During the intake process, therapists are alert for clues.
How youre moving through your day will quickly become apparent to your massage therapist.
And if youve got small children at home, she can usually tell from the one-sided hip hike.
Many times, I can guess a clients occupation by their symptoms and findings, Wallace said.
Athletes often experience groin pain from having overstretched adductors.
Students have neck, shoulder and back pain brought on by carrying heavy backpacks.
On or off the job, we all experience stress.
And since were such unique little unicorns, we carry our stress in different places.
Massage therapistJeffrey Montoyaagreed that stress patterns vary from person to person.
People with back pain often lack a feeling of being supported in family or work.
And anxiety is often associated with stomach and intestinal health issues.
And some of that health-related help might be totally unexpected, thanks to a vigilant therapist.
Many an eagle-eyed massage therapist has sent a client to a dermatologist for a timely diagnosis.
Other issues also can arise.
Their work extends beyond the purely physical, too.
If you start crying during treatment, your massage therapist will understand.
Touch can sometimes trigger a long-buried memory of abuse or injury, Wallace said.
When those memories are triggered, Im ready to refer them to a mental health expert who can help.
This post originally appeared onHuffPost.
