Myths about Massage
Common Myths about Massage Therapy
1.) "You can be a massage therapist without going to school for massage"
In the state of Colorado to be a Massage Therapist you must be Licensed through Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies Division of Registration (DORA). This means all therapist who claim the "Massage Therapist" title in Colorado must be licensed in the state of Co, or carry a National Certification title. To have a license, massage therapists must provide proof of a completed Massage Therapy Accreditation Program, and Certification by a registered and Accredited Massage Therapy School.
2.) "Massage Therapist have a generalized understanding of the Human Body"
This can be a huge misconception within our public community. The education programs for massage certification typically vary by city and state. This creates some level of difficulty in obtaining standardization, and interferes with professional knowledge expectations from the public. Standardization aside, massage therapists can have an extremely detailed understanding of the human body, as well as an inner intuition for human dysfunction. Unfortunately as with any health profession it is unrealistic to say all massage therapists are experts in the field, so feel free to ask for a client consultation when approaching a new therapist. If you are serious about maintaining good health, and looking for a massage routinely asking questions can save you time and money. Plus you will be much more satisfied with your results!
>>Common questions to ask your new therapist>>
- Explain your massage goals, and expectations and ask if the therapist is comfortable with this type of work
- Ask about massage therapist employment history (Working for any franchises full time for longer than 3 years is a red flag) (If your therapist is good, they will seek employment that rewards their talents)
- Ask your therapist what type of work they prefer, (Deep Tissue, Relaxation, healing, engery etc.) and what their ideal client would look like.
- Do they seek for additional health profession experts? Whether it be fellow therapists, chiropractors, etc. This is a tell tale sign your professionals are passionate about their practice and aren't afraid to add to their knoweledge base and skills.
3.) "Massage Therapist and the name Massuse or Masseur are interchangeable"
The title massage therapist is a professional term used to describe a therapist who completed an accredited program. Massuse or other was onced used to described individuals who worked for parlors or didn't have a profesisonal education in the industry.
4.) "If the Massage Therapist is small in stature, or petite size they are not suited for deep tissue work"
Most of massage techniques and pressure are leveraged by the therapist using core strength and body weight. If the therapist is small in size, they can pontentially perform even deeper work than some, simply because they understand how to leverage their body weight to the clients' preferable pressure likings.
5.) "The Deeper the Better, regardless if I need to hold my breathe and clench my teeth"
The goal of massage is to relax the muscles to allow proper tissue release and effective healing. If you find yourself holding your breathe, or tightening the muscle being worked, the pressure is too deep and the massage is counter-productive to its purpose.
6.) "Getting a massage will make my muscles softer and flabby"
Using the term loosening your muscles, can impose negative thoughts towards someone with the goals of becoming more toned. Providing length to connective tissue and muscle tissue is going to allow more blood flow and ultimately stronger muscle tissue. After a massage you may feel weak, or "raw" but it is part of the recovery process from a massage. The more frequent your massage sessions are the more efficient your body will become in recovery time, and muscle building. You should notice a difference in your workouts and daily tasks.