Massage Therapy can be a very physically demanding job. Depending on your client schedule, you can be working for many hours in a day, using your body which can lead to soreness or even injury if you are not careful. Just like any physical activity, it is important to take care of yourself before and after to prevent injury and to keep your physical wellbeing a priority. In today’s blog, we will be going over massage therapist self care to keep bodies healthy.
As massage therapists we really have to take into consideration how much we utilize our hands and the extensor and flexor muscles of the forearms. The following are ways we can perform self-care for those areas.
1. Ice Your Muscles
Utilizing a gel ice pack on the forearms and hands is beneficial because it will form to the natural anatomy of the area you are caring for. Incorporating self-massage through the gel packs will enhance the process of this self-care option.
2. Use an Ice Massaging Tool
Another way to incorporate ice into self-care is by freezing water in a small dixie cup or another ice massaging tool. Peel back the paper on the Dixie cup or use the ice massage tool after it is fully frozen, and continuously move the ice for 60 seconds on each arm, wrist and hand.
3. Stretch
Doing stretches of the Flexors and Extensors of the forearms will also help relieve muscle soreness as well as warming up the muscles before giving a massage.
4. Get Massages
Lastly, it is important to practice what you preach and get massages on a regular basis. It is recommended that massage therapists get a massage at least every 4 weeks. Massage therapists spend so much time caring for others, but it is important to remember to take care of yourself!
All of these options listed above will help reduce inflammation and pain while continuing to safely practice as a massage therapist.
It is also important to utilize different parts of the body when giving a massage. Massage therapists can use their elbows, palms, forearms, fingertips, sides of the hands and more to take stress away from just one area of their body. Another great tip for massage therapists is to use their body weight to apply pressure when massaging. Don’t always rely on arm muscles to provide pressure. You can do this by leaning into the massage strokes. This will help with soreness and fatigue of the muscles they need to complete multiple massages in a short period of time.
At The Professional Massage Academy, we teach our students a wide array of massage techniques and tips. We make sure they are equipped with the tools to be successful certified massage therapists after our online program. We offer program start days every 2 weeks and 3 different online course load options. Make your education fit into your schedule. To learn more about our online massage therapy programs, click here!
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