I started my massage practice in my home following graduation and after 18 months I decided to move into an office.  When I made the move I was asked often why I decided to change my office setting.  Seeing as I had a thriving business and a quiet, soothing space in my home that didn’t cost anything it seemed like an unnecessary move to some.  But for me, it made sense.

About a year into my home practice I started to think about what it would be like to have an office.  My first sign that change was near.  I loved working out of my home and truly, there was nothing negative about the situation but there was something inside that was curious, I decided to listen.   For a few months,  I took in the detail of other offices I visited, asked therapists how they liked working in their space and researched the pros and cons of renting.  At the time, I was content with working out of my home and for me, times of contentment are always a good time for change.  I’ve never been one to wait for burn out or frustration to set in, instead I listen to the voice within and trust my intuition even if it doesn’t make sense in the moment.

One day, a few months later I decided to look for space, just to see how much it would cost.  Later that afternoon, I signed a lease and have never looked back.  It took me a few years to find my home but alas I have settled into a beautiful wellness center that is ideal for my practice.

It wasn’t until I had started practicing in my new office that it became evident to me why I moved.  Having a dedicated space outside of my home has allowed me a concrete separation between work and personal life.  It has also helped me hold boundaries on hours of operation and days that I am practicing.   I really enjoy time between sessions for self care as opposed to throwing in a load of laundry, a quick vacuum or bill paying.  Being in an office outside my home allows me to focus on my work with little distraction.   Sure there’s a cost involved but it’s been a great tax write off and since my bookings and marketing is done from my home office I am able to deduct that space as well.

So if you are looking for an office to practice massage I recommend taking the following things into consideration.  Parking for your clients, accessibility/location, other businesses in the building, temperature of the space and ability to control that, security, size of the space and of course, cost.  Other than that, the most important tip I can give you is to always follow your intuition it will never lead you in the wrong direction.

I strongly recommend that you refrain from exercising until the following day. If anything, use your massage as an excuse to take it easy for the day. After a massage, your muscles need recovery time, much like they do after a workout. Your body will be feeling less tense and your muscles will be loose. It is easy to overdo it as your muscles can lose their ability to sense what is too much for them. Meaning you could potentially strain a muscle or push it too hard and not realize it until its too late. Working-out after a massage can counteract the effects of the session.

All I can do is make the recommendation, it is up to you to listen to your body and your therapist. Personally, I never workout after a massage, I prefer to let the work sink in and give my body time to absorb its effects before working out. I urge you to get the most out of your session, refraining from exercise after receiving a massage will allow you to do just that.

Next weekend BCMT will be host to guest instructor Rachel Katz and her 2-day Sensory-Motor Manual Therapy training.  This course is open to BCMT grads, current Integrative students, graduate of an approved 500-hour massage school, PT or other healthcare professional.

This course will expand your ability to address challenging clients by focusing on receptor pathways to alleviate pain. You will learn to make specific contact with the receptors of the skin, muscles, and joints – communicating with the deep brain for sustained change. Sensory-Motor Manual Therapy is easy on the therapist’s hands yet potent for addressing complex body issues, old patterns, and trauma. This class will benefit practitioners interested in a unique and new way to interface and engage mind/body dynamics with clients.

Rachel is is a specialist in unique mind/body and pain relief methods.  She is the author of The Consumer Guide to Recovery from Car Accidents. In 2000 she completed Dr. Peter Levine’s 3 year training program in treating emotional and physical trauma. She is credentialed as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner.

Here’s what Elaine Calenda, BCMT’s Academic Dean had to say:
This class is amazing and so is Rachel Katz. I was referred to Rachel by my doctor for physical therapy. I was expecting the typical treatment, you know, resistive exercises and thousands of crunches. It was nothing of the sort. Rachel simply used her hands to gentle guide me out of pain that had limited my life for 6 long years. The method was painless and surprisingly effective. In a few short weeks, I was free from back pain. I had tried every kind of therapy, most invasive, and it only made the problem worse. I realized that fighting pain with pain only perpetuates the cycle of trauma. SMMT actually re-programs the brain, replacing the pain cycle with positive feedback.

I invited Rachel to give a demonstration of the techniques to my Medical Massage class. The students loved it and wanted more. If you’d like to add this powerful tool to your practice, now is your chance.

For more information visit bcmt.org

As posted on the AMTA Colorado website:

Massage Therapy Legislative Awareness Day at the State Capitol is Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Massage therapists can volunteer to work in two or three hour shifts (8 – 10, 10 – 12 11 – 1, 1 – 3, 3 – 5) offering chair massage to legislators and capitol staff in the Old Supreme Court Chambers on the second floor of the Capitol. We have done this event once or twice a session  since 2003 and have found it to be very effective in building good will and recognition. This year we are adding a “thank you” for our new registration law.

If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, email Nicole at Nicole@abmp.com or call 303-679-7638.

30 volunteers are needed for a successful event. We will have a few extra chairs available, but if you have your own, it is helpful. **Proof of insurance and registration are required.

In a recent article on CUindependent.com the BCMT clinic was spotlighted as one of Boulder’s affordable choices to receive massage.   The BCMT clinic provides nearly 7,000 massages to the local community each year and offers both professional and student sessions.  Starting at $35 for a 60-minute massage the clinic is a great option for those looking to receive healing touch without breaking the bank.

Read full article here

From time to time, I hear the term masseuse used to describe the role of my peers and myself in the massage therapy profession. I think its time to to clarify the very simple difference and confirm the role of a certified massage therapist.

A masseuse, although preferred terminology at one time, is someone solely related to massage parlors and prostitution. Similarly, massage parlor is an expired term once used to describe the office of a masseuse.

A CMT is a certified massage therapist providing therapeutic bodywork and healing touch.  CMT’s work at a variety of difference venues, including but not limited to, massage therapy clinics, wellness spas, hospitals, physical therapy offices and independently in private practice.

Now that we have this squared away, we encourage you to spread the good word as you hear people using the incorrect terminology to describe their CMT.

I’m sure you’ve heard before that it’s not good to eat a meal and go right to bed. Makes sense but I guess I never really knew why.

During my last opportunity in a cadaver lab and I was able to see why this statement is true. The diaphragm is a muscle that elevates and depresses with breathing, the liver is attached to the diaphragm. As the diaphragm moves up and down it allows for increased motility of the liver aiding in the effectiveness of digestion. Meaning movement in the diaphragm after eating increases the ability and strength of the liver to absorb blood and nutrients from the food consumed. Moving around after a meal as opposed to going straight to bed will allow you to get the most nutrition out of the food you eat.

Are you currently in an entry level massage therapy job and want to take your career to the next level? Or are you an experienced licensed massage therapist wanting to break into the burgeoning health care industry and practice in a medical setting such as a hospital, nursing home or sports medicine facility? Or do you have a love of animals and want to practice in the growing field of canine massage? Or do you need to fulfill an education requirement? If so, then Continuing Education is what you need.

There are several Continuing Education options from which to choose and these courses are specifically designed for massage therapists to keep you current with trends, satisfy your curiosity, and engage you in new areas of exploration such as prenatal, canine, sports, Eastern massage or medical massage therapy. In fact, 80 different types of massage types, or modalities, exist according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Taking Continuing Education classes will not only benefit you as a person, but also it will benefit your practice. By learning new modalities you can specialize in specific populations and increase your clientele. This provides the opportunity to increase your hourly rate depending on the type of massage you are performing. Also, the more knowledge, comprehension and application of massage techniques you have, the more you will be able to define your clients’ needs and support them with massage therapy. This allows you to make a more specific pre-massage assessment which directly benefits the client and increases the possibility of him/her becoming a repeat client.

There are three main reasons for taking Continuing Education courses: 1) to obtain an advanced massage therapy degree such as an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree; 2) to obtain an Advanced Certification in massage therapy; and 3) to obtain Continuing Education (CE) credits in order to renew your state license or professional membership.

Let’s look in more detail at each one of these reasons for taking Continuing Education classes:

1) To obtain an advanced massage therapy degree, such as an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree

An advanced degree, such as an AOS degree, is geared toward students who want to explore advanced concepts in human anatomy and physiology, including neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, medical massage, and other topics not covered in a basic training Massage Therapy Certificate Program. An advanced degree is the way to go if you want to practice massage therapy in a medical setting such as a hospital or rehabilitative massage clinic. Here are some examples of courses required in order to obtain an AOS degree:

Medical Massage – In this course, the study of advanced pathophysiology and critical thinking skills is combined with specific practical hands-on techniques. Students learn treatment methods specifically geared toward clients with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, and post-surgical conditions.

Trauma and the Body – This course introduces the major concepts of post traumatic stress, and outlines the benefits of massage therapy to survivors of trauma. Students learn techniques that can help restore a sense of balance in the nervous system as well as foster reconnection for survivors who often experience intense physical reactions, memories, and a sense of disconnectedness from their body.

Craniosacral Therapy – Students will learn the fundamental skills that serve as the foundation of craniosacral therapy, including an introduction to the core anatomical and physiological relationships of the Craniosacral system: the fluctuation of cerebrospinal fluid, body articulations, reciprocal tension membranes, dural tube and spinal cord dynamics, and the motillity of the central nervous system.

2) To obtain an Advanced Certification in massage therapy

Advanced Certificate Programs are designed for students who have completed basic training as a massage therapist. Students take advanced coursework in deep tissue massage, energy work such as Reiki and Chi Kung, Eastern styles such as shiatsu and Thai massage, and spa body treatments. This postgraduate training allows students to choose a focused track of specialization, mastering techniques which are immediately applicable and beneficial to their clients such as spa elements, prenatal, labor and postpartum, canine massage, orthopedic and sports massage, and energy healing. Continuing education hours are earned for each module taken.

3) CE credits required to renew your state license or professional membership such as the American Massage Therapy Association (amtamassage.org)

The majority of states require that you have a license to practice massage therapy and renewal of the license requires that you obtain massage continuing education. Even if you practice massage therapy in a state that does not require Continuing Education, it is important to continually be challenging yourself, learning more about your profession and, ultimately, becoming more successful in healing others through the power of touch.

How to Find Continuing Education Courses in Your Area

· Determine the Continuing Education requirements in your state by contacting the state licensing authority. If you don’t know the website URL to go to, a search for the name of your state and “massage therapy continuing education” should point you to the right place. The state licensing board may list approved providers on their website. If not, you can search online for approved providers.

· Determine the Continuing Education requirements by your professional association. The association should list approved providers on their website. If not, you can search online for approved providers.

· After completing the course, be sure to keep your completion certificate on file, even if your state licensing board or professional association doesn’t require that you submit proof of taking the course. If the state licensing board or association is audited, you may be asked to provide proof of completion.

Whether you choose to take Continuing Education classes to move to the next stage in your career or just for the credits, the purpose of Continuing Education remains the same. Continuing Education ensures that massage therapists keep current on new developments in the field and continue improving their skills in order to help others.

Care of your body should be at the top of your priority list. You will feel and look better if you take the necessary steps regarding health and nutrition. Stress relief alone can improve your vitality and state of mind. Massage, bodywork, and somatic therapies can play an important role in your life.

Receiving massage on a regular basis will help to promote a healthy circulatory system, along with good posture. Massage also releases tension and pain in the muscles, allowing them to move more freely. People who receive massage frequently tend to be more flexible and comfortable in their bodies, since they are maintaining a higher level of general health.

Because of the various benefits that massage offers, it is unlikely a person could receive too much. Therapeutic massage has a cumulative effect on both soft tissue repair and decreasing stress, therefore regular massage is recommended to achieve the best result.

There is not a ‘one for all’ answer to this question and will vary from person to person.  Generally speaking, if you are recovering from injury or trying to ‘dial down’ some red flags that your body is putting up, then I feel weekly massage is in order until your body is able to re-establish balance.  For health maintenance and to assist in your activities of daily living once a month is ideal.  Talk with your massage therapist and get a personalized recommendation regarding frequency of receiving massage.