Manual therapists!

[Ana]

Hey guys !
I was just wondering how you manage to keep up with mostly manual work??
I've been working as a beautician for a year now and to be honest i'm in a lot of pain! If its not my wrist it would be my back and so on..!
How do you do it ??!?!?!

 

[miss_petite]

in my first year i was pregnant lol i suffered really bad hip problems but its hereditary really but my work made it worse. no back or wrist problems yet thou iv been told i have really good posture and a firm hand at waxing .
im very fussy about how high my bed is and my clients position. you need to single out which treatments are causing the pain or that feel uncomfortable . for example wen my hips use to be sore after work its when i had done alot of electroylisis so i stopped using a foot peddle and it helped alot.

luckly for me i had alot of thereapists around me that had been in the buisness for over 10 years so i use to get them to show me postions or get them to watch me if a treatment was making me unconfortable. one of my collegues has given up threading due to hand pain.

 

[Ana]

wow if I was pregnant there's no way I could manage so well done! i work on my own so unfortunately there isnt anyone to show me but i suppose i should try and find out what exactly is giving me pains. I thought it could be overloading in general and that it needs getting used to but not sure.. I think i maintain a good posture throughout but then again its hard to know

 

[number1kitty]

Got RSI really bad also now arthritus.

Only thing that keeps me going is Bowen therapy.

The life of a therapist is very short espescially when you do a lot of massage/facials etc.

Kate

 

[nixnewcastle]

I used to work at Matfen Hall in the spa full time. All that was ever booked in was facials and massage and all you ever had was 15 minute slots between each treatment (this was to clean your room and set up your next treatment) We were always fully booked so we would do 7 hours a day of constant treatment and we were there for 8.5 hours a day. I worked there for 2 years and I still to this day have back problems because of it (3 years later)

The problem is that theres no such thing as a legal limit to how many massages you do in a day so thousands of therapists have this problem and in my opinion it is SLAVE LABOUR!! especially when you work out that your being paid £5.50 to do an hours massage that costs £60

 

[hippy-chick]

when I first started in this biz I luckily came across a magazine article stating that a full time therapist had a 7 year shelf life. I have been in the biz for 16 years now and although I have only ever worked part time, I am still going strong.

What I did was take on some hands-off treatments and learn't many types of treatments, otherwise you will get RSI.

My main work is
massage
facials
reflexology

I also offer things like reiki, crystal therapy, hopi ear candles, body treatments that use different muscle groups. My main treatment is massage, so I have learn't hot stone massage, cupping, hands-off massage and bamboo massage.

So, my advice to you is vary your workload, don't do a lot of one treatment.

 

[FlawlessBeauty]

Yoga and pilates are really good for strengthening your core muscles so your posture is better and you don't put as much pressure on your back.

I agree, try to vary your treatments if possible to give yourself a break.

Be very conscious of the way you stand. I was taught to apply pressure with my body weight, which stops me from weakening my wrists.

And finally, why not take a massage course that specialises in "no-hands massage"? That's where they train you to use different body parts, such as your elbows, so your not always putting pressure on one area.

Oh yeah, ibulieve gel in boots is great for pain. Definitely try it. xxxx

 

[duffield1]

I've always been taught that a good treatment should not cause you any pain, it is only treatments that are done incorrectly that should cause you problems.

This doesn't mean that you are doing things wrong, just that you can learn different techniques that put less stress on your body when you are delivering a treatment - so, for example, with deep tissue massage, you make better use of your body weight than your strength, and adopt stances and positions that spread the strain over a far larger area, rather than just making all the effort with your wrists.

I guess it is like the H&S guidance on lifting heavy items - you can lift safely if you follow some simple rules, but it just takes a while to learn the rules and make sure that you follow them every time. At first, the different positions may feel awkward, but with a bit of practice, they can completely change the way you feel after a day of treatments - sure, you might be tired, but it should be mild ache rather than physical pain.

 

[Ana]

thanks for the tips guys! I will do my best to focus on how to do things "right" without spraining.. I love doing what i do and theres a good mixture or treatments that we offer where I am but sometimes it feels like a lot.
I have heard of what it is like working in a spa and sounds terrible! Then again in this industry you are better off working for yourself eventually otherwise there's no point carrying on ...
thanks again xxxx