Medical Massage Therapy Training

Training for medical message therapy varies from state to state and institution to institution. Training is generally offered by public community or technical colleges, or by private institutions, many of them specializing in massage therapy. Programs frequently provide full- and part-time instruction, and teach various accepted massage techniques and practices, with placement assistance included after the student completes the program.

Medical Massage Courses

Medical massage therapy training begins with anatomy and physiology.

The medical massage therapists education and training should begin with a thorough understanding of the human bodys anatomy and physiology. Additionally, courses should cover extensively the pathologies a therapist is likely to encounter in medical massage. For example, the Blue Heron Academy of the Healing Arts and Sciences in Grand Rapids, Michigan, teaches students assorted musculoskeletal conditions body part by body part, joint by joint, condition by condition. Beyond physical and physiological considerations, a key component of all medical massage training is ethics standards and behavior.

Hands-On Training

Hands-on experience is key to medical massage therapist training.

Hands-on, clinical experience is essential in medical massage therapist training. The clinical process focuses on four key areas: reducing inflammation, restoring soft tissue to its normal condition, returning the body part to its normal range of motion and creating a general upturn in the patients physical condition while lowering the patients discomfort. Clinical training should encompass both clinical practices and patient evaluation. The Blue Heron Academy begins students working with patients with six visits in three weeks, which allows the student time to both treat the condition and evaluate the patients recovery. Because the therapist is treating a condition based on a medical prescription, patient sessions are shorter, typically half an hour.

Adjunct Training

After the medical massage therapy student has mastered the coursework and the clinical experiences, she is ready to train in adjunct therapies. These include the application of hot packs and cold packs; cold, low-level soft-tissue lasers; electrotherapy; vibration or percussion therapy; and infrared lamps. Learning these therapies broadens the patients treatment options and speeds recovery while expanding the therapists capabilities and practice.

Certification

Certification from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork is recognized by 38 states and the District of Columbia. Many states demand that a massage therapist have at minimum 500 hours of training and education earned at a fully accredited school or institution. By passing the NCBTMB exam, the therapist is certified to have met those conditions and is confirmed to be qualified and knowledgeable in medical massage therapy, and has pledged to uphold ethical standards and practices.

Licensure

Licensing requirements for medical massage therapists vary widely. For example, the State Medical Board of Ohio, which requires a therapist be licensed and pass a criminal background check, created a Massage Therapy Advisory Committee to evaluate and advise issues pertaining to massage therapy. Ohio requires therapists to renew their license every two years. By contrast, Wyoming does not require the NCBTMB exam and does not have licensing or certification requirements. A new medical massage therapist should check both state and municipal requirements for licensing and certification before opening a practice.