Massage Therapy
The Science of Relaxation

Barbara Bohaty understands the science of relaxation. As a massage therapist, she soothes her clients' aches and promotes healing. Knotted muscles relax beneath her hands, pain subsides, and stress dissipates. "This is a job where you can really help people," says Barbara. "People come in with pain, you work with them, and they leave feeling better."

Massage therapists work to improve the circulation of blood through the body and to speed the removal of metabolic waste products from muscles. Their skilled kneading increases the flexibility of muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues.

Some people visit Barbara to relieve a specific pain or to warm up before a sporting event. Others want to relax and reduce stress. Barbara starts every session with an intake interview to discover what the client needs. "I ask clients questions to find out why they've come," she says, "what goals they want to achieve." Identifying the client's goals helps her plan the massage.

Barbara also asks clients about their medical condition. Some types of massage exacerbate certain illnesses and injuries. "If a client has diabetes, a sprained ankle, or any other conditions, I need to know before I start."

After the intake interview, Barbara usually begins with a calming massage. She has the client lie on a massage table, one of the standard tools of her trade. Standing beside the table, she uses relaxing strokes on the client's muscles, varying the pressure as she works. If she feels tension and knots beneath the skin, she spends more time on those areas.

Barbara uses her knowledge of anatomy to locate the sources of her clients' discomfort. "Muscles are interrelated. Pain in one part of the body can be caused by problems in other parts," she says. As she works, Barbara might teach her clients about the causes of pain and explain how to remedy them with ice, heat, stretching, or exercise.

Many clients are referred to massage therapists by physicians. One of Barbara's clients is recovering from knee replacement surgery. Careful massage is helping to lessen the client's pain and improve her range of motion.

Massage therapy is a physically demanding profession. Along with extended periods of standing, massage technique requires therapists to use some of their muscles repeatedly. This repetitive motion causes problems over time. "Massage therapists develop injuries to their wrists and hands if they aren't careful," says Barbara.

To reduce her risk of injury, Barbara uses proper body mechanics during every massage. She adjusts the table to a comfortable height, keeps her wrists at a safe angle, and uses the strength in her arms and torso to support her wrists and hands. She also limits the number of hours she works to 5 a day, schedules rest periods between massages, and exercises often. Barbara receives a long massage at least once a week-one of the most pleasant parts of her self-care regimen.

In addition to a table, massage therapists need other basic equipment: sheets, blankets, neck pillows, and creams to reduce friction on the skin. Therapists practice in offices or massage therapy clinics, chiropractors' or doctors' offices, holistic health clinics, health clubs and fitness centers, spas, nursing homes and hospitals, with sports teams, and sports medicine facilities. Some massage therapists have portable equipment and work at their clients' offices or homes. Recently, massage therapists have appeared in some rather innovative settings, such as storefronts, shopping malls, and airports.

Massage therapists also need specialized training. After earning a high school diploma, they attend massage therapy school. There, they learn anatomy and physiology (the study of the structure and function of organs and tissues) and kinesiology (the study of human motion and body mechanics). Students also learn several massage techniques and receive hands-on training.

Many massage therapists are self-employed. They pay for their own equipment, continuing education, and liability and health insurance. They may pay other expenses as well, such as transportation and office rental.

After 10 years, Barbara continues to enjoy her job. "Massage therapy lets me do so many of the things I like," she says. "Making people happy is satisfying work."

Editorial provided by Olivia Crosby, Occupational Outlook Quarterly Online.