Is Massage Therapy a Necessity,
Or Just a Luxury?
In Times of Economic & Political Uncertainty …
In times of upheaval in career paths and job opportunities, many people get hesitant to improve their skills or switch careers to a more in-demand trade or profession. Investing in their future sometimes feels risky. Yet very often, it is more risky NOT to invest in new skills or careers.
When it comes to the Massage & Bodywork profession, many people think of massage as “just a luxury,” something not all that necessary to living life. So they don’t realize the level of demand that many massage therapists command.
YET … many people, health care consumers, DO find massage & bodywork to be an important, even necessary part of their on-going, self-maintenance “routine.” It’s NOT just about a “luxury day at the spa.” Medical Massage is, for some people, essential to keeping their body & mind functioning at a high level.
One aspect of that is keeping stress & tension levels down. Stress & tension can be very distracting, sometimes interfering with how well a person performs their trade or profession, or athletic or musical performance, or artistic endeavors, and so on.
Even professional writers and technology people, accountants and lawyers, and so on, spend many hours at a time sitting in front of a computer screen. They do not usually APPEAR to be doing anything too physical or strenuous. Yet with forty years experience as a hands-on muscle therapist, I can attest to just how much pain some of these people can be in. … And it can be a LOT!
The Mayo Clinic: Is Massage Therapy A Necessity?
When considering the question of “is massage therapy a necessity,” here is what the well respected Mayo Clinic says:
“Benefits of Massage
“Massage is generally considered part of integrative medicine. It’s increasingly being offered along with standard treatment for a wide range of medical conditions and situations. [Emphasis Added] … Massage benefits can include:
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- Reducing stress and increasing relaxation
- Reducing pain and muscle soreness and tension
- Improving circulation, energy and alertness
- Lowering heart rate and blood pressure
- Improving immune function”
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743
While for decades massage therapy was mostly ignored by the medical profession, even the highly “orthodox” Mayo Clinic now acknowledges that massage has medical applications and benefits.
AMTA provides Education & Benefits for Massage Students and Practicing Therapists
Furthermore, in a survey done by the AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association), which you can download from their website, there is a long list (25 items) of reasons people get massage & bodywork. And the reasons are “medical” and “functional well-being” related, rather than “luxury” or “a relaxing day at the spa” reasons.
You can see that highly informative link on the AMTA website here:
https://www.amtamassage.org/find-massage-therapist/25-reasons-to-get-a-massage/
On that site, the first three items (out of 25) are:
As shown in the three items above, each item is hyper-linked to a sub-page with further explanation and published references, many of them from medical journals, adding validity to their assertions of effectiveness of massage & bodywork.
All items in the above two lists (Mayo Clinic and AMTA) can help a person improve their job performance and live a better life. Massage & Bodywork cannot just make a person feel better, but improve, sometimes significantly, many things about their lives, including their money-making ability.
In some cases, massage is ESSENTIAL for the person to stay functional.
So one could say massage & bodywork are not an EXPENSE, they are an INVESTMENT in a better future.
That is one reason therapists who have spent significant time in a lot of pain or dysfunction value the work they do more than others; more so than just a “luxury.” Because they’ve been there — been suffering, been unable to function properly, if at all — and they have first body experience how important it is to keep pain, tension and stress levels down if not gone all together.
Many therapists have NOT had those unfortunate past experiences. Yet they quickly discover how much of a help they can be to their Clients. …
For some Clients, the Question, “Is massage therapy a necessity” is overcome by the fact that their well-trained therapist is ESSENTIAL!
Of course, if you want to enjoy the demand of a “medical and essential well-being” practice, you need to have the higher level skills of an advanced form of massage & bodywork.
Our Schools of Advanced Bodywork provide the best of both worlds. You will learn to do the “luxury” or “spa” style of massage therapy. There ARE therapists doing such work and doing very well financially. Many massage therapists consider their switch to a career in helping people therapeutically to be a Whole New Life. Even massage school itself can be a Life Changing Event.
Yet if you want to go to the Next Level, and provide the level of expertise — the knowledge, skills & insight — necessary to work with more complex, chronic neuro-musculo-fascial issues, then the Schools of Advanced Bodywork provide that as well.
You can learn about the SAB schools and what you can expect to learn and gain by being a student at the Florida School of Advanced Bodywork ( FloridaSAB — Jacksonville ) or North Carolina School of Advanced Bodywork North Carolina School of Advanced Bodywork ( NCSAB — Charlotte ).
Or, you can order your copy of the Jacksonville School Curriculum & Catalog Here for Florida. Or for the Charlotte, North Carolina school, Please Go Here: Charlotte School Curriculum & Catalog.
Or, you can CALL them and Schedule an Appointment to discuss your potential future as a highly trained Medical Massage & Myo-Structural Bodywork Therapist.
Florida SAB (904) 337-1602
North Carolina SAB (980) 224-8449
If you are graduating from a massage therapy school, or are a practicing therapist, and want to go to the Next Level through more advanced education, Please Check Out …
DSL’s School of Hard Knots
… on this website.
Thank You for Reading about “Is Massage Therapy A Necessity?”
David Scott Lynn & Staff at The Schools of Advanced Bodywork