Advice from Other Injured Therapists Needed

[ESS3NC3 0F 3V1L]

Since I was two years old, I had been doing massage. It seemed it was my life's calling as every person in my world pushed me to go after this dream.

In 2001, I followed my dream, paid my way through massage school working a full time job at the same time, and became a massage therapist. In three long years afterwards, I was amazingly successful in a deep tissue practice and had built a practice with two clinics and twelve therapists working for me... then it happened. I was injured.

I developed Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and Carpal Tunnel in my left side. Mixed emotions of anger and the betrayal of my body came to me as I knew that I was one of the few therapists that actually did all the self-care I possibly could. Pain still gets me every single day and is a reminder of the incredible career I once had. It brings tears to my eyes to even think about those times.

I tried to get back into massage and lasted only another nine months, taking an enormous amount of pain pills to endure the nine months in the process. I recuperated enough to work on the computer keyboard and find contracts in the IT sector. Shortly after getting into IT, I more than tripled my income that I made in massage... but still this aching hole exists in my soul.

With the economic downturn, I am yet again unemployed. The idea of going back to massage again both excites me and scares me simply because I tried going back and re-injured myself. Some friends tell me to try another modality and others tell me to let it go and find another passion.

My question is this... If you were injured like me, what would you do? If you had a modality to pick to get back in, what would it be? What things can I do to heal my soul and move on if I should leave this career behind and be one of the many that have burned out?

Many thanks to all the healers that reach out with thoughts of advice.

 

[Meems]

I can't really give good advice on what to do next, as I have not suffered an injury or had to make that decision. I *think* I would lean towards a different modality.

Can you explain why, if you had 2 clinics and 12 therapists under you, did you have to leave? I would have stayed there and just managed (and received lots of bodywork) for awhile while healing.

 

[Mackay]

I can't really give good advice on what to do next, as I have not suffered an injury or had to make that decision. I *think* I would lean towards a different modality.

Can you explain why, if you had 2 clinics and 12 therapists under you, did you have to leave? I would have stayed there and just managed (and received lots of bodywork) for awhile while healing.

The therapists were paid very well (as they should be) and I left the practice in the good hands of someone else. Partly because it was too painful to be there and the bitterness grew inside of me to stay. In my case, I could not make a house payment on what I earned managing the clinic and needed to practice in order to make enough to make ends meet.

 

[Spidey]

While I can't tell you what you should do, I can tell you what I've done.

After about 9 years of doing massage I blew out my shoulder. Up until then, I'd worked too hard (a lot of deep tissue without regard for my well-being) and did too many massages a week.

I tried PT & rest but that didn't work. I had surgery and my pain went away. I then went back to work and while I did cut down on the number of massages, I was still "full-time."

My pain came back, I had a 2nd surgery and the doctor told me I had to quit doing massage. I thought about it, cried about it, anguished over it and decided that not doing massage was not the answer for me. I couldn't bear to think of a life without massage.

My compromise was that when I went back to work, I started very gradually. I did one massage a week, then two massages a week and so on until I found my limit.

I now will only do 10-12 massages a week. While I still do some deep tissue, I learned to work smarter, not harder. I added other modalities such as hot stone, thai foot and spa treatments. I get bodywork on a regular basis, ice is my friend, I stretch and yes, I have to occassionally take a pain pill.

I've accepted the fact that as long as I do massage my shoulder will bother me. Some days more, some days less but the important thing is that I'm still able to do the thing that I love.

I am lucky that I can afford to only work part time. I guess if I had to, I could supplement my massage income with another part time job in a different field.

Good luck to you and I guess my advice would be to follow your heart and see where it leads.

Angie

 

[Katastical]

For TOS and/or CTS I would see an Orthopedic Massage Therapist before I saw a surgeon.

Self-care is great - but sometimes you need some help in dealing with overuse injuries.

Go here to find a Waslaski trained therapis - amazing and EFFECTIVE protocols for these conditions...
http://orthomassage.net/preferred_practitioners

Or better yet - sign up for one of his seminars and have James work on you himself.

Anyway - you can move into different kinds of work that are easier on your hands and body...
Cranio-Sacral Therapy/Somato-Emotional Release and Lymph Drainage Therapy...and I am pretty sure that some of the other Upledger Institute trainings, such as Visceral Manipulation and Zero Balancing are also more of a subtle touch. Check it out and see if there is something there for you.
http://secure.upledger.com/courseCatalog.asp

 

[Zallen]

be well.

Give it a rest awhile, let time heal, and, like Angie suggested, return to that which has heart and meaning.
A discipline (yoga, tai chi, golf etc), weight lifting, aerobic exercises and awareness of diet/weight will enable anyone.
Lastly, remembering that "whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened" and "be open, but not attached to outcomes" will alleviate the anguish. Be well.

 

[Courtney Thibodaux]

But what modality to do?

While I've always been fond of energy work, I observed that it was immensely difficult to build a practice. I stuck with what I knew which was deep tissue. It was much easier to bring people to the truth that they needed massage when giving deep tissue.

I had extremely talented energy workers on staff at the clinics. A few times, clients came out of sessions demanding a refund. I knew the therapist and the quality of work was there and the education during the session was happening. However, no matter how hard they tried to explain to some people didn't get the value of the work.

This has deterred me from trying to practice solely with an energy work practice. I saw how difficult it was to build that type of practice. People seem to want to be pummeled all the time... this is what stops me from going into another modality that may not hurt my shoulder as much to do.

There are so many modalities out there... What would you suggest that is a modality I could practice even with a blown shoulder?

 

[eyJude]

Have you tried John F. Barnes Myofascial Release?

To me it is still deep, but in a more profound way than the actual application of a lot of physical pressure. If you have never tried it before, check his website to see if you can find an advanced practitioner in your area to work on your shoulder. By experiencing the work you will know whether it's something you want to investigate doing yourself.

I do quite a bit of deep tissue myself, but MFR has taught me that it doesn't necessarily take a lot of physical force to achieve the desired result. With MFR, it depends on the client... you are waiting on their tissues to release. And it takes as long as it takes. (Do not be attached to the outcome.)

Or as squash_blossom suggested, a more "medical massage" approach may be what is needed here.

But really dene, what do You want to do?

 

[Marti]

Have you gone to an acupuncturist? I saw you mention self care & apparantly saw an MD for pills, but what about seeing someone who can possibly help who is not into allopathic medicine?

Maybe you've already done this?

I know you mention you are currently out of work and wanting to go back into massage, but as I always say, you have to feed yourself first. If you are injured and can't do massage, it won't pay the bills. There's nothing wrong with doing what it takes to stay alive.

If you have the ability to choose what you do, then why not look at more energy based work, and keep at light swedish until you can get the shoulder healed up (be that with surgery or whatever other form you wish to try). You may never be able to practice again -- it's hard to say not knowing the full extent of the injury.... but, I'd sure be interested in trying something besides the self-care and pills.

Energy based work (along with crystals) and body wraps is what one friend of mine went into once she started having health issues. It worked fine for her.

Also, I believe CST could be something to look into as well as Ashiatsu & Barefoot Fijian Massage.

Ashi & Barefoot links at MassagePlanetL:

• Ahh...Shiatsu Massage Therapy
• Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy
• Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy
• Question about Ashiatsu (AOBT)
  
• Barefoot Fijian Massage

 

[Pompal 09.]

I didn't answer the poll question because my most likely course of action, "Treat the injury as appropriate, modify my practice as necessary, and improve my self-care to prevent reinjury" was not available.

If you have had an injury from doing the work, then it is clear you did NOT do "all the self-care I possibly could" - something about your self-care was insufficient, you ignored the early warning signs, tried to force your way through it, and ultimately paid the price. Your body did not betray you; it sent pain signals telling you something had gone awry. What more could it do?

Stop blaming your body. It's your best ally, willingly attempting to do whatever you ask it to... until it can't anymore.

Now you have a new opportunity, a new temptation, to re-enter the career you loved so much. Should you do it? Perhaps you should ask your body if it is ready to do so, then listen to what it says.

In your shoes, I would spend some time working on preparing my body for the stresses of doing bodywork. This means exercise, stretching, and reviewing good body mechanics. This probably also means making a long-term commitment to enhanced self-care going well beyond what you did previously. It may mean throwing out what you think you know and learning a completely different approach better suited to your needs. This can be very humbling, as I once discovered... but ultimately the process will expand your horizons and deepen your understanding of what your body needs. Frustration and fear may be replaced by freedom and confidence.

As you become better allies with your body, you may find yourself drawn towards different forms of bodywork. You have been away for a time... you are free from prior expectations and may practice however you like. Now is when you have the most freedom to explore new realms of bodywork with impunity.

Use your freedom well!

 

[Cydney]

Two other massage types you may like to learn = Heeling and Chavutti.

Here's a good MassagePlanetL thread on it: walk around massage

 

[UhJuJu]

And, in case you get a wild idea to make a place for foot soaks and tea, here is another good MassagePlanetL thread:
looking for a big big bowl for foot soaks

 

[Gold Hat]

dene, My heart really goes out to you with where you are right now, and I wish I had more advice to offer. I agree with the other posters suggestions of possible modality ideas that would be easier on your body.

Another idea that comes to my mind is modalities that based on movement re-education. Things like Trager and Feldenkrais? These might be things that could help you heal in the process of learning them too? Or maybe just having a session or two of something like this might help with the pain you're experiencing.

Hang in there, and... "Trust yourself to work out what is right for you." ~Moshe Feldenkrais

 

[Lynnmarie]

Things like Trager and Feldenkrais?

I don't know much about Trager, but it does look like a good fit.

Here's a video clip on Feldenkrais: http://www.houfeldenkrais.com/about_feldenkrais.htm

Some clickable Feldenkrais Links:

Here are a few links:

Feldenkrais -
http://www.feldenkrais.com/
http://feldenkrais-method.org/
http://www.feldnet.com/
http://www.feldenkraisinstitute.org
http://www.eurotab.org/
http://www.feldenkrais.org.au/training/

Sample Lessons for those Curious:
http://www.movement-educators.com/lesson.html
http://www.houfeldenkrais.com/curious.htm
http://www.wozny.org/mopolessons.html

And, a quick link to another MassagePlanetL topic that may help: What kind of modality is complimentary to Massage?

 

[Singh]

In my case, there was no other option except surgery. Most of my work is corporate/convention chair massage. I also do table off of my chair clients. I am a cyclist (bicycle). In 2005 I was hit by a car. An elderly gentleman turned in front of me while I was going 35mph. Basically, my left arm had to be rebuilt. Right now it has a metal plate, 8 screws, 8 pins, wire and some of my hip bone in it. I have 70% mobility in my arm...no full extension or flexion. I will no doubt have more surgery down the road as they could not get every single piece of bone. I hurt most days in varying degrees.

After 5 months, I started work again though slowly. Now, almost 4 years later, I can regularly do 6 hours of chair or 4-5 tables in a day. I think I'm a better therapist because of my accident. I HAVE to pay close attention to what my body tells me or I will hurt more. Because of my lupus and scleroderma, I did this anyway, but I'm even more diligent now. My routines are better, because, in some instances, I've had to modify technique. I read constantly thru massage mags and books, hoping to glean just one little tidbit to help me in my practice. Outside of massage, I keep in physical shape so my body won't burn out, keep in mental shape so my mind won't burn out and keep in spiritual shape so I can bring energy to my work.

It's funny, I never considered not going back to work. And, even now, I don't even see the day that I won't be doing massage.

 

[U. S. observer]

don't let injuries stop you from doing your job. the body can adapt if you know how. there was a student my teacher knew. she broke her hands. don't know how. but she wanted to stay in massage so now she learn to massage with forearms and fist. she can't use her fingers no more.

also, you should be reminded that in order to be in the health field one have to take care of oneself so one don't get injured. i just have the mentality that if one isn't at one's best one isn't good enough to help others with half ass work.

my advice. take time off to heal yourself. it's a daily thing. get work done from good therapist. good luck finding them as it's very hard. you probably have to get rid of cell memory of pain from your injuries and rebalance your whole body. Above all else. tai chi to get the energy following and it helps with proper posture. reason most people get hurt is because of overwork muscles that cause bad posture. probably from bad posture to start with.

there is a cure for carpel tunnel and thoracic outlet. as both those are mainly pinch nerves from muscle tension or repositioned bones due to bad posture and overwork conditioned muscles they can be reverse and prevented. just have to get the right care for the right problem.

since you make more money doing IT. you can keep doing that until economy gets better. get your basic needs met first than do what you love. as for massage. you don't have to do it full time. do it part time to fill your void. that way it won't be too strenuous to your body.

as for energy work. it depends on what kind. if you know chi kung. it's more accepted as it's associated with the acupuncture area of chi healing for injuries. if it's like reiki or laying of hands and more passive it probably won't sell well. the active type of energy work is what works well. of course one can't do energy work if one don't do energy practices. that is why many doing reiki or laying of hands don't understand. they don't have a cleanse energy body due to not practicing and clients will feel that nothing is happening. they don't have surplus energy to give. especially if therapist are the party type and heavy drinkers. doing energy work one have to kinda walk that path of being really grounded. many may be tuned and be sensitive to energy so they think they are great energy healers. however, that's two different skills. being sensitive and being able to manipulate energy are not the same. it require skill in concentration, focus and emotional state management as well as getting all your crap together and being an neutral conduit. energy vampires or sensitive people or emotional drama addicts are not good energy healers. they pick up too much crap and transfer it around and don't know it.

bottomline, explore why massage is for your passion. see if you can find another field that fulfill same purpose. personally, i'll do it part time or continue massage even if it's not a career. there are health benefits to keeping up with your massage skills. worse comes to worse. just be personal therapist to your friends and word of mouth. this way you keep workload to a minimum and get to continue massage. also, massage should not hurt if you do proper body mechanics. it's not about strength muscle when you do deep tissue. i keep hearing people saying massage is strenuous. it's not if done right as you use gravity and body weight.

my guess is that you were working overtime and not letting body enough time to rest as doing massage is like cumulative exercise. that is not enough rest makes you prone to injury because of bad posture from imbalance muscles. every therapist should have some sort of personal practice that destress. they don't teach you that in school.

 

[Ottawa Mike]

...being sensitive and being able to manipulate energy are not the same.

I concur.

 

[Lovinghope]

I started my massage career already having TOS and CTS and Fibromyalgia. Everyone thought I was crazy for wanting to be a massage therapist with these preexisting conditions. Talk about having the deck stacked against me! But I am surviving and thriving in my massage career because I listen to my body. If I push it too hard I back off and give it time to recover, I am diligent about body mechanics and working smarter, not harder. If massage is really your passion you will find a way to do it again.

 

[sdbolt07]

I picked surgery on the poll because last week I fell and as I was trying to catch myself, grabbed a sharp metal object and long story short I have six stitches in my palm and have been out of work all week and still can't return for one more week. So, one missed step and I had to take two weeks off and now have hospital bill coming my way.
GREAT!

But, I too have suffered from TOS and when I start waking with numb arms and hands; I take a trip to my chiropractor. They use a machine called the ProAdjuster and one of the doctors there does this technique where he taps on my C1 until it feels like lightning bolts shoot out my finger tips. After this quick treatment, no more numb arms and hands for a good couple of months. (I do more than a hundred massages a month) and when it comes back, I get another treatment.

 

[sciencegeek+]

Dene, this is one of your callings obviously. I guess my opinion is that it feeds your soul and it is such therapeutic work to give, as well as receive...that I think you should still practice but cut way down on the hours...if you can only give one massage a month so be it...but don't give it up completely.

As well, leave room for your healing. That the state of your body now, is not necessarily the state it will be next week...

I got extremely ill six months before my slated time to begin massage therapy school which I had been planning to attend two years prior...yes, I was deeply disappointed when school started and there was just no way I could attend. It took me a long many months to finally be diagnosed with chronic lyme and associated illnesses...I was having severe neurological issues, and pain everywhere in my body....flash forward four years later after aggressive therapies of many types, I am on my feet and practicing and see from 10-15 clients a week...

I went through anger at my body, at the physicians who could not figure it out, at my state....it was really tough...and then my integrative physician told me about two massage therapists who had been practicing for years who got lyme disease and had to quit...he was urging me to really consider whether going to massage school was the smartest idea after my recovery...well that just inspired me to go all the more ;0) I am a stubborn soul...

Anyway, I think my journey through the hell of chronic lyme and back again is what makes me an incredible LMBT. I was given a gift through my journey...I have patience and compassion that I personally would not have had before.

I see myself as a conduit of universal healing energy and a witness to other's healing journeys.

I do have my days where my body may hurt a little more or I have to back off and take care of myself...but overall I am doing great.

So, please don't give up on massage therapy...but I do think this is a time where maybe you need to go deep inside and really connect with your own healing force, find out if you can come to the table in a new form. It sounds like you were a real workhorse and took great pride in pushing hard...I sense that just from how far you went even so early out of school. Maybe it is time to reframe massage as less of a business, and more of the art it is and the reason you have been doing it for as long as you could stand ;0)

I wish you well, and when the dark clouds creep in and you are battling with the challenges please feel free to pm me. It is a tough place to be, I know.

Take care