In any line of work where muscle power or manual labor is needed, it seems as if technology has no place. But if you’re a graduate of a massage school in Austin, TX and you want to establish yourself as a professional in the field, how can you use technology to your advantage? We all know that massage therapy has been around for thousands of years now. With the developments in technology, there are also improvements in the science behind discovering the healing power of touch. Although the techniques used in massage therapy remain the same, the tools that therapists use are now more technologically advanced.
Areas of Massage Therapy where Technology is Useful
Here are the major areas of massage therapy where technology is useful:
- Booking appointments with clients
Perhaps one of the first things taught at educational institutions like a massage school near Austin, TX is taking care of your clientele. Without clients who regularly come in to get massages from you, your business will not thrive. You will also not have the opportunity to practice your craft. So the minute that you get your licenses and certification, you should start gathering clients. If you’re using a tablet computer, download an app that will help you manage your appointments. Make sure not to overbook so that you can give your own body time to recover in between massage sessions.
Promoting your services
Thanks to social media, massage therapist and other independent workers have a way to promote their services without spending too much. You don’t have to spend money on print or radio ads now. Just create accounts on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked, Tumblr, and similar sites. Engage your existing clients and prospective customers in a positive manner and you should see your appointments list being filled up in no time.
- Doing your research
You can also maximize the use of technology by doing your research online. Keep yourself updated with the latest techniques in the massage therapy industry. If you’re specializing in sports massage, for instance, what can you do to make an athlete’s body heal after a grueling practice? Of course, you need to follow up your research with more studies – maybe you can take specialized classes or additional training to improve your craft.
- Healing
Finally, technology is used to advance the techniques in massage therapy. To heal chronic pain, radio wave technology can be used in addition to traditional massage techniques. Here, a machine is used to heat a small part of the nerve tissue which helps eliminate pain. Another machine, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation or TENS, helps patients deal with pain on a short-term basis. Those who are suffering from prolonged back pain have the option to use a small pacemaker device which stimulates the spinal cord. If you’re fresh out of a massage school in Austin, Texas, make sure that you have the proper licenses and training before using any of these machines to help heal your patients.
As you can see, technology plays an important role in the work of a massage therapist, so learn how to use it to your advantage.