Q: Don't your hands
get tired?
A: Yes, but after I
built my own house I figured they could take it! I
know how to take care of all my muscles, as well as my
hands. A: How do you know
where I hurt?
A: Most often
it is a tactile signal your tissue gives me; occasionally, it is a
visual clue given away by your posture or appearance.
Sometimes I'll have you do a resistance test to locate a
microscopic muscle tear, which is one cause of pain. That
will let me know which muscle needs more gentle attention. Q: Do you bill
insurance?
A: Not at this time, but I will provide
documentation of your session if you'd like to submit it to
your insurance provider for reimbursement. Q: Why can't my
doctor fix this pain?
A: That's a good
question, and although western medicine has had some success
treating pain, the results are sometimes worse than the original
condition. (Vioxx and Bextra come to mind.) I've
been told by one doctor (while she was receiving a massage, by the
way) that it would be nice if she could divert many of her
patients to a massage therapist. This would give her more
time to deal with conditions better suited to western
medicine. So, hopefully the change is occurring. Q: How long will it
take to fix this?
A: I can give you an educated guess as to how
much massage it will take, but there are many factors
involved in this non-invasive style of healing, and you are
in control of most of them. This is why you may need
to become more involved in order to speed the process along.
Q: How much clothing
should I remove?
A: The decision is yours; I want all my
clients to be comfortable. With that said, my hands
can sense more soft tissue conditions when they don't have
to work through clothing. It can depend on the type of
massage you want, as a relaxation massage relies more on
long, flowing massage strokes to achieve its goal.
Clothing would inhibit this. But for a clinical or
orthopedic massage, where the client will have to change
position on the table more often, it is desirable to keep
some form of undergarment on. Q: Why did you get
into massage for a career?
A: I knew it worked
for me and wanted to show others the power of massage. Also,
fellow students and early practice clients gave me such good
feedback that I had to try it in the real world! Q: I'm moving. Can you refer me to
another therapist like you? A:
Unfortunately, I cannot. At a time when there
are many new 'graduates' getting into massage, it is
very difficult to sort out all the candidates out
there. These sentiments are explained in this article by therapist Paul
Ingraham. He has eloquently stated why the massage
professon is being overrun by people you should not trust.
