Massage School Notes

These are some of my notes from massage school. This information was first available on my website www.thebodyworker.com which is no longer my domain. This information has been updated as best I can over the years. The latest massage school curriculums should be based on the Entry Level Analysis Project (www.elapmassage.org) recommended curriculum.

Thinking about becoming a Massage Therapist?

Be sure to do your research on this career so you know what you are getting into before spending time and money on school.

You will want to know how much you can make, how to choose a massage school, and how to navigate the massage job market as wall as how to start your own massage business.

These are the classes you will be taking in massage school.  It is important to find a quality school that has implemented the Entry Level Analysis Project Data (ELAP www.elapmassage.org) into their massage courses.  This will ensure that your education will prepare you for what is ahead.

• History of Massage Therapy  ELAP recommendation:1.5 hours of instruction on the evolution of massage and bodywork.
• Anatomy and Physiology
  Chemistry, Cells, Tissues & Membranes, Endocrine, Cardiovascular, Lymphatic, Respiration, Digestive, Urinary, Reproductive, and Immune Systems, Metabolism, Nutrition, and Cadaver Studies.
  Bones, Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments, Joints, Postural Assessment, Body Mechanics, Biomechanics and Motion
  
• Kinesiology:  How muscles work.  Origins and Insertions of muscles and their actions
• Pathology: Diseases and conditions and how to work with them.
• Massage Theories :
  Swedish Massage
  Sports Massage
  Deep Tissue Massage
  Clinical Massage
  Benefits of massage
  Indications, contraindications.
  
• Ethics
  
• Therapeutic application – skills and clinical work, charting
• Massage Research Literacy :  ELAP recommendation: 3 hours
•  Science Literacy
   Science vs Pseudoscience
   Critical Thinking
   What gets in the way of critical thinking?
   Logical Fallacies
   Scientific Method
• Hydrotherapy:
  General Hydrotherapy Applications, Temperatures, Effects of Hot and Cold
  Hydrotherapy Baths/Poultices
  Hydrotherapy Glossary
  Hydrotherapy Test Questions
  Electro/Heliotherapy, Aromatherapy
  Eastern, European and Western theory/methods
• Specialized Populations such as: athletes, abused, elderly, children, infants, pregnancy, physically challenged, psychologically challenged, chronically ill, terminally ill
• Connective tissue, Positional release, Reflexology, Sports massage, Acupressure, Shiatsu, Polarity, Myofascial release, Trigger points, Magnetic therapy (Energy Techniques), Massage in pregnancy, Baby massage, Iridology, On-Site massage, Skilled touch, and Deep lymphatic drainage.
• Hygiene and Safety
• HIV awareness and blood-borne pathogens
• Massage Business and Marketing
  ELAP – 4 hours of instruction on massage laws and regulations
  25 hours of instruction on career planning
  Massage Insurance Billing including healthcare integration, charting, billing and getting paid,
• Massage Jobs – Creating or finding Your Ideal Job in Massage
• Supervision, Peer Groups, Mentoring
  ELAP Recommendation: 8 hours of instruction on personal health, body mechanics, and self care

Massage Politics

Licensing and Legislation issues

Defining Massage, Massage Therapy, Massage Therapy Practice