Kelly White

I guess the first thing that people think of when they hear “massage therapist” is someone who treats peoples’ sore muscles by physical manipulation. And to a large extent that is true. Many of the people who come to me are experiencing pain but the cause of that pain might not be as simple as “sore muscles”. Sometime discomfort is caused by poor posture. Sometimes it occurs as the result of an accident or physical damage to the body and nerves. One of the roles I play is to diagnose the cause of the discomfort. The I develop a treatment plan to allow the client to function normally in day-to-day activities. For some clients the treatment plan is straight forward. For others, getting to the root of the problem and devising an effective treatment plan involves a lot of problem solving and decision making. In some unique or troublesome cases it may require me to consult various books.

Sometimes I will discuss possible treatment options with colleagues. In cases where there was significant trauma (e.g., as a result of an automobile accident) it is often necessary to revisit the treatment goals and change approaches during the rehabilitation process. In many ways our bodies are really simple but in other ways so very complicated. For example, you may feel pain in one area but in fact it is coming from several different areas. Sometimes diagnosing the issue is a bit like solving a puzzle. In the six years that I’ve been working as an RMT I’ve learned that each clinic is very different. In some clinics there is a receptionist who books your sessions, collects payment, and manages the books. So, while I will always use my scientific understanding of anatomy, physiology and neurology to apply manual manipulation, in some situations I book in my clients, manage my accounts, keep records up to date, and collect payments.