Massage Therapy Association

What The American Massage Therapy Association Can Do For Clients And Members

The American Massage Therapy Association is a voluntary member organization dedicated to the profession of massage therapy; the organization is a valuable resource for both its members and current or potential massage therapy clients.

The Purpose Of The American Massage Therapy Association

The goal of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) is to advance the field of massage therapy and to promote and establish massage therapy as a viable therapy integral to good health. The AMTA works to set standards for care and ethical practice, support member therapists, to educate the public about massage therapy and its benefits, and to support legislative efforts in favor of massage therapy.

Who Can Join The American Massage Therapy Association

Membership to the American Massage Therapy Association is open to professionals and students pursuing a career in massage therapy. There is a fee to join and maintain membership in the AMTA; the fee is dependent on the level of membership chosen. Membership is offered at different levels for both students and practicing professionals, and each level of AMTA membership requires different qualifications.

What The AMTA Offers Clients And Consumers

Although the AMTA is an association which exists largely for the benefit of its members, the function of the organization is also to promote the art and science of massage therapy, and so the American Massage Therapy Association offers services to massage therapy clients and consumers as well.

The AMTA offers opportunities for the consumers and clients to advertise in their journal (Massage Therapy Journal) and on their website, but what the AMTA is most interested in doing for consumers is to educate them and assist in obtaining professional massage therapy services. This is done by

• Offering advertising and job posting services to consumers looking to reach massage therapists
• Offering a “National Locator Service” which can be used to locate a local therapist
• Promoting public education initiatives
• Offering informational resources for consumers

What The AMTA Offers Massage Therapy Professionals

The American Massage Therapy Association offers a number of different services to its members; access to services is dependent on the level of membership, and some services are available to non-members for a fee.

Professional services offered to therapists by the AMTA include

• Access to member’s section
• Informational resources
• Job search/listing services
• Inclusion in locator directory
• Continuing education opportunities
• Advertising opportunities
• Materials and resources for clients/public education
• Code of Ethics and core documents
• Industry demographics
• Professional support
• Access to insurance (liability, health, disability, optional insurances)
• Regulatory information and updates
• Professional publications
• Political/legislative voice

The American Massage Therapy Association, a member of the Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork, and Somatic Practice Organizations, represents over 56,000 massage therapy professionals. The AMTA is a valuable resource for both clients and therapists alike.

Massage Therapy Careers

A Bright Future For Massage Therapy Careers

There are many interesting massage therapy careers available for today’s massage therapists. Increased demand, coupled with an ever-growing acceptance of massage therapy as an integral health-management and treatment option, has opened many doors for graduates of massage therapy programs and for experienced massage therapists.

Forecasts For Massage Therapy Careers

The forecast for massage therapy careers is quite favorable. According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment within the various careers of massage therapy is expected to grow faster than the average for other careers. Better than average career growth is expected to last through 2014.

Employment in the field of massage therapy includes both full-time and part time opportunities, and approximately two-thirds of massage therapists are self employed (either running their own businesses or working as independent contractors for a larger organization).

The Many Faces Of Career In Massage Therapy

It can be difficult to find two massage therapy careers that look the same; that is because massage therapists enjoy a range of job opportunities housed within a variety of physical settings. Employment is in both public and private settings, with an array of focuses.

In self-employed positions, salaried, hourly, and contractor arrangements, massage therapists can be found working in

• Health clinics
• Spas
• Salons
• Resorts
• Physician and chiropractic offices
• Rehabilitation facilities
• Massage therapy offices
• Hospitals
• Fitness centers and gyms
• Corporate offices and corporate health centers
• Private homes
• Nursing homes
• Studios, alternative health studios and yoga centers
• Holistic health centers/alternative medicine practices
• Airports
• Shopping centers/malls
• Colleges and universities

Among many others, job titles for massage therapy careers may include

• Physical therapist/assistant
• Sports massage therapist
• Masseuse
• Massage therapist
• Mobile massage therapist
• Massage therapy instructor/teacher

The Nature Of Massage Therapy Careers

Massage therapy careers are quite demanding; demands on massage therapists are both physical and personal.

Physically speaking, massage therapy can take a toll on the body of a therapist. Maintaining a career in massage therapy requires spending long hours of standing and physical exertion. Repetitive stress injuries are common among those with improper physical care and technique. Fatigue from long hours on-foot is also a common problem. Maintaining a good technique and proper scheduling of appointments lessens the physical demands on therapists. Because massage therapy is so physically demanding, few therapists actually deliver massages for more than 30 hours per week; in fact, according to the US Department of Labor, many positions are considered full-time if the therapists treats clients between 15 and 30 hours per week. Additional time is normally required for administrative tasks, though.

Personally, massage therapy careers can be demanding because many times services are most in demand during off-work hours; this means evenings and weekends may be prime-time for client appointments, although many successful therapists are able to maintain a more “normal” work schedule.

A career in massage therapy can be very rewarding indeed; it can also be very demanding, but for those who are up to the challenge, the outlook is very good for massage therapy careers.

The Many Benefits Of Massage Therapy

It’s not hard to sell most people on the benefits of massage therapy—who wouldn’t want to lose themselves in an hour of therapeutic relaxation? But since massage therapy does carry some moderate expense, it helps to know about the many benefits of massage therapy.

Some people seek out the services of a massage therapist simply because they need some down-time to relax and refresh; certainly, this is enough of a reason to frequent the massage therapist’s office in itself, but there are also many health benefits of massage therapy; an increasingly large number of clients find their way to the table in search of relief modern medicine has been unable to manage. Likewise, clients also seek massage therapy services to supplement and enhance both modern and alternative medical treatments.

The Many Benefits Of Massage Therapy

Regardless of the impetus, massage therapy clients find numerous incomparable benefits in massage therapy; it is not at all uncommon for a client to come into massage therapy for the treatment of one symptom or condition, only to find wide ranging benefits of massage therapy that treat a number of other conditions.

The most notable advantages of massage therapy include:

* Improved blood circulation
* Stimulation/relief of muscle pain due to lack of activity (often caused by sedentary jobs)
* Increased alertness
* Decrease in back pain (one of the leading reasons for seeking massage services)
* Improved mood
* Reduced stress levels
* Reduced instances of stress-related illness including tension headaches
* Decreased muscle stiffness/increased mobility
* Improved ability to heal (in part due to circulation/stimulation improvement)
* Reduction in muscle spasms
* Increased physical performance/athleticism
* Improved deep breathing
* Improved posture
* Strengthened immune system
* Reduction in anxiety levels
* Lower dependence on medication
* Improved joint flexibility
* Lessened risk of depression
* Promotes healing of soft tissues, including scars
* Improved delivery of oxygen and nutrients
* Increases pain tolerance by releasing endorphins (natural pain killers of the human body)
* Eases pain of childbirth
* Relieves sleep loss/insomnia
* Increased energy, reduction in frequency and severity of fatigue

Netting The Biggest Benefits Of Massage Therapy

Even a one-time visit to the massage therapist can net excellent benefits; but for the most lasting benefits of massage therapy, regular sessions are recommended. Regular massage therapy ensures that the body continues to enjoy the increase in circulatory health and relief of muscle tension which directly contribute to the benefits of massage therapy. Over time, the expense of massage therapy sessions is easily mitigated in increased health and well-being, and in a large number of cases, in the savings enjoyed between decreased use and cost of medications, doctors’ visits, and time lost from work.

Physical Therapy Rolfing Arizona

Anyone who is looking for the best physical therapy Rolfing Arizona has to offer needs to seek out skilled professionals. There are many ways to do this. You can go online and insert the words Rolf Practitioners in the search engine and the web addresses will show up for you to click on. You can also contact the Guild for the Rolf Institute and find every practitioner in your state.

Many people think of Rolfing as a type of massage, but it really isn’t. The effects of massage, even deep tissue massage lasts for only about 24 hours, but Rolf therapy is much longer lasting and is cumulative. The more treatments you get the more beneficial it is. Just as physical therapy works to bring the body back into balance to promote mobility and wellness, so does Rolfing. Physical therapy Rolfing Arizona works to bring the body into vertical alignment and in balance with the body’s center of gravity.

If you were to talk with someone about physical therapy Rolfing Arizona, he/she might tell you that the mind and the body live in harmony to one another. The body is controlled by the mind and that with Rolfing the mind and the body are educated to become stabilized and balanced. To find the perfect physical therapy Rolfing Arizona has to offer, find some practitioners in your area and send them an email or call them for an interview. Just like you might interview a new doctor who will be a guide in your health care, you would also want to talk to the practitioner that is going to be restructuring your body through the use of his/her hands.

To find the best physical therapy Rolfing Arizona practitioner, you might want to ask some questions. You might ask how Rolfing techniques vary from deep tissue massage. If you are not familiar with Rolfing, you might ask about the Rolf philosophy. You might ask a little about the history of Rolfing. Finding the best physical therapy Rolfing Arizona practitioner for you will have to be decided by you, so making an informed choice of professional is vitally important.

Manipulation of the body’s connective tissue can be a bit painful, so if you are someone who is very sensitive to pain you may need a practitioner that has a lighter touch. Finding the best physical therapy Rolfing Arizona professional is a matter of talking to people. You can ask a practitioner if you could talk to some of his/her clients. This is anecdotal evidence, but is there anything better than talking to a client to see if he/she is being helped by the Rolf therapy? Word of mouth is the best advertisement. This is a very good way of finding the best physical therapy Rolfing Arizona has to offer.

The Benefits of Rolfing

Rolfing is both similar and dissimilar to deep massage therapy; developed about 50 years ago by Ida P. Rolf. This treatment manipulates the deep connective tissues of the body. The practice of Rolfing provides longer lasting pain relief than massage therapy. The effects of massage therapy lasts for about 24 hours; however the effects of Rolfing lasts over time to improve posture and to put the body back into balance.

Similarities

The similarities of Rolfing to deep tissue massage are that the therapist puts his/her hands on you to manipulate the connective tissue beneath the skin. The therapist uses specific techniques to achieve this. Rolfing does not diagnose or treat disease, but many people who have been treated by a Rolf practitioner do report having pain relief. As with deep tissue massage, Rolfing can be very light and pleasurable, but it can also be a bit painful or even “hurt” in a good way. If the client feels uncomfortable from the pain, he/she just needs to speak up and let the practitioner know so less pressure can be applied.

Differences

A Rolf treatment is totally different than massage, even though it is sometimes thought of as a type of deep tissue massage. In massage oil or lotion is normally used, but in Rolfing no lubricant is used at all, unless absolutely necessary for tissue manipulation. A Rolf treatment is not like a massage, in that you don’t just lie back and get relaxed, many people do feel relaxed or full of energy, though, after treatment, but the goal is to help the body to realign to its center of gravity. Treatment over time should help you to hold your posture in its correct position in relation to gravity. Massage does not permanently change the connective tissue, where Rolfing usually does change the connective fascia to some degree.

Where massage therapist may not be interested in the function of your body parts, a Rolfer examine your posture, and ask you to walk and do some kinds of exercises to evaluate how your body moves. Massage sessions may last for 30 minutes, but these sessions may last up to 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Benefits

Rolf manipulation is a technique to realign the body parts to each other in gravity. This treatment is used to improve posture, to improve range of motion in body parts, which in turn also helps to relieve pain. The practitioner works on the connective fascia of the body, and as he/she manipulates this tissue, instructions may be given on how to become more aware of your posture and how you hold certain body parts in relation to the rest of your body.

Conclusion

Rolf manipulation is a continuing process. The connective tissue changes over time as you become more aware of how to position your body. The frequency of the treatments is normally in a series of 10. You can stop your treatment at any time; however, you may not quite feel as well if you stop taking the treatments. Over time you adjust to the changes in your connective fascia and feel at home in your new and improved posture. Most sessions end with specific exercises to improve posture and movement. The practitioner will have you do before and after exercises to compare the alignment and movement of the body before and after the treatment.