Collaborate

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Number 4 on my list of 10 tips and trick to being a successful orthopedic massage therapist is “Collaborate.” I have been an orthopedic massage therapist for over 20 years and have been fortunate enough from the very beginning to be able to work hand in hand with other physicians and health practitioners. I started out working with a chiropractor, but within a couple of years, I had the extortionary experience of working in this country’s 1^st clinic to offer a combination of western and alternative medicine.

The clinic had an MD, physical therapist, registered nurse, acupuncture, a nature path, massage therapy, physical therapist, and imaging. These professionals worked in conjunction with other practitioners such as yoga and Thai Chi instructors, and all of the patients were shared among the practitioners who were all in the same space. We got used to talking about our patients and brainstorming with each other to not miss any details and to create the best treatment plans possible for our clients.

There is more than one solution:

Working at that clinic was incredibly eye-opening for me, and I continue to use the collaboration skills I learned from there whenever I can. I have found that many practitioners today are very proud of what they do. This is great! But, unfortunately, it can lead to an ego where the practitioners believe their solution is the be all and end all to solve a problem.

I do not believe in that philosophy. We talked a few weeks ago about applying the right treatment at the right time in the right way, well that includes the right combination of treatment.

I have seen people heal so much faster while working with multiple practitioners than while only working with one. The idea of functional medicine is the idea that there are multiple areas in a person’s life that need to be balanced. You can’t treat one aspect and fix it without addressing all of the other areas too. I very much believe in that philosophy and try to adjust my treatment plan for my patients to align with it. Stay tuned to find out what this looks like next week.

For more information on successful orthopedic massage therapy, join me here.

About the Author

Kym has been practicing massage therapy for 17 years. She graduated from the Northwest School of Massage in Seattle, Washington in 1996 and immediately went into medical massage therapy, treating auto accident injuries and working with physicians treating soft tissue dysfunctions. Throughout the years she has developed a unique technique that breaks the soft tissue holding patterns that develop from years of imbalance and cumulative minor injuries. She works to “reprogram” the muscles and connective tissue from the positions and habits that keep them out of balance and makes them prone to injury. She uses a combination of long, slow trigger point pressure, myofascial release, and range of motion techniques to retrain the body. This approach has both immediate and long term, long lasting effects. While her style is definitely therapeutic more people fall asleep during these sessions than during a Swedish massage. Come see the difference with Kym!