Massage therapists
are NOT allowed to diagnose any conditions. Although more and more massage therapists work in
clinical settings, they can only assess the
condition, apply “the manipulation of the soft tissues” appropriate for the
condition, and possibly suggest self-care you can do at home (the scope of
practice varies by state). Massage
therapists cannot say and shouldn’t imply that you have “carpal tunnel
syndrome,” for example.
Some comments from people and even other massage therapists
have caught my attention. It is
getting obvious to me that we were
taught somewhere that we are “bad” if we have pain, knots, stiffness, or any other
soft tissue problems. It seems
to be treated as a disease. We even label the shoulder or any part of the body which
gives us troubles, as “the bad shoulder.”
I understand you can’t help asking this question: “Do I have
a knot there?” It is a natural
desire to know the cause of the issue because it’s supposed to be “bad” and should be treated. Some people take it almost personally,
but get relieved to know that many other people have the same problem. Others seem to give in to
the fact as “I-have-lots-of-knots-in-the-shoulder-you-will-see” and are even
apologetic as if they did something wrong.
I started to wonder if massage therapists are the ones educating
their clients that they have “bad” knots or “bad” shoulders, so the therapists
have to “fix” them. I was taken
aback when one lady told me that her massage therapist vulgarly said her body
was “messed up (not the exact word),” so she “had to fix her.” I wonder if playing a doctor really makes anybody feel
better and positive about their body and themselves.
I believe any massage therapists intend to help their
clients feel better. It’s just
that my approach is different (A Holistic Approach explains how my view changed). First of all, I do not judge no matter how the condition is, by tightness, the
numbers of knots and etc. I accept as it is. I only feel for them for their discomfort and frustration. Secondly, I try to use only positive expressions, and avoid negative words, especially
“bad.” I want each of my session a
positive experience. Human body has the innate power to heal
itself to maintain equilibrium called “homeostasis.” As I always emphasize, the body and mind are strongly connected. My goal is to offer them confidence that they are in charge of their body and can go
through a positive change. I
am only here to help, not to “fix.”