Tools for Massage Therapists

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Mechanic and electronic gadgets are getting more popular among massage therapists.
Some show great results, others are only used to give the therapist’s hands a break.
I’ve seen many cases where clients didn’t get any benefit from the treatment, but the therapists insisted on its necessity.
(Read this if you’re in that situation)

Consider the amazing tools massage therapists come with.
They can exert a precise amount of pressure, vibration, friction; so precise that you could measure it by the gram. Recalibration and assessment happen instantly, all the time.

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Excuses

One of my first real jobs was as the office manager of a small construction crew. Just temporary employment for one project. The boss of the crew had to learn using computers–it was the early nineties–and hired me to help him out. He was a lot more comfortable out on the site with his guys than in front of a screen.

I was hired for a position way above my experience and enjoyed the challenge.

Supposedly I was an expert on Excel, so I had to quickly teach myself the basic operations needed for calculating payroll.

I had a blast. The guys enjoyed bantering with me, my boss was happy he could do what he liked, and I was organizing the small office how I saw fit.

I also learned a lot about leadership.

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Backbends hurt your back…

… if you only bend your lower back.

Ouch! Just looking at this picture hurts! And the one below is no better–off the pages of Yoga Journal. They had a pretty good article about Cobra Pose, unfortunately promoted as ” one pose for a healthy, pain free back”. The image and the article are describing two different things, and that shows one of the most disturbing problems with yoga we have today: The images are all wrong!                 Continue reading

If a treatment doesn’t work, quit.

DVinci_Symbol.jpgHere’s my unpopular opinion: Go ahead and expect fast results from the CAM treatment you’re trying.

Don’t fall for the pitch “this isn’t surgery… it takes time for your system to change”.

While the argument is true, the implication can cost you thousands of dollars without any benefit to your health.

I’ve seen it too often: new clients tell me about the doctors/practitioners they paid, faithfully, for several treatments per week, for a whole year, without any improvement of their problem!                                Continue reading

Best 10 Ways to Kill Your Massage Business

they call it "deep tissue" I call it a joke.On a suicide mission?

Here’s how you make sure your business won’t survive 2012:

10: Give massages like in this picture and call them “deep tissue”. If you are strong enough to make it work for your clients, you will eventually develop arthritis, tendinitis and other problems that will ruin your career. It’s a slow way, but proven to work.

9: Tell clients that your method is the best thing ever, and if it doesn’t work, it must be the client’s fault.

8. Speak in dismissive tones about your coworkers and colleagues.

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Try Crescent instead of Warrior I

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Try Crescent instead of Warrior I

I’m struggling with Warrior I.  To get a more honest hip flexor stretch, I prefer using Crescent.
You can even use the pose to help with low back pain if you tend to overarch your lower back (hyperlordosis).

From Warrior I, lift the back heel, and bend the back knee so you can tuck the tailbone under. Pull the  belly in and up, that helps to support the lower back.
Then slowly start straightening the back knee, while keeping the position of the pelvis. You don’t need to straighten it completely, just as far as it will go without lifting the tailbone up.

You should feel a stretch in the front of the back leg’s thigh.

I’m working on a post that explains what role the hip flexors play in chronic back pain–please subscribe so you don’t miss it!