Massage Therapy Training
Massage therapy is manipulating the soft tissues of the body by strokes, pressure, squeeze or taping. It relaxes the muscles and eases the tension, knots, spasms and cramps. Massage therapy improves blood circulation, stimulates lymphatic system and calms the nerves.
Most states, and some counties and cities, have their own licensing systems for the therapist in training. A person has to pass a board examination accredited by the federal government. The massage training is given by many schools, which are accredited by the various massage therapy professional associations.
An average of 500 hours of massage training and instruction in the classroom, coupled with supervised hands-on practice, is necessary for registration. A high school diploma is a minimum qualification for admission to the massage training program.
The students are taught anatomy, physiology, pathology and kinesiology before moving on to actual massage training. Massage history and theory, and practical techniques, are the main course classroom requirements. Treatment principles, nutrition and ethics complete the program.
Setting a high standard of professional ethics is of much relevance in massage therapy training. The confusion of massage with commercial sex in the past is very much ingrained in the public mind, so the professional associations lay a lot of emphasis on ethics.
There are over 100 different techniques of massage in which the individual could be trained. From the basic general massage, like Swedish massage, sports massage and aromatherapy, the student advances to very specialized and targeted techniques as the massage training progresses.
Today’s medicine has a distinct place for relaxation techniques and stress reduction using massage therapy. Today, the training of massage therapists is rising to the same level required by the other medical professions.