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The healing effects of massage

By KARIMA ASHINHURST, Cox News Service
Published February 4, 2005

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Kristie Biddinger was not on the receiving end of the massage that inspired her to become a massage therapist."

"My best friend's mother was dying of cancer," Biddinger recalls. "Hospice care was brought in and there was a massage therapist there. I thought, 'this is what I want to do.' "

Though her friend's mother was in great pain, Biddinger recalls that the soothing effects of the massage were visible. When the licensed therapist wasn't available, Biddinger herself would perform a light massage to help ease the mother's pain.

Little more than two years later, Biddinger was on her way to becoming a licensed massage therapist.

After nine months of schooling, 350 hours of interning, a challenging written certification exam and a hands-on demonstration of her skills, Biddinger acquired her license.

She knew early on that she wanted to heal with her hands and focus on therapeutic massage. She specializes in deep-tissue, myofascial release and sports and injury massage - all designed to loosen and stretch painfully tight and injured muscles, increase blood flow and aid in the healing process.

"I like that when they say, 'it hurts,' I can make it stop," Biddinger says.

Though her role as a healer is gratifying - she has worked on everyone from pregnant women to college athletes to car crash victims - the reality is often not quite so romantic.

Currently, she divides her time between two clinics and her own private practice, Natural Balance.

This often means long days of massage - sometimes nearly 12 hours - spent on her feet with little or no down time.

In addition to juggling her time among paid clients, Biddinger often volunteers her services. A few hours of free massage at a 5K run, for example, pays immeasurable marketing benefits. Volunteer work at places like Hospice Austin also gives her the chance to give back with the benefits of massage.

"It stretches and loosens muscles, relieves tension, enhances the immune system and alleviates pain and anxiety," she says.

In addition to the physical demands of being a massage therapist, the emotional strain of dealing with patients in pain makes burnout a real danger. It's not surprising that Biddinger herself gets regular massages.

"I'd go crazy if I didn't get massages," she says. "If you don't pay attention to your own body, you can really do some damage. This isn't a job you can do for 30 years."

That's why her ultimate goal is to build her private practice until it is her full-time job - and then continue to grow.

"In 15 years, I want to be able to retire and have a business of my own," she says. As someone who is well on her way to being her own boss, Biddinger has some advice to new massage therapists.

"Advertise, advertise, advertise," she says. "Get yourself out there by word-of-mouth very quickly."

[Last modified February 2, 2005, 13:49:47]

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