Physical Therapy Schools|Benefits Of Massage Therapy Schools

Massage therapy is much more than just alleviating back, neck, or limb stress - it's also a highly developed tool used in a range of industries, including healthcare, on cruise ships, and in spas. Massage therapy itself is a growing industry. Not only are massage therapists increasing in ranks, but pay is on the rise as well. The industry has come a long way, with countless new techniques used by today's licensed massage therapists to make people feel better and improve their quality of life.

When you become a massage therapist, the best perk is perhaps the flexibility in the job. You choose where you go, what you do, and how you do it. The discipline encompasses the best of working with people from all walks of life as well as helping them relieve tension and heal injuries, to feel better and work and move with greater ease. When you become a massage therapist, you help promote relaxation, health, injury rehabilitation, as well as encourage clients to deal with stress and chronic pain reduction or management more effectively.

Would you like to become a massage therapist? If so, the steps below will help you embark on the road to working as a licensed massage therapist in the state of Georgia.

State Requirements for a Licensed Massage Therapist

Getting started. The first, most important element is you. As a massage therapist, you should be personable, easy to work with, and comfortable touching someone in an ethical way. Delving into a new career and honing those skills involves a considerable time commitment on your part. Before enrolling anywhere, ask yourself if you:

• Have enough time to complete coursework?
  


• Can study and prepare for the next day?
  


• Can attend regular classes throughout the week?
  


• Can complete at least 500 hours of training?
  


• Need financing?

Some massage therapy programs run from Monday through Friday, lasting over four hours (or approximately 21 hours a week) at the bare minimum. Other schools can have more strenuous schedules placed on the student who wants to become a massage therapist. If time is limited, some massage schools offer classes in the late afternoon or evening, or even a combination thereof if your schedule better permits a less-than-structured course calendar.

Researching potential schools is also vital. While you will cover many of the same basics, remember that not all schools are created equal. Get to know the teachers. Their teaching style may or may not jibe with the way you learn. Tour the campus. Is this somewhere you can picture yourself learning and growing?

Education/Training. The massage school that you choose should boast educational curriculum that is approved by the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy. At the school of your choice, you will be required to complete an approved program, which should be 500 hours or longer, and will cover all standard Western massage techniques. It is recommended that you do not purchase equipment until you begin your education. Purchasing a massage table prior to learning about table height can impair your ability to apply sufficient pressure during a massage session.

Throughout the duration of the massage therapy program, you will learn fundamental skills, such as Swedish, deep tissue, orthopedic, cross fiber, and neuromuscular massage therapy. You should also expect to become well versed in carrying out a physical assessment of your clients to identify key areas of the body to be addressed in the massage session.

In addition to learning a variety of techniques while at the school, you may also decide which approach interests you the most and choose to specialize in one area after you begin your career.

Licensing requirements. Upon completion of a massage therapy program, you will need to take and pass one of three exams approved by the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy.

• The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (www.fsmtb.com) offers the Massage Board Licensing Exam (MBLEx). This entry-level exam is used to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is carried out in a safe, effective manner in a public setting.
  


• The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (www.ncbtmb.org) offers two certification exams. Both exams are used to establish and uphold a national standard for excellence.

Your credentials will be evaluated by the Georgia Board of Massage Therapy. Qualifying applicants will become licensed and therefore eligible to provide therapeutic massage in the state. In order to remain up-to-date with changes in the industry, 24 hours of continuing education are required during each biennial renewal period.

Affiliations. Once you are a licensed massage therapist, you must be willing to uphold strong ethical values. Affiliating with professional massage therapy organizations will aid in this endeavor and add to your credibility.

Affiliating is also a great way to network with other massage therapists in your area or state to discover the newest techniques and technologies and learn about new positions for a licensed massage therapist.

Getting a job. Have your newly acquired licensing number handy. You are required to write it out on all of your business information. You should also check in your municipality for business licensing requirements. If you affiliated with certain massage therapy organizations, you can receive pointers to assist you in looking for your first job as a licensed massage therapist.

Many employers are in need of well-qualified, licensed massage therapists to work in a variety of exciting positions. These positions include, but are certainly not limited to, spas and medi-spas, and medical offices, such as ob/gyn, chiropractic medicine, and orthopedics. Hospitals are also in need of the services of a skilled massage practitioner for cancer patients, rehabilitation, and pain management. The options are limitless when you become a massage therapist.

Wherever you go, with your new-found skills as a licensed massage therapist, you can help invigorate tired limbs and encourage better movement, improve circulation, alleviate stress, and bring smiles to countless clients throughout the day.

The horse can offer enjoyment on many fronts to its owner. Horses are used recreationally in sports such as:

o Barrel racing
o Jumping
o Dressage
o Hunting
o Rodeoing
o Trail riding

Horses used in these capacities are also often dear pets that owners develop deep bonds with. A horse may also be of financial importance to owners who use them as professional racehorses. But no matter how a horse benefits its owner, it must be cared for in a loving, responsible manner to ensure its continued health and friendly personality.

Horse ownership responsibilities are much more demanding than for other pets such as dogs and cats. The reason for this is because horses are incredible athletes. Their bodies are made up of huge muscles which provide maximum efficiency when running long distances, jumping or maneuvering through obstacles. Because of the horse's status as serious athlete, a recent addition to horse care has been created. This addition is called equine massage.

How Equine Massage can help your Horse

Massage therapy has long been used to help humans relieve tension and stress. In equine massage, there are also a number of benefits. Massages in horses can result in:

o Increased circulation-massage helps immensely with blood flow. Rich, oxygenated blood will reach every area of your horse's body effortlessly.
o Eliminated waste-fatigued muscles result in toxic buildup in horses bodies. Massage helps to dislodge toxins and hasten their elimination from the body.
o Increased flexibility-massage helps remove knots from muscles which allows for greater movement
o Muscle tone
o Range of motion
o Alleviation of pain-knotted muscles that arise from running or jumping can lead to a great deal of pain. The only way to alleviate this pain is to massage the knots out of the horse's muscles.
o Stress relief-a horse that has tense, knotted muscles that result in pain can display changes in behavior. Massage therapy can make for a de-stressed, happier animal.

If you use your horse for athletic activities, you will be glad to know that all the benefits of massage therapy will help improve performance and enhance relaxation. In fact, massaging a horse before a competition or race has been proven to result in as much as a 20 percent increase in performance quality and efficiency.

For more information on equine massage, visit the website of Austin Vet Clinics.

There are many career fields of massage therapy accessible nowadays and so training to be a massage therapist may possibly be a great move towards creating a stimulating and rewarding job. To get on any of the massage courses however, you have to look appealing to the massage therapy schools who (and it should not be a surprise) need to operate as a business; they need to find the best candidates to help safeguard their name and maximize their income through the fees from their various massage courses. Therefore the massage institutes set entrance requirements to help sort the "wheat from the chaff"; so what are some examples of these requirements?

It'll come as no big surprise to learn that all the massage therapy schools are different when it comes to their entrance requirements. To start with, the massage school will be searching for proof you have enough academic capability to absorb all the theory that accompanies massage therapist training e.g) subjects like anatomy, ethics, endocrinology, public health etc. A high school diploma is generally requested to get on massage courses and normally you must have accomplished results in human biology. Massage school entrance requirements are different should you just want to do additional specialist massage therapy training however.

Generally when a massage therapy school runs specialised massage courses in for example Indian Head Massage, you need to demonstrate you have already a certification in massage therapy. Why? Well the massage school will prefer not to have to cover all the basics too; you will be expected to know this already. However, just what should you do if you don't have the needed bare minimum prior academic background? Now just what should you do if you don't meet certain massage school's entrance requirements?

To begin with don't panic & give up. Its occasionally possible to essentially take a course along side your massage courses so you are catching up all the while. It'll involve some more work but the effort ought to be worth it in the long-run & saves you time as you are not finishing certain courses initially before getting onto a massage course. Talking to your favorite massage therapy school is certainly the way to go in the beginning. Now for other things you must know.

Additionally to proving ones academic ability, you will probably need to display you're well presented, with good communication skills, and the right personality. If you're shy and reserved, you might not be able to display to a customer an air of self-confidence to assure them they are in the right place and strike up a good relationship. Furthermore you will be required to prove you can meet the massage courses term rates; if this is a challenge then commonly you may get help with finance so just ask the massage therapy school.

The previously mentioned is not necessarily a total run down of what you require to satisfy in the way of entrance requirements to massage courses; as I have said all massage colleges are different. Do ones research early on so you can make all the correct moves to aid you get onto ones chosen massage course & into that completely new massage therapy profession you deserve.

Have you always wanted to go to massage therapy school but didn't think you could afford it? Is your dream of becoming a massage therapist clouded by the thoughts, "How will I pay for school? Will I qualify for financial aid? Is my credit good enough?" These are great questions, but don't worry! Almost everyone is eligible for financial aid regardless of one's credit history, income, marital status, or the filing of a tax return.

Here are the facts about funding your massage therapy education and the three most important steps for how to get started with your financial aid research.

Step #1 - Verify that the massage school you are looking at is accredited. View and search the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions.

Step #2 - Use the Federal Student Aid forecaster online tool (called the FAFSA4caster) to learn about the financial aid process and get an early estimate of your eligibility for federal student aid and answer these questions, "What is federal student aid? Who qualifies? How do you apply?"

With the FAFSA4caster you can:

· Calculate your eligibility for federal financial aid, including grants
· Reduce the time it will take to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the qualifying form for all federal student financial aid

Step #3 - Find out if you qualify for financial aid. Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To start the FAFSA process, visit fafsa.ed.gov and apply as early as possible beginning January 1st of each year. Schools and states also have their own deadlines, so be sure to contact the school you are interested in for exact deadline dates. NOTE: The first "F" in FAFSA stands for "FREE" and the web address is a ".gov" web address. If you go to http://www.FAFSA.com you can access the information, but will be charged a fee.

Most financial aid packages offered by massage therapy schools include a variety of types of aid, including:

· Scholarships or Grants (money that does not need to be paid back)
· Loans (money that is paid back, usually at lower interest rates than other types of loans)
· Work-study (a job on campus)

Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, provides financial assistance for individuals wanting to pursue education beyond high school. Federal Student Aid administers the federal student financial assistance programs, authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965. In 2006 alone, Federal Student Aid provided approximately $80 billion in new aid to nearly 10 million postsecondary students and their families.

Accredited massage therapy schools may offer the following financial aid:

· Need-based grants for students who have not earned a degree (associate's, bachelor's, etc)
· Federal Student Aid
· Academic Competitiveness Grant
· Pell Grants
· Stafford Subsidized Loans
· Stafford Unsubsidized Loans
· PLUS Loans (Loans for parents of dependent students)
· In-house Financing
· Access to Scholarships

In addition, students may also qualify for:

· Veterans Administration benefits: US Department of Veterans Affairs
· Vocational Rehabilitation funds: Vocational Rehabilitation State Offices
· Workforce Investment Act (formerly Job Training Partnership Act) programs: US Department of Labor - Employment & Training Administration

Other sources of financial aid include state loans and grants depending on the student's state of residence. Your employer may also be a source of financial aid. Individual employers frequently offer education funds for employees or for retraining of employees. Taking the time to research your financial aid options could open the doors to massage school. Believe in yourself and make your dream of going to massage therapy school happen!

Finding the best massage school can take a lot of time and energy. It entails expending effort that guarantees no positive results when it comes to searching for the best school. Foolproof your search efforts by following the suggestions below:

- Get information from other people. Go to the nearest spas or wellness centers in your area and ask about massage schools they prefer to hire from. Doing so gives you an idea about schools that employers prefer and have a good name.

- Check out massage schools yourself. Be specific about the location as to where you actually want to gain employment and look for schools in that area. States have varying licensing requirements and awareness of these prerequisites will help you find the top schools in the area.

- Call and visit the schools. Contact the school's admissions department and ask questions about requirements, tuition fee, scholarships, program set of courses, schedules, and other queries that you might have. They might even send you brochures containing detailed information about the different programs and curriculum they offer specifically on health-related courses. Some schools even offer program orientations pertaining to their courses, thus, it would be a good opportunity for you to have a more in-depth view about massage therapy as a course and as a possible career.

If you can, it is also highly advisable that you make an ocular of the school in order for you to get a feel of the environment. Talk to the guidance counselors, registrars, and admissions clerks, too.

Do not be swayed by salary claims. A school is still a business, thus, to attract more students, some would claim that their graduates earn as much as $50,000 (or more) after graduating. This is an outright lie because new graduates make around $20,000-$30,000 per year. As you build your reputation and gain more experiences, you build your clientele as well as your bank account - only then can you charge a higher rate. Therefore, do your own research.

- Learn more about being a massage therapist. Do you want to be in the business of helping others get well and feel better? Are you aware about the pros and cons of being a massage therapist? Whatever is your answer to the questions, ensure that you have done your research and have asked around. Talk to massage therapists yourself or business owners to get information about their starting salaries, what makes them stay in the massage industry, anything that they do not like about the business, and tips on how to become successful as a massage therapist.

- Get in touch with the school's graduates. If you know some people who graduated from the school, call and ask them about their experiences while attending that school. Were the teachers helpful towards their students? Did they get guidance support when they needed it? Did they offer job placement assistance? Likewise, ask the graduates about their experiences, realizations while job-hunting, and where they are now in their career as a massage therapist. This will likely give you an idea if massage therapy is indeed for you.

Becoming a massage therapist is indeed a lucrative job. It may be a seasonal thing, but with people experiencing stress at work and in life in general, more and more are realizing the benefits of having good massages to de-stress themselves, and that is where the opportunity to work as a therapist comes in.

Whether you're an elite athlete or a weekend gym-goer, you can benefit from sports massage. Contact a massage therapist to discuss your massage needs and options.

You're playing like you've never played before. Running faster. Jumping higher. Diving deeper. But are you taking care of your body? Do you know if you're at risk for an injury? Or are you already injured, and playing through the pain? Whether you're an elite athlete or enjoy sports recreationally, consider adding sports massage to your wellness routine. A massage therapist can pinpoint your body's tight and weak areas and bring you some much-needed relaxation and healing. Still not convinced that massage is right for you? Weigh the benefits so you can make an educated decision.

Muscle Maintenance

By manipulating the tissues and muscles you use the most, a massage therapist can decrease stiffness and soreness so that you don't have to work it out on the court or on the field. Sports massage can increase your flexibility and range of motion, which can make you less prone to injury. Massage can also reduce muscle fatigue and help muscles heal from the stresses of vigorous activity. Tired muscles may be more prone to injury than muscles that have been allowed to recover from intense work. What's the moral of the story? Regular sports massage can decrease recovery time between workouts while increasing the rate at which your body can improve at your chosen sport.

Injury Recovery

If you're already injured, you can add sports massage therapy to your healing regimen. Just make sure you've got your doctor's approval, and that your massage therapist understands your injury and any resulting range-of-motion limitations. Massage may not be appropriate immediately after an injury, but it can be vital in helping you regain peak performance once the acute phase has passed. Massage increases blood flow to the manipulated area, which can help strained muscles heal. Sports massage can also help you regain lost range of motion gently and incrementally-unlike forcing your body to do what it once could, which can result in injury recurrence or even worsening.

Body Awareness

Many athletes fail to take into account the psychological benefits of sports massage. The sense of calm and well-being imparted during a massage can help you focus and get into the mind-set to compete. Beyond that, regular massage can lead to increased body awareness. A trained massage therapist can point out muscle weaknesses and imbalances that you may not even realize exist-and once you're aware of these issues, you can take steps to correct them through strength training, stretching, or targeted massage. Understanding your body, including how it works best, any bad habits you fall into, and when to seek help with an issue, will only make you a stronger competitor.

A variety of massage therapy techniques exist, and not everyone will benefit from the same massage tactics. Investigate Swedish massage, shiatsu, deep-tissue massage, and other options to find what's right for your body. Look for a massage therapist who understands both the requirements of your sport and the intricacies of anatomy. Alongside a healthy diet and a proper training regimen, sports massage can decrease pain, boost your performance, and lengthen your athletic peak.

Human Physiology versus Modern Living

Human bodies have not changed much in the past 10,000 years; however, during the last 150 years, we have greatly changed our lifestyles. Our bodies deal with new chemicals, sleep habits, physical tasks, indoor lighting, noise, and other unnatural stimulation. The increase of psychological stress, repetitive tasks, and decrease of physical activity in modern lives has contributed to chronic pain. It is difficult to change a lifestyle, but trigger point therapy can be used to reduce or eliminate the source of various types of pain, without drugs or surgery.

Pain Can Be Tricky

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2006 that over 25 percent of Americans aged twenty and older report pain lasting over twenty-four hours. The Annals of Internal Medicine reported that twenty-five billion dollars per year was spent in search of low back pain relief in 2003. Typical allopathic treatments for pain are medications, cortisone, and surgery. For many patients, surgery provides welcome relief, at least temporarily, from sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other mechanical and pathophysiologic problems. However, symptoms mimicking such problems can be caused by trigger points, which surgery does not improve. In general, trigger points frequently remain overlooked, unrecognized, and untreated. After a back injury, medication was prescribed for me for a year with little relief. Then I visited another medical doctor who, in one session, removed my pain using manual therapy. He explained that my pain was referred from the actual problem areas.

Referred Pain

Referred pain is sensed in an area away from the actual pain source. Examples of referred pain are headaches, phantom limb pain in amputated limbs, pain down the left arm during a heart attack, and the infamous so-called brain freeze caused by drinking cold liquid, which cools the vagus nerve running along the throat. During a brain freeze, one may feel it in the head, when the cause may be down the throat. Pain referral is also common in myofascial pain syndromes, which are caused by trigger points in muscle, fascia (fibrous tissue that connects, separates, and supports muscles, bones, skin, and other organs), tendon, and ligament tissue. These trigger points are among the most common causes of chronic pain.

Trigger Points

A trigger point can be thought of as a muscle protection mechanism, which stiffens the muscle in order to limit range of motion, triggered by injury, overuse, and adrenaline - all phenomena in which modern humans excel. Resultant stiffening or spasms of muscles cause blood stagnation, nutrient loss, and buildup of toxins. Such protection can become chronic and painful and can activate other trigger points, spreading pain and disability like an infection. Postural muscles, as in the neck, shoulders, back, and pelvic girdle, and others, such as forearms, hands, calves, and face, that are used in repetitive actions are most vulnerable to trigger points. Trigger points may cause headaches (tension and migraine), temporomandibular joint pain, sciatica, and apparent carpal tunnel syndrome and can be associated with burning, numbness, weakness, temperature, sweating, dryness, dizziness, nausea, tinnitus, vision, decreased range of motion, and other problems. Since trigger point syndromes are unfamiliar to many physicians, these familiar symptoms can make diagnosis difficult. Sedentary people and those, such as computer operators, dentists, drivers, and specialized athletes, who hold unnatural positions or perform repetitive tasks are at high risk of developing active trigger points. After sitting at a desk, running or a gym workout may seem to make up for the sedentary time, but it actually may promote the pain and dysfunction. Rigid use then overuse is not the best. Most trigger points are reduced or deactivated by acupuncture, electric stimulation, or injections. Fortunately, trigger points also respond to manual therapy.

Trigger Point History

Some researchers think that many trigger points and acupuncture points overlap. Hence trigger point therapy was accomplished by acupuncture thousands of years ago in China and other parts of the world. In the seventh-century book A Thousand Golden Remedies, Sun Su-Miao (Si miao) described "ah-shi" tender points - most probably trigger points. In the 1940s, trigger points were first clearly described and mapped by Janet G.Travell, MD, who eased John F. Kennedy's pain in 1955, allowing him to run for president. Dr. Travell then served as the personal physician for both presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Drs. Travell and David Simons later wrote the seminal text on Trigger Point Therapy: Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. Although sixty years of medical research has shown that trigger point therapy relieves pain, the medical community has been slow to promote this therapy. Doctors who do treat trigger points inject steroids, local anesthetics, carbon dioxide, dextrose, Botox(R), MyoX(TM), and even muscle relaxants to disarm trigger points, and such injections have been covered by U.S. medical insurance since 2005.

Manual Trigger Point Therapy

In Europe, manual approaches are used by myoskeletal medical doctors and practitioners. In the United States, physical therapists use spray and stretch techniques, which numb the skin, interfering with pain conduction, allowing stretching to release trigger points. Also, massage therapists use direct pressure by hand, foot, or tool. The simplest and least invasive method of trigger point therapy involves manually locating the trigger point, which may feel like a pea or knot, and pressing or holding firmly, using thumb and finger, for fifteen seconds or more. Elbows and feet may also be used, as in barefoot deep tissue therapy. Best of all, this modality can be incorporated into a Swedish, barefoot, deep tissue, or other type of massage, whether the client is clothed or not. Trigger point referral patterns in muscles have been thoroughly mapped; for example, temple headaches are most often caused by trigger points in the temporalis or upper trapezius. So when a patient complains of a temple headache, the therapist knows, or looks up, which points on which muscles harbor this referred pain. When manual pressure is applied to the correct point, the pain will temporarily increase,and then fade. Many massage schools now teach manual trigger point therapy, and popular laybooks have been written that can prove extremely useful for self-help.

Self-Massage

For self-treatment, a tennis ball may be placed inside a sock and dropped over the shoulder between the shoulder blades and pressed against a wall into tender spots for fifteen seconds or so, whether or not "good" pain decreases. This can be done several times a day. For more force, or for gluteal areas, one can lie on the floor or use a harder ball. Several tools are available to aid self-treatment. Not all pain is caused by trigger points, so if one to three therapy visits do not produce relief, then referral to a licensed health specialist is recommended.

Conclusion

Over the last hundred years, Western medicine has been straying from manual therapies to drugs, surgery, and other invasive treatments. Manual trigger point therapy is a noninvasive method for relieving many types of pain. It may be used by doctors as well as massage therapists, and even by patients themselves, to help reach the goal of a pain-free body. To find a trigger point therapist near you, ask your doctor, physical therapist, or local massage school.

Massage therapy is a natural medical remedy for many ailments like chronic headaches, insomnia, constipation, joint pains, and many more. According to a trusted massage spa is Sarasota, FL, regular sessions of therapeutic massage can help increase your chances of avoiding colds and muscle fatigue by 4 times.

Different massage techniques can target different conditions. Dr. Annie Bond of Sarasota explained some of the common massage techniques that help improve certain physical conditions.

SWEDISH MASSAGE uses soothing, tapping and kneading strokes to work the entire body, relieving muscle tension and loosening sore joints. Swedish massage therapists use five basic strokes for the treatment. They are effleurage-stroking; petrissage-muscles are lightly grabbed and lifted; friction-thumbs and fingertips work in deep circles into the thickest part of muscles; tapotement-chopping beating, and tapping strokes; and vibration-fingers are pressed or flattened firmly on a muscle, then the area is shaken rapidly for a few seconds. A According to a Venice, FL massage therapist, Swedish massage is ideal for people experiencing insomnia and muscle fatigue.

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE targets chronic tension in muscles that lie far below the surface of your body. You have five layers of muscle in your back, and most massages like the Swedish massage, can only reach the first two layers. A deep tissue massage uses slow strokes, direct pressure or friction movements that go across the grain of the muscles. Massage therapists will use their fingers, thumbs or occasionally even elbows to apply the needed pressure. According to one massage spa in Sarasota, many patients feel sore after a deep tissue treatment, but this is just a natural reaction of the body to the heavy and slow strokes.

SPORTS MASSAGES are designed to help athletes train and perform better. The techniques are similar to those in Swedish and deep tissue massage, but a Sarasota therapist says a sports massage has been adapted to meet the athlete's special needs. Pre-competition massage can help warm up muscles and improve circulation before competition, but it can also energize or relax an athlete and help him focus on the competition. Post-competition sports massage can detoxify the body of waste products and hasten recovery.

REFLEXOLOGY is a bit different from most massages because it focuses on vital points on our hands and feet. This massage technique works with the idea that there are specific points on our hands and feet, directly connected to our organs like the liver, heart, lungs, etc. Reflexology manipulates these points in order to improve the functions of our organs or even treat it from its dysfunction. However, a Sarasota massage spa suggests that pregnant women avoid this massage because it could induce labor.

PREGNANCY MASSAGE is designed, strictly for the pregnant woman. This massage is also known as a prenatal massage. A Venice, FL massage therapist says the technique help pregnant women get through the common pains of pregnancy like back ache, leg cramps, headaches, and anxiety. Using a special massage table that can accommodate the growing belly, the therapist then targets the lower back, the legs, and neck, and the head. One Sarasota therapist reiterates the importance of avoiding the hands and feet during a pregnancy massage because it can cause premature labor.

Getting a therapeutic massage one a month can sometimes make all the difference. Make sure you subscribe the help of a professional Sarasota massage therapist before you set an appointment.

Yoga has gained quite a lot of attention since the 90s as an effective form of exercise and physical betterment. From celebrities to the average Joes and Janes, yoga has essentially become a way of life. But have you ever heard of yoga for physiotherapy patients? Would you believe that yoga can be an effective form of physical therapy?

These days, many of us have heard of yoga for teens, the elderly, pregnant moms and even yoga for toddlers. There is even yoga for dogs, believe it or not. The fact of the matter is yoga can be quite helpful in reliving specific health issues that many physical therapy patients are facing, so long as it is done correctly. Even though the research behind using yoga as a type of physical therapy is still in its infancy, the interest towards the matter is most definitely growing.

Using yoga for physiotherapy patients can have a positive effect in a number of debilitating problems that affect the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and neurological systems. Chronic back pains and certain respiratory issues can also benefit from a good yoga program. Most yoga practitioners believe that yoga does not just promote physical fitness. They believe that it nourishes the mind as well; some will even go as far as claiming that yoga can essentially strengthen one's spirituality. But whether you believe in a supreme being or not, one thing is for certain; mental relaxation and peace of mind are among the benefits that you can expect from a good yoga technique.

Like most exercise programs that are used in conventional physical therapy, yoga addresses the entire body, and not just specific areas. In one yoga session, your whole body will be getting the right amount of attention in every pose. And because of this, you are essentially taking the focus away from the regions where you are experiencing pain. Talk about an all natural pain reliever! Apart from strengthening your core and improving your flexibility and biomechanical efficiency, the relaxation and breathing exercises can also help you get your mind at ease. And to a person who is dealing with more than just the physical aspects of his illness, a good meditation exercise will certainly help a lot.

Integrating yoga for physiotherapy patients work because it effectively combines traditional and evidence-based physical therapy with yoga therapy. Sort of like conventional western medicine meeting time-proven eastern remedies. You will receive the best treatment experience possible, and then some. Why do you think yoga is so popular among millions of people? That is because this form of exercise really works. And if you take a moment and think about the advantages that it can offer when you incorporate it to your physiotherapy sessions, the possibilities are virtually endless.

For you to become an effective physiotherapist, you need to be open to new techniques and methods. And using yoga for physiotherapy patients really is quite helpful and efficient, both physically and mentally. Although there are yoga poses that are impossible to achieve for some patients with certain disabilities, not every yoga pose is that difficult. You just have to be creative in your approach.

Most massage therapists receive Codes of Ethics and Standards of Practice from various sources. These lists of guidelines and rules are helpful in setting the professional standards for massage therapy. Yet, the "rules" can be slightly different from one organization to another and, like anything in life, external rules need to be supported by internal values to be successful. When we notice ourselves in the gray areas where the rules don't seem to work, it's a good time to look inward to see what's going on.

Take, for example, the rule "don't accept gifts from clients." A lot of times we will ask, "why not, what's wrong with that?" or "do we really want to become so impersonal that we can't accept a gift?" Good questions. In a situation where a client is offering a gift and we recognize the standard of not accepting gifts, yet we want to anyway, it's time to look at ourselves. Is the desire to accept the gift based upon our perceptions of what the client needs to enhance the therapeutic relationship? Is it based upon our own needs to feel special, appreciated, or wanted? The notion that if our motivations are client based it's less of an ethical dilemma than if they are personally based may or may not apply in all situations.

So this rule ("don't accept gifts") is pointing to the emergence of transference and countertransference issues, which are rich ground for healing. When we delve into our countertransference, we often discover unmet needs, unexplored fears and desires. This is healing because when we bring them to consciousness, we have the ability to grow and transform.

While ethical dilemmas usually aren't very comfortable, if we approach them with the willingness to look inward, we can bring a lot of healing to ourselves--a true gift!

© 2008, Rebecca Mauldin