Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68013
TEN FOR TODAY "Take care of your body and your hands in everything you do," Green advises. "Pro athletes are careful about what they do outside their sport. They don't spend the weekend hammering nails. So whether you're at home, engaged in a hobby, or doing other work, make sure what you're doing is ergonomically sound." 6. COMFORTABLE FOR YOU Dim lighting may be restful, but if it's so dim you can't easily see what you're doing, that's not healthy. Solution? Turn up the lighting and offer the client an eye mask. 7. USE AN ELECTRIC LIFT TABLE Yes, they're costly—maybe three times the cost of a good table with a manual lift—"but it's the best investment a therapist can make," Frye says. "And it pays itself off because it saves your body when you have the luxury of being able to lift and lower the client. Nine times out of 10, therapists will know that their client is too high, but they won't have the client get off the table so they can lower it because they don't want to disturb the client." MAKE YOUR WORKSPACE Ditto on the furniture arrangement. Therapists need to be able to move freely around the room. Have a supportive stool available. If you've got a hard floor of concrete or stone, get a mat to cushion your steps. "There are gel mats, called anti- fatigue mats that have edges that are flush with the floor so there isn't a tripping hazard," Green says. THE FIRST SIGN OF INJURY A 2006 Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) member survey found that 77 percent of respondents had experienced pain or other musculoskeletal symptoms related to massage work. That makes for an achy profession. "But that doesn't mean that the 8. symptoms have to lead to injury," Green says. "If you recognize the symptoms early in the process and seek effective treatment quickly, chances are on your side that those symptoms will resolve and you can get back to work. The problem occurs when people let things go." SEEK TREATMENT AT 9. EAT, DRINK—LIKE AN ATHLETE If you're giving massage 5–8 hours a day, then you are an athlete. A good athlete needs to eat the right foods, balancing proteins and carbs, and drink lots of water. "Between massages, snack on protein," Frye urges. "Have a bowl of fruit handy instead of snacking on M&Ms and Snickers. And don't forget the water. Nine out of 10 massage therapists work while dehydrated. They'll go through three or four massages sipping on one bottle of water. And that's not healthy." 10. FIND YOUR PASSION Maybe your passion is working with a special needs population. Maybe it's working on athletes. Maybe it's a certain modality that resonates with you. "Find whatever you really have juice for, and specialize in that," says Osborne, who discovered prenatal massage 28 years ago and is still intrigued by the work. Finding the passion can help you turn a job into a calling. "Then, this becomes not just how you earn a living, but how you're living your purpose," she says. Rebecca Jones is a Denver-based freelance writer. Contact her at killarneyrose@comcast.net. visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 93