Unlike traditional massage, medical massage therapy focuses on a specific medical diagnosis as part of the physician’s treatment plan and can be recommended for a variety of maladies, including carpal tunnel syndrome and migraines. It isn’t a specific style of massage, but it applies the various massage techniques already in practice to achieve several client-specific medical goals. Patients can undergo medical massage as a part of a larger physical therapy regimen for numerous chronic problems. From an employee who suffers from back or neck pain while sitting down, to an athlete who pulled a muscle while playing a sport, the practice uses general massage methods to cure localized problems. Training within the field can include trigger point therapy, as well as stretching.
Massage has always been considered therapeutic. To practice Medical Massage, you need to be a qualified licensed massage therapist and have undergone at least 600 hours of supervised massage instruction. If you’re considering a degree in medical massage therapy, keep this specialty in mind to add another dimension to your career after graduation. With your certification as a massage therapist and some additional training in medical massage, you may become a part of the traditional healthcare team.
Medical Massage Therapy Alleviates Targeted Pain
There are many Massage Schools and programs that teach Medical Massage as a technique. Though medical massage is any massage treatment used to treat specific medical conditions. There is no one technique that is medical massage. Medical massage therapy is taking whatever style of massage the practitioner knows and applying that technique to specific conditions to bring about specific outcomes. Some conditions to treat with medical massage are neck and back problems, sciatic nerve release, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff release, temporomandibular joint disorder, oncology massage, lymphedema and lipedema treatment, manual lymphatic drainage after surgery, fibromyalgia, and the list goes on.
Preparation is Key in Medical Massage Therapy
As a licensed massage therapist it is important to note that there are two types of clients you will encounter. Healthy people who only want to reduce stress or people with a medical condition who need pain relief. Preparation is often more intense when working with clients who are there to relieve a medical condition. Performing a relaxation massage is different than performing a treatment to obtain a result. In the case of performing medical massage therapy for someone who is suffering from a medical condition, you must be knowledgable and trained in that specific field. We are talking about the preparation of the therapeutic massage must be with a succession of courses that gives you the knowledge and the necessary training to work in a clinical and hospital environment.
What to Do After Obtaining my Massage Degree?
After obtaining your degree and the completion of training, you would be considered a professional in medical massage. Elevate your career by specializing in medical massage therapy to reach the master level. Do some research and find the best medical massage practitioners in your area. Find a job in the office of a practitioner who has years of massage therapy experience. It’s a good place to keep up with your practices and build clientele. In some cases, a massage therapist who has certifications in some modalities, can accept insurance and be remunerated for their services. Also, if you work in medical offices you can add complementary modalities such as therapy with cold or heat, hydrotherapy or the use of mechanical devices. In summary, this field is growing and gaining, not only more therapeutic massage therapists every year, but plenty more people who are in need of pain relief.
0 Comments