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients suffering from injuries or disease" (205). Disabling conditions such as lower-back pain, cerebral palsy, arthritis, heart disease, and fractures, as well as physical injuries, are among the cases physical therapists often evaluate and treat. This therapy often includes strength-building exercises. Therapists in this field work on the person's flexibility, endurance, strength, balance, and coordination. Most therapy is done in specializing clinics or hospitals by a licensed physical therapist who has a bachelor's degree ("Physical").
Healthcare professionals in the medical office should be friendly and open. Patients entering the medical office should be greeted immediately with a smile and having a gentle touch also let the patient know you care. “Healthcare professionals in a medical office are held to a higher standard than most professions because they are dealing with the dignity of patients and the ability to be healed” (Wolff). Educating the staff to be professional in the medical office represents the office as being excellent in patient care. Patient-centered care success is required by the whole office which is treatment and patient experience, from the time they enter the office until they leave.
... properly interact and communicate well with their clients, they need to be emotionally intelligent, self aware, create a therapeutic relationship and develop reflective practices. All of the above contributes to an individual’s health and so it’s very important that we are able to control our emotions, correct and learn from our mistakes, examine and balance our life and create a therapeutic environment so that our clients feel comfortable, safe and trust us enough to live their life in our hands.
Massage has been practiced for many centuries and has been used for a number of reasons, from medical treatments to general relaxation therapies. Lots of styles have been developed throughout the years and therapists have adapted their personalised treatments using routines, methods and mediums to create the effects and feelings that they are looking to achieve for their clients. Massage includes the therapist using mainly their hands, elbows and arms to manipulate the body’s muscle tissues. There are many types of massage however the main one we have looked at as a class is Swedish massage. This form of massage includes five main movement groups.
Some schools do offer an undergraduate/doctoral degree program that allows any student to graduate with both, bachelor's and doctoral degrees. This may give the student an extra advantage when it comes to applying for a job. Volunteering is something that many doctoral programs may require, so any student that volunteer in a hospital or clinic not only allows them to enter the program, but also gives them experience that will be useful later on in his or her career. In the end all students must earn a doctoral degree in Physical Therapy in order to actually practice as a therapist. These programs last around 3 years. As part of training you are supervised for seven months in a clinical setting that includes lab and classroom instruction in medical diagnostic, patient examination and evaluation, orthopedics, prosthetic, and medical screening. Clinical experience,as i have said before, is the best way in preparing people that are pursuing this career. If they wish, therapist can then specialize in a particular area, allowing them to apply for a residency program. “The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) offer eight designations for physical therapist seeking advancement in the field. The eight specialties include: sports, orthopedics, geriatrics, neurology, clinical electrophysiology, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and women’s
A physical therapist does a lot of things to help patients get back to what they normally do day to day before an injury. They do this by coming up with plans that helps to reduce pains and help restore movements and make goals for patients. They help by having a hands-on approach and being able to help with exercises and stretches they also massage muscles to help manipulate them to move. They also use different technology to help with anything that deals with the movement or that would restrict movement such as ultrasounds and electrotherapy.
There are many different things that a massage therapist must do. First off they have to find somewhere to work and get clients, but that’s the obvious. There are also things they have to do after this, other than just massage. In an interview with Stephanie Melroy, who owns and runs The Massage Studio in Holdrege, she said to me, “A lot of high school girls are really interested in massage therapy but most of them don’t realize all the work and education that it requires. The classes that you take aren’t the easiest either. You have to take a lot of anatomy and physiology, know every bone, muscle, and nerve and they work.” You’ll to prepare the client before the massage, which might include: applying heat, alcohol, lubricants, salt, or other rubbing compounds. Of course the massage therapist will massage the client using kneading, rubbing, and/or stroking movements. You also need to know different types of diseases and skin irritations because if they have a certain kind of disease you can’t treat them. But there are also many types of massage or therapy that they might do. This includes Hydrotherapy, Swedish massage, Sports massage, Shiatsu, Trager, Hellerwork, Polarity, Reflexology, Acupressure, Rolfing, and many more. Other than a manual massage they might also use mechanical or electrical machines as well.
They can work in a variety of settings such as nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, physical therapist clinics, sports physical therapist centers, and even schools. It does take a certain type of person to work as a physical therapist. A person interested in this field mus...