Massage therapy is used to promote a healthy body by improving muscle function. Professionals work with numerous clients to help relax their muscles and rehabilitate individuals from injuries. Massage therapy coursework and training programs are available through many holistic healing colleges that provide students with a focused curriculum based on professional training requirements.
Education will slightly vary depending on the college providing the program. This type of therapy uses pressure points and therapeutic techniques to promote healing in the body. Several modalities, or commonly called techniques, exist and programs may concentrate on different ones. Educational programs focus on several industry-related areas to help students succeed as massage therapists. Courses could include:
Anatomy The anatomy of the human body is covered in detail to prepare students to understand how to properly administer different modalities. Students are required to memorize the muscles, understand their range of motion, and how they interact with the body.
Massage Therapy Practices Specific techniques to protect and correctly use the body to conduct massage therapy are covered. This career requires professionals to stand for long periods of time and use their upper bodies to massage their clients. This type of course teaches students to protect their own bodies from unneeded stress and pain.
Pathology Students examine various case studies and diseases to understand when massage therapy is not an appropriate form of treatment. This area of study teaches students to protect clients from bodily damage if another alternative medical practice would better suite their physical needs. The process of referring students to another health practitioner is also learned.
Business Many students start their own businesses after graduation. In a business course students learn how to develop, manage, and budget. The goal is to teach students to efficiently maximize profits and work with clients professionally.
Training programs incorporate these types of courses and more. The most prevalent form of training is at the certificate level. Training lasts around six to nine months allowing students to gain the needed knowledge and hours required to obtain their licensure. The structure of the body is explored in regards to several techniques integrated into programs. Pain and muscle dysfunction is studied as students learn to approach treatment from a holistic healing standpoint. Programs provide students with the knowledge to use several techniques, which can include acupressure, Swedish, shiatsu, Russian, and trigger point therapy. A specialty can be entered when students continue education inside an advanced massage therapy certificate program.
Advanced programs allow students to take their overall knowledge of the field and apply it to a particular area of massage therapy. With an additional three to sixth months of training students will be able to work exclusively with different clients. For example, education can center on orthopedic massage therapy where students learn to work with athletes on injury prevention and rehabilitation. Body mechanics, therapeutics, and ethics are some general courses taken at this level.