Ask any student from Ross Medical Education Center and they will tell you that some of the most fun days in class are those that include guest speakers and interesting testimonies or information. Recently, the students at the Ross Medical campus in Owensboro, Kentucky got to experience this firsthand. Terry Pollard, LMMT, BC from Serene Relief Massage, Integrative, and Spa Therapy came to talk with the Ross students about the many health benefits of massage therapy.
Outside of the office, Terry Pollard is a single father of three. He made it clear that his children are something in which he takes great pride. As a single father, he shared with the class that if he can achieve his goals, anyone can. Before he was able to turn his life around and find a career he loves, he endured many hardships such as being poor and even homeless with no means of transportation. He then enrolled in a local college and graduated as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Through successes, failures, hard work, and determination, he now owns his own business.
After sharing a little bit of his story, Terry then spent time talking with the students about the importance of communication between the client and massage therapist, “communication between the therapist and client will help determine the client’s comfort level.” Along those lines, he talked a little bit about the different types of massage he specializes in and how they benefit and promote healthy lifestyles.
First he talked about prenatal massage and how it helps to relieve some of the normal discomforts experienced during pregnancy such as backaches, stiffness, leg cramps, headaches, and edema. Another type of massage discussed was orthopedic massage. This type of massage eases medication dependence, relaxes and softens injured, tired and overused muscles, and also increases joint flexibility. The last form of massage that was discussed was deep tissue. Many people get a deep tissue massage to manage and help relieve chronic aches and pain. He then asked for a volunteer so that he could demonstrate a chair massage, and Ross Medical Assistant program Instructor Angela Bumpus gladly accepted. After the demonstration, Angela shared, “he has excellent technique and just gained a client today.”