The holiday season is full of good cheer, good company, and, unfortunately, stress. Just as the darkest time of the year arrives, so does the holiday frenzy of shopping for presents and wrapping up year-end details. As our bodies yearn for extra rest, our culture directs us toward more activity. Massage is the perfect tool for staying healthy throughout the holiday season. But it’s not always easy to make time for massage. In this post, we’re reflecting on why massage is especially important during the holidays. We also provide tips to help LMTs and consumers alike work massage into their holiday […]

CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) is on the rise in hospitals across the US, and massage is a big part of that growth. The 2010 Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Survey of Hospitals took a look at 714 hospitals across the US. It found that 42% offered CAM services, an increase of 5% since 2007. Urban hospitals are the most likely to offer CAM healing, and massage therapy was found to be the most popular CAM therapy for outpatient healing, at 64%. Let’s take a look at how therapeutic massage schools prepare students for work in hospitals.

Medical Massage Work in Hospitals

Medical […]

During a career in massage, any given therapist will almost certainly encounter clients with sprained muscles. In today’s post, we’re taking a look at how sprains feel, where they often occur for athletes, and how these ubiquitous injuries may be healed through massage.

At some point or another, most active individuals have experienced a sprained muscle. Sports massage therapists are especially likely to work on sprains. As students learn in our massage training school, a sprain typically feels like a “popping” sensation, followed by a severe, sudden pain. After the sprain occurs, the area feels tender, with bruising.

Strains occur when muscle is […]

Fascia, or connective tissue, is a stabilizing substance. Acting like cables in a tension bridge, it stabilizes bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This thick, elastic tissue is rich in nerve endings, so it transmits messages from the brain quickly, and assists with proprioception (awareness of where the body is in space).  Fascia wraps around every muscle, every muscle fiber, and every joint. It supports every organ, pads every vertebra (discs are considered a part of the fascial system) and protects bones. When fascia is healthy, it allows us to move gracefully, as it helps control and coordinate our movements. It […]