Medical Massage Courses

• Medical massage therapy training begins with anatomy and physiology.massage image by fderib from Fotolia.com
  
  The medical massage therapist’s education and training should begin with a thorough understanding of the human body’s 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.Hamstring massage as part of a Thai body massage image by Deborah Benbrook from Fotolia.com
  
  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 patient’s physical condition while lowering the patient’s 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 patient’s 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 patient’s treatment options and speeds recovery while expanding the therapist’s 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.