It looks like Mother Nature finally shook the snow-globe and the energy around Jackson Hole is buzzing with excitement for the upcoming ski season. Teton Pass, one of the only three roads leading into Jackson, has been tattooed with ski tracks for weeks and the smell of wood burning stoves has filled the valley air. Watching the Weather Channel has taken presedence over the big game on my TV and town is simply twitching for a big storm.
Here in Jackson we’re not your average ski bum. Yes, the bus boy is the same guy on the cover of the latest Powder Magazine and your ski school instructor actually does have a PhD from Brown. But there’s also a reason why you never follow a local’s tracks at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort… they most likely will lead you off a cliff.  A “day in the park” here actually means you woke up at 3am and hiked in the darkness, breaking trail through knee deep snow, to the top of 13,000 foot peak in Grand Teton National Park just to ski back down it and still make it to your waitressing job by 4 that afternoon.
So what’s this have to do with a massage blog?
Well it’s all about knowing your target market and understanding who you want laying on your massage table. Maybe you already work with professional ballet dancers in NYC or maybe you are just starting to focus your practice on surfers on the North Shore. Whomever your market is, orthopedic massage is about learning the specific demands your target market puts on their bodies and knowing how to address the sometimes adverse effects of those demands. Orthopedic Massage about educating yourself in the bodywork your target market needs to keep them playing. And it is also about developing a rewarding practice that’s creative and continues to grow.
I love the ski season, not only for the obvious reasons, but also for the challenge each of my clients gives me. When a new client walks through my office door describing her lastest cartwheeling fall on the ski slope, it puts me to the test. How do I assess her injuries to know if she needs to be refered to a physican or if massage is even appropriate? What are her goals and how is massage going to help her reach those goals?
If you are interested in working with sports related injuries I hope that you will join me as we explore the various injuries and related massage techniques inspired by what I see in my own practice. I hope you find new ways of approaching your practice and how you think about the massage you give. I welcome your thoughts and questions as we all have something to learn from each other. Please feel free to share. And stay tuned for my next post on hip pain.
Think Snow!
