I am the kind of person that truly enjoys helping those people who need assistance. More than twenty years ago, I had plans on attending nursing school to fulfill my desire to assist those who were hurting and suffering. Unfortunately, my life circumstances changed drastically and I had to change my career path in order to provide for my two young children. At that time, the Engineering field was available and there was no wait list to attend classes and obtain a degree. I earned my Associates in Engineering, was hired at a Corporate Technology Company and bought my own house. I had accomplished all the goals I set for myself.
For the past twenty years I have fixed computers and enjoyed it, but now I feel it is time to return to my passion of helping and “fixing” people. Plus, my two children are now grown adults and do not need my support any longer. I started doing research on returning back to school on becoming a nurse once more. I discovered the many challenges of trying to attend classes while working a full-time job to obtain a four-year degree in Nursing. Additionally, the cost of attending school was becoming a barrier. For me retirement age was quickly approaching, and I needed to find a career in the medical field that could be accomplished within a year or two.
I wanted to get into the medical field but was unsure how to pursue my passion. A massage therapist that I had been seeing for many years suggested that I return to school and obtain my massage therapy license. That thought stayed with me for many years.
The feeling of a massage to me is absolutely refreshing and life changing. So I thought, what if I could help people feel rejuvenated after receiving a massage. The search for a massage school was put into motion. I looked at two different schools and I chose the one that best suited my curricular needs. This school had a yearlong program.
At this school I have learned many aspects of the body from Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology, different modalities to bones and muscles. The most eye-opening information that was taught in Pathology were all of the potential illnesses and contagions a person might have. I soon learned that I am not merely just “rubbing lotion” on people. I am helping to relieve people from their body pain.
One of our classroom projects was to conduct a case study on someone. A case study involves observing a client’s posture, gait, overall structure and determining what issues the client may have and how to resolve them. Documentation of what muscles are affected, a treatment plan and the end results are also included in the study.
Robert was the client I had and he had severe hypertonicity in his right anterior tibialis. It felt like concrete was poured into a two-inch section of his muscle. For six weeks on Monday evenings we would meet at school and he would receive a massage from me. Hot stones were used on the entire iliotibial band and the lower leg muscles on both legs. Neuromuscular trigger point therapy was applied to the iliotibial band and the hypertonicity of his leg. After several weeks, I could actually feel the hypertonicity spot in his leg decrease in size. Robert indicated that his legs felt looser after each massage and he was able to run better while playing in his soccer games. He is not completely relieved of the painful spot in his leg, but he reports significant improvement in his walking and running.
I truly enjoy learning every aspect of massage therapy; everything that this school can offer me I want to learn it. I had no idea there are so many different modalities associated with massage. Different techniques from Aromatherapy, Deep Tissue, Hot Stone, Reflexology and so many more. Reflexology is an amazing modality to perform on clients. During our classroom instruction of learning and practicing reflexology, my classmate informed me she had female issues that night. I pressed on the area of her foot associated with the reproduction zone and she could actually feel pressure being release in her reproductive organs. She told me she felt better the next day after that session. I am a true believer that Reflexology is a great way to help people find relief from their body aches and pains. Once I become a licensed massage therapist, I plan on taking continuing education classes to become certified in Reflexology.
Another goal I have set for myself after obtaining my license is to work with the geriatric patients. It was very sad to me when I would visit my grandma in a nursing home to see all of the elderly people in their wheelchairs just sitting there. Some of the people would be in their wheelchairs waiting in line for the dining room to open. Others would be able to walk without assistance but appeared to be lost and lonely. I want to be able to help promote their quality of life and give them something to look forward to instead of just sitting in a wheelchair and wasting away. If I could create an outline of how effective massage therapy is for a person’s body and promote it, I could potentially have a business within a nursing home and help the elderly feel better emotionally.
There are numerous avenues that massage therapy can lead a therapist to. For instance, there is massage therapy for horses, dogs and cats. A certificate can be obtained from taking continuing education classes for animal therapy. In my state there are a handful of schools that offer certificates to become an animal massage therapist. This is another certificate that I plan on obtaining, as I feel I would truly enjoy attending school and becoming certified in animal massage therapy. This is another pathway I have put serious thought towards linking into my business plan. It is another product I can offer to my clients.
Some advice I would give to someone who is contemplating becoming a massage therapist is to do their homework. Research two or three schools in their area and compare what each one has to offer. Compare the cost to what the schools provide with the tuition fee. Questions to ask oneself is how long do I want to be in school and what modalities do I want to learn and become certified in. If you are a person who truly cares for another person this is a great field to choose. Giving a massage to someone is the first phase of creating a business relationship with that client. The touch of a massage can begin to help a person feel better emotionally and physically. If you are working a full-time job determine how much time you can devote to your school attendance and your homework. Learn how to manage working at your current job, attending school, doing your homework and having time for your personal life.
I am looking forward to utilizing all the techniques I have learned throughout my time in school. I find the different body structures of individual clients fascinating. While working on different types of bodies, male and female, I learned that each massage given is completely different from the other. There will be challenges to face with certain expectations clients have. I have learned that I need to be flexible or how to modify my massage technique to satisfy what the client wants. I want each and every one of my clients to leave my office feeling better emotionally and physically than when they first stepped into my room. I want to be able to help a person feel better about themselves.
