Expert: J.R. Strecker, B.S., D.C. - 2/13/2009

Question
I have been diagnosed with having congenital lumbar spinal stenosis. I am 42years old and have had recurring back pain for 15yrs. Since finding out what exactly is ailing my back I am able to keep the pain to a minimum by reducing the amount that I stand straight upright and by reducing the amount I walk. I used to walk 5-8 miles per day and had terrible pain. If I keep it to 2 I'm good. I don't wear heals anymore and that helps too. I also do not lift anything heavy anymore no matter what. My question is this. I'm interested in a change of careers and want to become a Massage Therapist. I am quite strong in my upper body and always have been. I was hoping this wouldn't bother my back since I would be leaning forward over the client. However, I'm concerned that maybe I wouldn't be leaning enough or maybe the pressure I put down onto a client would put pressure on the lumbar area. What is your opinion on this? Do you think I could do this without pain? I hate to start school and put down money and time into this if it's something that ultimately wouldn't be comfortable for me. Thank you so much.
Nanci

Answer
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Hello N.,

I’m sorry to hear about your back.  It’s very smart of you to think about this before spending the time and money on school.  Keep in mind that my opinion is not a guaranteed answer – only an opinion from my experience.

In all honesty, I never had back problems until I started working on patients (and many other chiropractors and massage therapists will say the same).  Of course in school they will teach you ways to practice to reduce the stress on your back, and you can make the most of it, but it’s still not a guarantee you won’t have back problems, especially if you’re starting your career with a preexisting back problem – spinal stenosis.  Your instructors will talk to you about proper table height, proper ways to stand, and how to leverage your body against the table to reduce the pressure on your back.  It all helps, but it doesn’t mean you won’t have back pain from it.  I also find that you can put into your work what you want.  For example, I give everything I’ve got to help my patients, but this greater work effort takes a greater toll on my back.  If you put less into it and you merely just go through the motions of what you’re taught without developing a technique truly tailored to the patient’s needs, then you’re back is not going to hurt as much.  The problem with this, however, is that patients know when you give a good massage or if you’re just going through the motions, which may affect if they decide to come back to see you or not.

You really should very heavily investigate this more before deciding, because if you do go to school but don’t practice massage, the degree is not going to help you get any job unrelated to massage therapy.  So in other words, if you don’t end up massaging after graduating, it will be money down the drain.

Why don’t you talk to some chiropractors or physical therapists and ask if they need any massage therapists before going to school?  You can work under their license while you practice and they can teach you some things.  If you have trouble finding a job in one of these settings, offer to do it as a volunteer for a short period.  After a few months, they may decide to hire you if they don’t from the start.  Then if you like it, you can enroll in a program.

If you talk with others, you may find a completely different response that mine.  This is only my experience.  I hope this helps!
Dr. JR Strecker, DC