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YourHub.com \\ The Valley \\ Stories \\ Health \\ Advice

1. Pain! 2. Search for a massage therapist. WRONG!

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Contributed by: Julia Morrow, CMT/LMT on 5/4/2008

Don't put off looking for a massage therapist until you're experiencing pain. You won't know where to begin looking for someone good, you will be calling around frantically, perhaps late in the day/evening trying to find someone to take you last minute, putting you under more stress than you already are feeling...!

What should you do instead?

First, be proactive. Before you ever experience muscle aches and pains, think about what kind of massage you might like. For everyday stress from work and life, you'll probably enjoy a Swedish massage. If you are active with sports, or have an upcoming event you'll be participating in that might make you hurt (like a tennis match or long hikewith the Sierra Club), you might want a deep tissue or sports massage. If you know that your fibromyalgia acts up on certain days, you'll want to get a fibromyalgia massage. If you're scheduled for chemotherapy, a massage will help decrease your anxiety and nausea.

Next, know that professional massage therapists must be A) certified and B) licensed. They MUST have both qualifications. Certified means they graduated from an accredited school, and also have certificates in various massage modalities, such as the ones mentioned above (Swedish, sports, deep tissue, fibromyalgia, cancer massage, etc). Licensed means they have purchased their Los Angeles City business license (permit), allowing them to operate a business/go into clients' homes/work in a day spa, etc.

Third, you'll want to find a handful of therapists, and will want to check out their websites and/or telephone them just to ask initial questions and get a sense of whether you'd be comfortable hiring them in the future. Where do you find the names of good therapists? On the internet, you can start with the largest national professional organization for massage therapists: ABMP, or Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals: www.abmp.com. At the bottom of the first page, click "Find a Therapist". Then, type in your zipcode and which type of massage you'd like (Swedish, pregnancy, etc) and a list of qualified people in your area will pop up.

Another good way to find therapists is to do a search online for "Massage Therapists, Northridge" or whatever city you live in. Or, call your local Whole Foods Market, since most offer chair massage, and ask who is their best therapist. Often that person will be happy to offer you a table massage in your home or in their studio.

As I mentioned before, take a look at their websites to see if you get a good feel for who they are. Make sure they are both certified and licensed. If you phone them, ask if they are certified in pregnancy massage, or geriatric massage, or whatever, and where they are licensed (making sure it's L.A., if you live within the boundaries of the city of L.A.). Ask how long they've been a therapist, what they charge, do they come to your home, do they work evenings, or whatever other questions you think of. Let them know that you don't need to make an appointment immediately, but are collecting information in case you do need someone later. Most therapists will be happy to answer your questions!

Finally, if the moment arises when you've wrenched your back or just walked a 10K for charity, you won't panic and waste time trying to look for a massage therapist! Just get out your list of people you've already spoken to, and give one a call! She or he will get you back to normal in no time!

Julia Morrow, CMT/LMT
www.massagebyjulia.com
818.421.0597

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