Practicing What You Preach For Career Longevity

Massage therapy may be great for relieving muscle pain in your patients, but it can take its toll on your hands and back. Massage therapists that have been performing massages for a long time often end up suffering from pain caused by providing massage therapy. There's a lot of bending over and use of pressure that's required, which can result in joint, back, and muscle pain. These issues can shorten the length of your massage therapy career, so how can you prevent them?

Use proper form - When providing a massage, you need to put your whole body into it. A common mistake is to put your weight into your shoulders, fingers and wrists. By forcing too much pressure into these areas, you can end up developing carpal tunnel syndrome. You need to use the weight of your body in order to use proper form.

Don't overwork - If you're just starting out, then you're probably trying to get as much work as possible. However, you need to set limits. Of course you want your business to be successful. However, giving too many massages will lead to burn out. Not only are you putting wear and tear on your own body, the more you work while tired and lacking in energy, the more at risk you are at using bad form, which can lead to injuries.

Get a regular massage - Because you are putting pressure on your muscles in order to provide massages, you should get a massage yourself in order to help relieve any pain you might be feeling as well as to keep your muscles from becoming tense. You don't want to be giving massages if your muscles are tensed up as this puts you more at risk of experiencing a muscle injury. Find another massage therapist in your area and agree to provide each other with a biweekly treatment.

Do yoga - Yoga is a great way to build strength in every part of your body, which will help you give better massages using proper form. Yoga will also make you more flexible, reducing the risk of injury.

Finally, consider options for new sources of revenue so that you can reduce the amount of treatments required to earn your income goal. For example, you can sell retail items in your office.