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Massage and Scleroderma

Massage and Scleroderma

Scleroderma massage therapy seattle

Let’s talk about a difficult condition called scleroderma. Massage therapy might not be among the resources you’d think of in addressing the patient’s challenges with this condition, but you’d be surprised. For a wide variety of conditions, massage therapy becomes a versatile tool for healthcare professionals who add it to their repertoire.

When you study the body from a massage therapy perspective, you also gain insight and ideas for your work as a yoga instructor, fitness professional, or other roles where you’re concerned with your clients’ physical wellbeing. It’s both a whole-body and localized treatment. Here’s how it helps with scleroderma when carefully used.

Scleroderma and its Stages

Scleroderma is an autoimmune condition which, like many such conditions, affects women much more frequently than it does men. It causes hardening of the body’s tissues, either locally or throughout the body’s systems, producing a thick feeling to the skin and other stiffness and internal damage.

The progression of a client’s scleroderma is an important factor in considering massage treatment. As damage to the body continues, its surface hardens and loses vitality and eventually internal organs can be affected. Massage therapy may not be advisable or may be of limited use during later stages of the disease.

The Advantages of Skilled Massage Therapists

Multimodal treatment, mixing massage therapy with treatment by physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, can help a patient’s body to respond better to treatment in general. If you have one of these backgrounds, you can augment your clinical skills in a significant way by learning massage therapy. For example, it can help increase blood circulation and possibly delay the onset and worsening of symptoms.

Because there are many specialized massage techniques with varying effects on the body, a carefully designed massage program can be offered to clients to address medical concerns. Where deep tissue massage may help with some aspects of a condition, your skill and tactile sensitivity as a massage therapist can help you use a gentler approach, similar to that used for fibromyalgia.

Using the Unique Qualities of Massage to Help Scleroderma Patients

Medical guidance is essential when you are working with a client who is diagnosed with scleroderma. Depending on the type and extent of a client’s condition, deep tissue massage techniques may be somewhat useful, but attention to circulation and joint function, breath and relaxation may be more productive approaches.

You can provide gentle, repetitive touch to help capillary flow and relaxation, while breathwork and assisted joint movement can help the body stay resilient. Myofascial (muscle) techniques can conflict with the hardening of the body’s surfaces, and generally you should avoid this type of approach.

Patient Engagement Makes a Difference

Massage therapy training helps you understand the body from a client’s perspective. In addition to being a caring presence in each person’s life, you learn how to constructively use touch to assist bodies in healing from disease and maintaining health. The power of one human caring for another in a safe, structured setting allows one of the most basic human needs to be addressed — that of touch.

As an autoimmune disease, scleroderma is a complex condition and patients may feel at a loss in dealing with it. From nurses to fitness coaches, when people help us with our physical well being, it’s usually with a minimum of hands-on connection and mostly verbal. When you, as a massage therapist, address specific physical challenges which the client is experiencing, you also address the patient as a whole, helping her to develop an inner strength to deal with her life’s challenges.

To learn more about how massage therapy can be beneficial for Scleroderma contact our Seattle student massage clinic

Massage Therapy Job Outlook in Washington

Massage Therapy Job Outlook in Washington

Massage Therapy Job Outlook – A career in massage therapy gives you the power to relieve pain and promote health while earning a good income. Nationally, the field is expected to continue growing at an accelerate rate through the year 2024.

For massage therapy Seattle and its tech-heavy culture make a perfect match. If you are thinking about a career in massage therapy Seattle is one of the best places in the country.

Washington State Requirements

Massage therapists are regulated by the Washington State Department of Health, Board of Massage. To maintain an active license, therapists must meet the following requirements.

Applicants must complete an approved training program that includes:

  • 130 hours anatomy and physiology
  • 40 hours kinesiology instruction
  • 50 hours pathology
  • 265 hours theory and practice, including technique
  • 55 hours clinical and business practices
  • Red Cross first aid certification
  • CPR certification
  • 4 hours HIV/AIDS discussion

Those who received training out-of-state or who are licensed in another location may not meet Washington state education requirements. To verify previous experience, a verification form must be completed by the jurisdiction or school where your credentials were gained.

All applicants must successfully complete the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) or Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) examination.

After completing the training program and testing, therapists must submit all necessary paperwork to the Board of Massage, along with any applicable fees. Once your application information is verified, you will receive your Washington state massage therapy license.

Massage therapy licenses expire on the holder’s birthday every year. They can be renewed up to 90 days in advance.

Every two years, practitioners must complete 24 hours of continuing education credits. These must include:

  • 8+ hours direct massage skills training
  • 4+ hours professional ethics, communication, or review of state laws and regulations
  • 2 hours review of professional roles and boundaries

Massage Therapy Seattle Area Employment Outlook

For those practicing massage therapy Seattle has a variety of job opportunities in different industries.

  • Personal care services, such as in-home aid
  • Working with other health practitioners as part of a team
  • Amusement and recreation, such as spas and high-end hotels
  • Hospitals and long-term rehabilitation care

Massage Therapy Job Outlook for Washington is great in general. For a successful career in massage therapy Seattle is a great place to set up a freelance operation. For mobile massage therapy Seattle is the perfect place to create your own career by making office visits.

  • When it comes to pay for those practicing massage therapy Seattle is one of the best paying locations in the country. Seattle area therapists command an impressive hourly mean wage of $26.89, well above the national average of $19.17.
  • Washington has the 4th highest demand for massage therapists in the country. The state also consistently posts high employment rates for those in the field.
  • Massage therapy positions in Washington are expected to increase by 41.3% in the next 8 years. The demand for new massage talent will soon cause a shortage of qualified applicants. This could drive wages up in the future, making the area even more attractive for knowledgeable bodywork professionals.

When practicing massage therapy Seattle offers opportunity and variety. Enjoy a fulfilling and profitable career as a respected health professional. When it comes to massage therapy Seattle is the best place in the country to learn, practice, and live.

For questions relating to the Massage Therapy Job Outlook in Washington State contact our admission department today!

Tacoma Massage School Campus Update

Four weeks till the doors open and this massage school becomes a home for many aspiring massage therapist.

Construction is well underway at our newest Tacoma massage school location, an addition to the Northwest Academy family. As you can see below, the lobby demo is complete and new plumbing almost done. We are headed toward drywall repair and painting through the week, with a goal of flooring next week.

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 As you might notice,  I included a picture of the traditional massage therapist work boot. This footwear is a staple to massage therapist construction workers around the world. 🙂

Well, I suppose I should get back to work as this new school build out won’t do itself.  I will update you all again soon as I progress through the project.

Learn more information about our massage school campus locations!