The Secret to Avoiding the Aches and Pains of the Weekend Warrior

(ARA) - When the first warm weekend lures gardeners into the yard and the armchair athletes back to the field, these "warriors" often find that their muscles and joints are a more than a little sore on Monday. For some of these "weekend warriors," the antidote for aching muscles is a soothing massage, making this time of year one of the busiest for massage therapists around the country.

According to a recent survey conducted for the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), 32 percent of Americans who received a massage in the past five years cited medical purposes, such as muscle soreness and spasm, injury recovery and rehabilitation, or pain relief.

Something for our weekend warriors to keep in mind -- research shows those who get massages before they engage in strenuous activity, or activities out of the norm, can actually prevent pain and injury.

"We want people to know that getting a massage as a preventive treatment will help them avoid injuries when they hit the golf course for the first time or play a softball doubleheader," says Caryn Henderson, an instructor for Georgia Medical Institute's massage therapy program. "As massage treatments become more and more accepted, they have become less of a luxury and more of a necessity for a lot of people."

So what does it take to become a successful massage therapist? Henderson says it requires more than just being good with your hands. A trained massage therapist has a good understanding of how all of the muscles in the body work. "We teach our students to address specific muscle groups throughout the body and to identify typical tension areas based on a person's job, hobbies, and other lifestyle factors, and to customize the massage based on that."

Dr. Debra Penman, massage therapy program chair at Bryman College, City of Industry, Calif. campus, points out that massage therapists also need a soothing and reassuring manner with clients, as well as good business sense, since those who are self-employed must attract and maintain a client base.

"It's a strenuous job that requires long hours of standing, and physical strength to perform one massage after another. Massage therapists must be able to keep themselves healthy physically and emotionally," says Dr. Penman. "And finally, massage therapists need to adhere to a strict code of ethics that includes never repeating the confidences clients often tell them while on the table."

The massage therapy programs offered by Bryman Colleges and the Georgia Medical Institute provide students with basic knowledge, tools, ethics and behaviors that will enable them to successfully practice in a variety of health care settings. Among the possibilities: medical and rehabilitation clinics, hospitals, doctor's offices, health spas, fitness centers, sports organizations and tourist destinations.

Massage therapy is a booming field, projected to grow by between 20 and 35 percent through 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. To learn more about the massage therapy program offered at Bryman Colleges, log on to www.bryman-college.com. Information about Georgia Medical Institute's program can be found at www.georgia-med.com. The schools are part of Corinthian Colleges, Inc., one of the largest providers of post-secondary education and training in North America.

Courtesy of ARAcontent