Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2025

Winter 2025 • 65

Beyond techniques, your empathy and dedication to understanding each client’s unique experiences is what will ultimately make a difference

it greatly. As massage therapists, embracing a holistic approach means recognizing the interconnectedness of these factors and integrating them into client care. By doing so, massage therapists can create meaningful change for their clients, not only reducing pain but also improving overall quality of life. As you move forward in your practice, remember that each client’s journey is unique. The techniques and knowledge you have gained here are tools to help you navigate those individual journeys with empathy, knowledge and expertise. Understanding tech neck requires more than just manual therapy; it also involves human understanding and compassion, recognizing underlying patterns and offering support to clients in their efforts to adopt better habits. Consider adopting the following habits as you encounter clients with tech neck: • Applying an integrative perspective : Continue to look beyond the surface symptoms and be open to exploring how factors like stress, poor ergonomics and even lower body dysfunction can contribute to tech neck. By doing this, you can help clients achieve deeper and longer-lasting changes.

• Supporting client empowerment : Empower your clients with knowledge, whether it’s teaching them how to set up their workstations, mentioning current research on tech neck or giving them targeted techniques, education is key to maintaining progress. Clients who understand why they have pain and how to prevent it are better equipped to avoid reoccurrence. • Practicing empathy : Beyond techniques, your empathy and dedication to understanding each client’s unique experiences is what will ultimately make a difference. By listening to your clients’ needs and concerns, you create an environment of trust and can intuitively create the best plan to guide them as a unique individual with a unique lifestyle—which is fundamental for successful outcomes. The path to addressing tech neck is ongoing. As massage therapists, our journey does not end here. Instead, we must continue to evolve and expand our understanding, integrating the connections between the physical, emotional and social dimensions of health. By embracing this holistic approach, we empower ourselves to not only alleviate pain but to significantly enhance our clients’ overall well-being.

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