Duties of a Massage Therapist

Duties of a Massage Therapist

A career as a massage therapist entails using a variety of methods to treat clients through touch. By manipulating muscles and other soft tissues, massage therapists can relieve pain in their clients, improve circulation, increase relaxation, and aid in overall wellness. Massage therapists talk with their clients about their physical issues and what they hope to achieve through massage.

Here are some of the typical duties of a massage therapist:

  • Discuss the client’s symptoms, medical history, and desired results;
  • Physically evaluate the client to discover any painful areas of the body;
  • Manipulate muscles through massage therapy;
  • Give the client a future plan on how best to stretch or strengthen any injuries or sensitive areas;
  • Keep a file on each client with their condition and progress.
  • Besides using their hands, massage therapists can employ other parts of their body for massage, including forearms, elbows, and sometimes feet to knead soft tissues and muscles. Some typical supplies of a massage therapist are oils, lotions, massage tables or chairs, and sheets.

    There are many types of massage therapy, including Swedish massage, deep-tissue, sports massage, and others. Each modality requires a different set of techniques. What works for one client may not work for another, so it is important to do a client assessment before each session to determine the best course of action for each client.

    If you are interested in learning more about massage therapy as a career, give The Soma Institute a call. Soma is one of the country’s premier massage therapy education institutes, providing 11 or 15-month programs designed to train students in the many modalities of massage therapy. Call Soma at 1.800.694.5314 to learn more.