Body Mechanics
Good Posture for Massage Therapists

Proper body mechanics will help extend the life of your massage career by giving you the tools you need to avoid injury. Most schools teach students how to stand and use body weight when giving a massage, but sadly some do not leaving students guessing and learning from trial and error. I decided to write this page to help out people who are a bit unsure about how to use their bodies during a massage.

Therapists who don't use their bodies properly can only expect to have a career that lasts 3 to 5 years. That's a really short career. I'm sure you agree that it's too short that's why it is important to pay attention to your stance and use of your hands and wrists while you work.

If you aren't paying attention to body alignment and weight distribution now chances are you're already injuring yourself while you're giving a massage. You may not feel it now, but it's happening. It'll just take you some time to notice. It's best to correct bad habits now than wait until you experience pain.

If you're already experiencing pain from massaging, you'll need to take a break from work to recover. That may not seem doable to you, but the alternative is continuing to work and making the injury worse. Continuing along that path will make it so that, eventually, you won't be able to give massages at all and you may end up permanently damaged physically.

Posture is Everything

Keeping a straight back and neutral neck will help you avoid injury. Many therapists bend over a lot during their massages and use their strength to apply pressure to their clients. If you're using good body mechanics, your pressure doesn't come from your strength. Instead, the pressure should come from your body weight. Instead of the force coming from your back, it should come from your feet up through your body. Your arms should be straight. If your bending at the elbows, your strength is coming from the wrong place.

The height of the table really affects your mechanics. If a table is too high it will force your to use your strength for pressure instead of your body weight. A mistake that many therapists make is not adjusting their tables between massages. If you are going to work on a heavier client after working on a thinner client your should lower your table so that you'll be able to work on your heavier client with straight arms just as you worked on the thinner client.

When standing next to your table to give a massage you should be in a lunge stance with your outside leg bent and your inside leg straight when working up and down the table. When standing facing the table you should have your knees sightly bent. A good way to remember how to stand when you're working is to remember that your feet should face the position of force.

Changing old habits can be difficult. Try practicing your body mechanics in front of a mirror so you can check your posture. You can put a mirror in your treatment room so to check yourself while you work.

When I was in school they used to video take us giving massages so we could see what we were doing wrong with our bodies while we worked. That might be a good idea for you if you're having problems with body mechanics.

As you improve your body mechanics, you'll notice that you'll feel less fatigue while you work. Using good posture will help you have a long massage career ahead of you.

Avoiding Tired Hands

Let's start with your hands. If you're using your hands they should always be loose and relaxed. Whether your doing an open palm stroke or loose fist, your hands need to be supple. When you do a loose fist stroke your wrist should be straight to avoid wrist injury.

Petrissage is a great stroke but overuse of it can wear out your hands. Alternate between petrissage and compression to so your hand isn't using the same motion over and over.

I found that even when using these techniques my hands would be tired at the end of the day making my last massage of the day not as good at the first. I solved this problems by switching up the tools I used during therapy. I find that the forearms are extremely good tools to use. When you use your forearms don't let your posture suffer. Don't scrunch down over your client. You should still have a relaxed straight back. You can use them during effleurage strokes and to do compression. Therapies like No Hands Massage and Lomilomi are two modalities that use the forearms.

Using your feet during a massage is also a way to continue to work with tired hands. You can learn modalities like Oriental Bar Therapy, Deep Tissue Barefoot Massage, and Fijian massage all require the therapist to use her feet to work on her client.