Massage Tables - The right tool for the right job.

When I began selling massage tables in 1998, the only experience I had with them was working with the tables we had in massage school and then purchasing my own for my practice.  I chose my table out of a catalog, after comparing tables in catalogs I had obtained from 5 or 6 manufacturers. I can barely remember back that far, to a time when I couldn't just go online and type "massage tables" into the search bar and get a million listings.  However, just because you can get all your massage table choices in an instant, doesn't mean you will be any better informed as to the pros and cons of each than I was, looking at a catalog.  
What most students and professional therapists don't realize, is that massage tables are not all created equal.  I learned this from the dedicated representatives of each of the manufacturers of the tables I carried.  It served their best interests to educate me about the features of each table in their product line-up.  Over time I came to know each table by name and before long, I could rattle off the options of each off the top of my head; the weight, height range, working weight, length, hinge type, materials, type of padding, upholstery choices and colors, etc.. I carried tables from 5 or 6 of the top U.S. manufacturers, so that was a lot of options.  However, here's the rub (haha), unless the student or therapist interested in buying a table, understands the pros and cons of each option or feature, this information is of little value in helping them make the correct choice to suit their individual needs.  And, some might ask, why do they make all of those options available anyway?  It's a massage table, not a car!  Well, I'll tell you why; because the people who started these reputable table manufacturing companies 30 years ago or so, knew that the massage table is an extension of the therapist's on body, and not all therapist's bodies are the same.  Also, therapists provide many different types of bodywork and there is not one table that is suited to all these styles.  Most importantly, they understood that the right table will assist the therapist with the work, and contribute to it, but the wrong one can and does lead to therapists' injuries such as back strain, shoulder and wrist pain as well as burn-out caused by over-exertion during treatments.  
The massage table is not, as common misconception seems to suggest, just a comfy place for a client to be while they get a massage.  False! The massage table is a tool, a critical tool, for the practitioner.  In subsequent posts, I will discuss the various choices of options and different features available on popular table models on the market today, and what they mean for the practitioner as well as the client.