There are many massage therapists that burn out and quit because of wrist problems, which I believe can be minimised by making sure you are massaging correctly, as well as taking good care of yourself. Proper massage training is also very important.
The major cause of wrist problems is standing too close to the person being massaged creating an increased angle at the wrist joint whilst applying pressure. This is easily rectified by standing back, flattening out your wrist and using your body correctly to create the pressure.
Some suggest having a break between clients but I believe this is wrong teaching and can also contribute to the problem. I say this because once your muscles & joints are warmed up you are better to continue, you even see footballers now on exercise bikes keeping their legs moving on the side of the field, so they are ready to go as soon as they enter the playing field again. It is the same for massage therapists; we must be warmed and ready to go. At the peak of my business I was doing up to 16 massages a day, mostly remedial which worked best for my arms by doing back to backs in 2-3hour stints with half hour breaks in between. By massaging in this way, not only are your muscles and joints warmed, but you are also switched on, in the zone, ready to perform at your best.
It is beneficial to massage your arms first thing in the morning, it also helps to rub in some heat rub before you start, for our advanced massage students CTR brings great relief and can be done daily during busy periods; If sore at the end of the day, finish by rubbing in some arnica cream to help prevent or relieve any inflammation; you must also have a therapeutic massage yourself at least once a month.
REMEMBER!! If how you are massaging is causing discomfort, you need to stop, re-assess and make the changes needed to take the stress off your arms & wrist, as well as correcting your posture and making sure it is good all throughout the day.
One again proper massage training through thorough practical massage tuition, as is taught at Discover Massage Australia plays a vital role in being successful and injury free as a massage therapist.
