Spa Massage vs. Medical Massage

Medical massage is a category of therapeutic massage and a specialty. When a massage therapist obtains their license, they have the possibility of treating healthy people or patients with a physical condition. This is how they begin to prepare to work in a spa or contract case in a clinic.

Spa Massage

Generally, when working in a spa, the majority of clients come in for the relief of stress. Many clients turn to spas to relax using Swedish massage or deep tissue. Both are differentiated by the level of pressure that the masseur applies when performing the technique. Swedish massage is characterized by slight or medium pressure, while deep tissue massage usually treats some painful points or muscular spasms that are the product of stress, fatigue, or injury. The pressure applied in deep tissue ranges from medium pressure to deep pressure.

Medical Massage

If the massage therapist wants to work in a clinical environment, it is better to prepare themselves in the category of medical-massage. That is to perform courses that enable them to treat from a sciatic nerve release to a cervical spasm due to disk herniation. In this case, there are levels of training between which the professional level is counted and after being reached, courses are continued until they reach the master level. Once both levels are completed you get a certification as a Medical Massage Practitioner. This enables the therapists to treat patients with medical conditions that go beyond the typical massage to relieve stress.

Every day, there are more massage therapists who continue their training, and that is why the National Certified Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, has careers of a couple of years of duration as is Oncology Massage, which deals exclusively with the oncological patient and is very requested in hospitals and hospices.

A Few Uses of A Medical Massage

The public, in general, knows the benefits of a medical massage and that is why it is sought for pain relief. Within the conditions that can be treated, we will name the most common such as, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff release, plantar fasciitis, massage for fibromyalgia, myofascial release, etc. Without forgetting the popular pregnancy massage, for which the therapeutic masseur must obtain special certification. 

The treatment of lipedema and lymphedema is approached using specialized lymphatic drainage massages. Lymphatic drainage is within the massage with a medical condition and is also used to reduce inflammation after surgery. It is also highly recommended for the retention of fluids in the body. In cases of mastectomy, this type of technique is also widely used and as you can see, we are talking about serious medical conditions that, as can be seen, require therapeutic training and knowledge that goes beyond rubber oily hands on the skin of the patient.

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