Massage Instructor
@massageinstructor.bsky.social
Facilitating - not fixing
"When everyone has a modality, no one has a model" is only true if we insist that models must erase art.
If instead we build models that can contain art without lying about science, the big tent does not weaken the field: it makes it honest.
#FacilitatingNotFixing
If instead we build models that can contain art without lying about science, the big tent does not weaken the field: it makes it honest.
#FacilitatingNotFixing
December 21, 2025 at 9:05 PM
"When everyone has a modality, no one has a model" is only true if we insist that models must erase art.
If instead we build models that can contain art without lying about science, the big tent does not weaken the field: it makes it honest.
#FacilitatingNotFixing
If instead we build models that can contain art without lying about science, the big tent does not weaken the field: it makes it honest.
#FacilitatingNotFixing
Lowkey writing a massage manual in my free time because I've yet to find one that actually illustrates how touch works or why in any meaningful way. 🤷
(without resorting to pseudoscience or overly elaborating on adjacent subjects)
(without resorting to pseudoscience or overly elaborating on adjacent subjects)
December 7, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Lowkey writing a massage manual in my free time because I've yet to find one that actually illustrates how touch works or why in any meaningful way. 🤷
(without resorting to pseudoscience or overly elaborating on adjacent subjects)
(without resorting to pseudoscience or overly elaborating on adjacent subjects)
Quality education means scrutinizing your sources. Don’t settle for fluff CE.
Demand integrity in what you learn and teach.
(And instructors saying that it's sourced well doesn't count as checking those sources!)
#MassageEducation #CriticalThinking #FacilitatingNotFixing
Demand integrity in what you learn and teach.
(And instructors saying that it's sourced well doesn't count as checking those sources!)
#MassageEducation #CriticalThinking #FacilitatingNotFixing
November 14, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Quality education means scrutinizing your sources. Don’t settle for fluff CE.
Demand integrity in what you learn and teach.
(And instructors saying that it's sourced well doesn't count as checking those sources!)
#MassageEducation #CriticalThinking #FacilitatingNotFixing
Demand integrity in what you learn and teach.
(And instructors saying that it's sourced well doesn't count as checking those sources!)
#MassageEducation #CriticalThinking #FacilitatingNotFixing
Spotted yet another article from one of our professional organizations clearly written entirely by 'ai' or with a substantial 'ai' assist. Humans simply do not format things in such reliably bland ways, even marketers and bloggers.
October 18, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Spotted yet another article from one of our professional organizations clearly written entirely by 'ai' or with a substantial 'ai' assist. Humans simply do not format things in such reliably bland ways, even marketers and bloggers.
Absolutely staggering how often I see some educators and school owners posting about how inspirational it is to teach or run a school vs how little time they put in to teaching or running that school.
I'm occasionally here on bluesky to connect with folks (and vent), but it's never a sales pitch.
I'm occasionally here on bluesky to connect with folks (and vent), but it's never a sales pitch.
October 9, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Absolutely staggering how often I see some educators and school owners posting about how inspirational it is to teach or run a school vs how little time they put in to teaching or running that school.
I'm occasionally here on bluesky to connect with folks (and vent), but it's never a sales pitch.
I'm occasionally here on bluesky to connect with folks (and vent), but it's never a sales pitch.
Hot tip: If your professional organization suggests ethically dubious at best means of increasing your profit margins, they may not be much of a professional organization at all.
Our profession is so tentatively accepted as real healthcare, selling snake oil is the last thing we need.
Our profession is so tentatively accepted as real healthcare, selling snake oil is the last thing we need.
September 21, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Hot tip: If your professional organization suggests ethically dubious at best means of increasing your profit margins, they may not be much of a professional organization at all.
Our profession is so tentatively accepted as real healthcare, selling snake oil is the last thing we need.
Our profession is so tentatively accepted as real healthcare, selling snake oil is the last thing we need.
Integrity builds reputation.
Show up consistently, keep learning honestly, and your clients and peers will notice.
(Your clients definitely will—the way our profession works, your peers might take longer to notice, but it's still more than worth it.)
#MassageProfessionals #FacilitatingNotFixing
Show up consistently, keep learning honestly, and your clients and peers will notice.
(Your clients definitely will—the way our profession works, your peers might take longer to notice, but it's still more than worth it.)
#MassageProfessionals #FacilitatingNotFixing
September 7, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Integrity builds reputation.
Show up consistently, keep learning honestly, and your clients and peers will notice.
(Your clients definitely will—the way our profession works, your peers might take longer to notice, but it's still more than worth it.)
#MassageProfessionals #FacilitatingNotFixing
Show up consistently, keep learning honestly, and your clients and peers will notice.
(Your clients definitely will—the way our profession works, your peers might take longer to notice, but it's still more than worth it.)
#MassageProfessionals #FacilitatingNotFixing
Don't treat regular breaks, quality sleep, and healthy boundaries as indulgences - they’re absolute necessities.
Without them, your massage toolbox is meaningless.
#BurnoutPrevention #Professionalism #WorkSmarter #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Without them, your massage toolbox is meaningless.
#BurnoutPrevention #Professionalism #WorkSmarter #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
August 11, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Don't treat regular breaks, quality sleep, and healthy boundaries as indulgences - they’re absolute necessities.
Without them, your massage toolbox is meaningless.
#BurnoutPrevention #Professionalism #WorkSmarter #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Without them, your massage toolbox is meaningless.
#BurnoutPrevention #Professionalism #WorkSmarter #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
It seems like every massage influencer I know has gone all-in for "AI", and I'm so sorry to everyone in our field looking to them for leadership.
July 27, 2025 at 6:58 PM
It seems like every massage influencer I know has gone all-in for "AI", and I'm so sorry to everyone in our field looking to them for leadership.
Reminder to always check yourself.
“Massage increases circulation” is a common claim, but the evidence says otherwise. Any boost is modest at best, and relaxation often reduces blood flow.
Want real circulation gains? Even light exercise beats massage every time.
So what about this study?
“Massage increases circulation” is a common claim, but the evidence says otherwise. Any boost is modest at best, and relaxation often reduces blood flow.
Want real circulation gains? Even light exercise beats massage every time.
So what about this study?
Massage increases circulation.
That’s it. That’s the post.
That’s it. That’s the post.
Effect of massage on blood flow and muscle fatigue following isometric lumbar exercise - PubMed
A significant difference was observed between massage and rest condition on VAS for muscle fatigue. Lumbar massage administration also appeared to have some effect on increasing skin temperature and e...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
July 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reminder to always check yourself.
“Massage increases circulation” is a common claim, but the evidence says otherwise. Any boost is modest at best, and relaxation often reduces blood flow.
Want real circulation gains? Even light exercise beats massage every time.
So what about this study?
“Massage increases circulation” is a common claim, but the evidence says otherwise. Any boost is modest at best, and relaxation often reduces blood flow.
Want real circulation gains? Even light exercise beats massage every time.
So what about this study?
Absolutely unacceptable.
People enter massage school with biases, it's unavoidable, but one of our most important duties as educators in a healthcare profession is to move students beyond that.
Nobody should graduate (or be licensed) thinking there are some bodies on which they cannot work.
People enter massage school with biases, it's unavoidable, but one of our most important duties as educators in a healthcare profession is to move students beyond that.
Nobody should graduate (or be licensed) thinking there are some bodies on which they cannot work.
Saying to someone "You're too fat to massage" is wildly offensive, rude, and inappropriate #nyc #nycmassage
July 1, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Absolutely unacceptable.
People enter massage school with biases, it's unavoidable, but one of our most important duties as educators in a healthcare profession is to move students beyond that.
Nobody should graduate (or be licensed) thinking there are some bodies on which they cannot work.
People enter massage school with biases, it's unavoidable, but one of our most important duties as educators in a healthcare profession is to move students beyond that.
Nobody should graduate (or be licensed) thinking there are some bodies on which they cannot work.
Use client feedback as your data.
Instead of quoting studies, ask: "How does this feel to you?"
Their experience is the most immediate and useful info.
Science guides your hands, but clients guide your choices.
#ClientCentered #MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Instead of quoting studies, ask: "How does this feel to you?"
Their experience is the most immediate and useful info.
Science guides your hands, but clients guide your choices.
#ClientCentered #MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
What Manual Therapy Can And Can’t Do — Physio Network
Mobilization, manipulation, dry needling, massage, myofascial release, Gua Sha, Jones Strain-Counterstrain, fascial stretch therapy, instrument-assisted soft
www.physio-network.com
July 1, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Use client feedback as your data.
Instead of quoting studies, ask: "How does this feel to you?"
Their experience is the most immediate and useful info.
Science guides your hands, but clients guide your choices.
#ClientCentered #MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Instead of quoting studies, ask: "How does this feel to you?"
Their experience is the most immediate and useful info.
Science guides your hands, but clients guide your choices.
#ClientCentered #MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Check for evidence, but also for experience. A solid CE course balances research with real-world clinical insight, and would never lack practical demos or ignore client feedback.
Massage is science AND craft—don’t settle for half.
#MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Massage is science AND craft—don’t settle for half.
#MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
June 19, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Check for evidence, but also for experience. A solid CE course balances research with real-world clinical insight, and would never lack practical demos or ignore client feedback.
Massage is science AND craft—don’t settle for half.
#MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Massage is science AND craft—don’t settle for half.
#MassageEducation #PreciseMassageForFeelAndFunction
Obviously I'll need to read more on this than just the little puff/insult piece we got here, but the short takeaway is that "sham PT" was what they called massage for the study and the effects were nearly identical to real PT. They're playing that as PT being ineffective, but there was control!
Sham, Real PT Yield Similar Results for Meniscal Tear + OA
‘These are very interesting results that are helping people recognize what I think they already knew, which is the importance of the patient engagement,’ said author Jeffrey N. Katz, MD, MS.
www.medscape.com
June 7, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Obviously I'll need to read more on this than just the little puff/insult piece we got here, but the short takeaway is that "sham PT" was what they called massage for the study and the effects were nearly identical to real PT. They're playing that as PT being ineffective, but there was control!
Beware the 'one teacher, one truth' approach.
If a course tells you their way is THE way (the SECRET way), run.
Good education shows options, explains limits, and respects uncertainty - doesn't shrink your thinking, expands it.
If a course tells you their way is THE way (the SECRET way), run.
Good education shows options, explains limits, and respects uncertainty - doesn't shrink your thinking, expands it.
June 6, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Beware the 'one teacher, one truth' approach.
If a course tells you their way is THE way (the SECRET way), run.
Good education shows options, explains limits, and respects uncertainty - doesn't shrink your thinking, expands it.
If a course tells you their way is THE way (the SECRET way), run.
Good education shows options, explains limits, and respects uncertainty - doesn't shrink your thinking, expands it.
Skepticism isn’t about doubting everything—it’s about asking, 'How do we KNOW that?' before we believe it.
We help students learn to love questions more than quick answers.
It’s okay not to have all the facts right now, better than pretending you do.
Passion + curiosity = the best combo.
We help students learn to love questions more than quick answers.
It’s okay not to have all the facts right now, better than pretending you do.
Passion + curiosity = the best combo.
Painful Ideas: Deep dives into how pain works
An index to many thought-provoking articles about the nature of the beast of chronic pain & stubborn injuries.
www.painscience.com
June 4, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Skepticism isn’t about doubting everything—it’s about asking, 'How do we KNOW that?' before we believe it.
We help students learn to love questions more than quick answers.
It’s okay not to have all the facts right now, better than pretending you do.
Passion + curiosity = the best combo.
We help students learn to love questions more than quick answers.
It’s okay not to have all the facts right now, better than pretending you do.
Passion + curiosity = the best combo.
Massage increases circulation.
That’s it. That’s the post.
That’s it. That’s the post.
Effect of massage on blood flow and muscle fatigue following isometric lumbar exercise - PubMed
A significant difference was observed between massage and rest condition on VAS for muscle fatigue. Lumbar massage administration also appeared to have some effect on increasing skin temperature and e...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
June 3, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Massage increases circulation.
That’s it. That’s the post.
That’s it. That’s the post.
Just put the finishing touches* on a study guide for my students, and honestly, it’s incredibly rewarding to facilitate their learning—especially when some of their other instructors leaned on outdated info and taught in ways that made things harder to grasp.
*never truly finished.
*never truly finished.
June 1, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Just put the finishing touches* on a study guide for my students, and honestly, it’s incredibly rewarding to facilitate their learning—especially when some of their other instructors leaned on outdated info and taught in ways that made things harder to grasp.
*never truly finished.
*never truly finished.
If you aren't taking the biopsychosocial model into account, you aren't doing much for your clients*.
If you think the biopsychosocial model is a shortcut or provides easy answers, you won't find much help there.
*I'm not a doctor = they aren't patients.
If you think the biopsychosocial model is a shortcut or provides easy answers, you won't find much help there.
*I'm not a doctor = they aren't patients.
“ #Massage therapists are not exposed to this information in school. The curriculum is based on history & beliefs, & adoption of current science or best practices is lacking. [What] they learn is primarily structural & tissue based.” ~ Eric Purves, RMT
massagefitnessmag.com/massage/join...
massagefitnessmag.com/massage/join...
Massage for joint pain: A biopsychosocial approach - Massage & Fitness Magazine
The biopsychosocial model of pain also applies to joint pain, but how could massage therapists apply this model to practice. Science may have an answer.
massagefitnessmag.com
May 27, 2025 at 6:40 PM
If you aren't taking the biopsychosocial model into account, you aren't doing much for your clients*.
If you think the biopsychosocial model is a shortcut or provides easy answers, you won't find much help there.
*I'm not a doctor = they aren't patients.
If you think the biopsychosocial model is a shortcut or provides easy answers, you won't find much help there.
*I'm not a doctor = they aren't patients.
Probably best to start at the beginning.
If you don't know Paul Ingraham, you're missing out. Not only is his website a fantastic resource, he's also an absolute king of sass (a man after my own heart).
If you don't know Paul Ingraham, you're missing out. Not only is his website a fantastic resource, he's also an absolute king of sass (a man after my own heart).
Massage Therapy: Does it Work?
A thorough tour of the science of massage therapy … such as it is.
www.painscience.com
May 27, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Probably best to start at the beginning.
If you don't know Paul Ingraham, you're missing out. Not only is his website a fantastic resource, he's also an absolute king of sass (a man after my own heart).
If you don't know Paul Ingraham, you're missing out. Not only is his website a fantastic resource, he's also an absolute king of sass (a man after my own heart).