« Cultural Competence | Fingertips Home | Massage Training In PT School: Part 2 »

March 5, 2008

Massage Training In PT School: Part 1

We started massage training in physical therapy school and everybody in the class wants to be my partner!

My fellow classmates assume this unit is going to be a no-brainer for me, but I'm taking no chances. Every teacher has their own style of teaching, and their own learning objectives for the students. Just because I have professional training, licensure and ten years of experience with massage therapy doesn't mean that I give the massage that this teacher wants. So I take copious notes and try to conform to what the class is doing.

When I went to massage school at Utah College of Massage Therapy (UCMT) the school's philosophy was one based upon giving the students modalities as tools to put into their "tool belt" to use at their discretion. The art of massage was left up to each therapist while being performed within the framework of a very basic protocol.

That protocol consisted of the massage starting face down. Using effleurage to spread the oil, we started on the back shoulders and neck. Then we proceeded to the hips, legs and feet. After having the client turn over, we started again from the bottom (distal end) of the legs and worked up (proximal), first one side, then the other. We followed this by working on the arms and finished by working on the neck and head. We were encouraged to customize this protocol to meet specific needs of our clients based on the intake interview.

I'll share more about my massage training in physical therapy school in later posts.

tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health

Posted by linda at March 5, 2008 3:34 PM