Healing is only a part of the plan for anyone who has been diagnosed with an illness or injury. You want to recover, but you also want to feel better while healing -- as quickly as possible. That is why many specialists are now turning to massage therapy to help patients feel better faster.

“Several cancer treatment centers across the US, as well as hospitals, are opening their employment doors to more full-time licensed massage therapists to aid in pain management and health/wellness of patients”, says Tara Celaya of Phoenix, director of Career Services at Cortiva Institute, Scottsdale.

Massage therapy helps patients relax and release tension. This helps to reduce pain and get patients up and moving around again – which can also speed up the recovery process. Dr. Winnie Suen, a geriatrician and palliative care consultant at Boston Medical Center, and a graduate of Cortiva Institute, works with seniors who have arthritis and pain the back, shoulders, neck and legs, which affects their ability to remain independent.

“I hope to be able to incorporate massage therapy into my practice somehow to include it as an option for symptom management”, she says. “I wish there were more massage therapists on staff that I could refer my patients to. The patients love it. They feel cared for. They find it relaxing, and it decreases their level of pain.

Many people are considering entering the massage therapy field as a second chance for a career. The average massage therapist is in his or her 40’s, and has entered the profession as a second career, according to the American Massage Therapy Association.

The practice of combining massage therapy for illness and injury treatments is still relatively new.

“In my experience and research, injuries such as rotator cuff tears, knee injuries, whiplash and even weight loss treatments are benefitting from the direct and immediate effects massage therapy can have, and in some cases, are utilized to avoid surgery altogether,” Celaya says. “Protecting the structural integrity of the body through the use of massage therapy is quickly being seen as a standard portion of rehabilitation for various surgeries and medical conditions.”

And the field is becoming more popular with the general public as well, who are pursuing a healthy lifestyle separate from medical treatment.

“As more and more individuals are seeking natural ways to ensure a healthy and long life, they are seeking out services from massage therapist, nutritionists and personal trainers,” Celaya says. “We are entering a time when people are taking more responsibility for their health and wellness and find the one on one interaction and individualized treatment plans from a massage therapist an ideal way to go.”

If you want to learn more about Cortiva Institute, visit www . Cortiva . com