F r e e S O A P n o t e s w i t h M a s s a g e B o o k f o r A B M P m e m b e r s : a b m p . u s / M a s s a g e b o o k 19
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WARNING SIGNS
Even if you are perfectly aware of the necessity of proper body mechanics, it
is still possible to get into the massage zone and only realize your mistakes
when your body signals pain. Rain Tabraham-Winter, a Florida-based
LMT, came to grips with the fact that she needed to change her movement
and stance if she wanted to continue the work she loved: "I changed body
mechanics, got an electric table, and vowed I wouldn't do any technique that
hurt. Because of that, I am still going strong and not slowing down."
Body Awareness
Checklist
It is paramount to practice mindful
body awareness to prevent injury.
Here's a helpful checklist:
✓
Is your head in proper alignment
with your spine to maintain
vertical alignment?
✓
Are you bending from the hips?
✓
Are you using the strength of your
lower body to apply force?
✓
See abmp.us/6wk-bodymechanics
for tips on how to create optimum
body mechanics so you can stay
strong and continue with your
craft. Print them out if you need
reminders throughout the day!
THE RIGHT TOOLS
Sometimes poor mechanics are not caused by
a slip of the mind, but instead a lack of proper
equipment, as Amanda James of Colorado
experienced. "A few
years ago, I had access
to a hydraulic table,"
James says. "It was
wonderful, and my body never
hurt. Now, I don't have a hydraulic
table and have to do back-to-back
sessions without time to reset the table.
Standing on my tiptoes isn't proper body
mechanics, and my body hates me for it."
Practicing correct body mechanics is a
requisite for massage therapists to have a long
and fulfi lling career and to prevent short-
term burnout. One way to snap back into
exemplary form is to remind yourself
why you practice massage.
Morgan Kelly Hernandez, a
massage therapist in California,
forgets about her body mechanics
when she is tired, at which point
her back and shoulders suffer. "I remind myself
that after 10 years in this wonderful business, I
cannot go another day if I don't pay attention
to, and take care of, my body! That little
inner pep talk usually does the trick."
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