Reasons to Go Into the Field of Massage Therapy
Today’s culture seems to be one that’s touch deprived. Knowing that, massage therapy is definitely a different experience than the one we tend to get at the doctor’s office. If you ask a massage therapist why they do what they do, they’ll more than likely tell you that it’s because the job is one that’s easy to fall in love with. A good massage will not only benefit the one getting it, but it can also have a profound effect on the person giving it. To that end, here is a quick look at why someone might decide to become a massage therapist.
Preventative Health Care
Back in the day, wealthy families would hire a physician to keep the family healthy. Those doctors would be on retainer and keep being paid as long as they kept their patients happy and healthy.
Today, doctors are paid to treat you when you’re ill. They don’t tend to be fired simply because you get sick. They don’t get a bad reputation because they didn’t prevent an illness. But, honestly, prevention is hard work. Even if you have a doctor who is on your back on a daily basis to ditch any bad habits you have and to exercise or eat healthy, if you don’t do these things, the doctor is powerless.
What does all this have to do with massage? These days, everyone seems to be paid up front and there isn’t a lot of that retainer stuff. When you have a client on one of your massage tables, the therapy they’ll receive can potentially prevent quite a few serious issues. While a doctor can’t really promise a lot when it comes to illness prevention, sometimes, massage therapy can.
A Pound of Prevention
The old saying goes: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” With massage therapy though, it’s more like a whole pound of prevention.
People who become massage therapists will spend more time with their clients compared to most other types of health care professional. The only exceptions are psychologists and psychiatrists. Most of that time will be spent providing both conversation and hands-on therapy.
As a licensed professional, it’s easy to share the expertise you’ve gained with your clients. You’ll have the time to answer any questions they might have, and you’ll be able to teach them the things you need them to know, whether that has to do with nutrition, ergonomics, postural correction, exercise therapy, or even just the names of their muscles and muscle groups. Massage therapists have the luxury of time to be thorough and to be able to notice things that might have been missed by other health care professionals.
A fantastic massage therapist will also be the ideal watchdog when it comes to the health of their clients. This is because they’re in the ideal position to see any warning signs of dysfunction and/or disease. They’ll also be more likely to know when you need to make a trip to the doctor’s office.
In short, if you want to have a health-related career that actually helps people, massage therapy might just be the one for you.
