Massage Therapist Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.
Massage Therapist is Also Know as
In different settings, Massage Therapist is titled as
- Bodywork Therapist
- Certified Massage Therapist (CMT)
- Clinical Massage Therapist
- Integrated Deep Tissue Massage Therapist
- Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP)
- Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT)
- Massage Therapist
- Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)
- Soft Tissue Specialist
- Therapeutic Massage Technician
Education and Training of Massage Therapist
Massage Therapist is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Massage Therapist
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education Required for Massage Therapist
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Degrees Related to Massage Therapist
- Bachelor in Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
- Associate Degree Courses in Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
- Masters Degree Courses in Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage
- Bachelor in Asian Bodywork Therapy
- Associate Degree Courses in Asian Bodywork Therapy
- Masters Degree Courses in Asian Bodywork Therapy
- Bachelor in Somatic Bodywork
- Associate Degree Courses in Somatic Bodywork
- Masters Degree Courses in Somatic Bodywork
- Bachelor in Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services,
- Associate Degree Courses in Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services,
- Masters Degree Courses in Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services,
Training Required for Massage Therapist
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Massage Therapist in different industries are
- Recreational Therapists
- Physical Therapist Assistants
- Physical Therapist Aides
- Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Occupational Therapy Aides
- Respiratory Therapists
- Radiation Therapists
- Skincare Specialists
- Registered Nurses
- Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
- Acupuncturists
- Physical Therapists
- Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
- Chiropractors
- Pediatric Surgeons
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians
- Nurse Practitioners
- Naturopathic Physicians
- Dermatologists
What Do Massage Therapist do?
- Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain to determine how massage will be most helpful.
- Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
- Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
- Maintain treatment records.
- Provide clients with guidance and information about techniques for postural improvement and stretching, strengthening, relaxation, and rehabilitative exercises.
- Assess clients' soft tissue condition, joint quality and function, muscle strength, and range of motion.
- Develop and propose client treatment plans that specify which types of massage are to be used.
- Refer clients to other types of therapists when necessary.
- Use complementary aids, such as infrared lamps, wet compresses, ice, and whirlpool baths to promote clients' recovery, relaxation, and well-being.
- Treat clients in professional settings or travel to clients' offices and homes.
- Consult with other health care professionals, such as physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians, and psychologists, to develop treatment plans for clients.
- Prepare and blend oils and apply the blends to clients' skin.
- Perform other adjunctive therapies or treatment techniques in addition to massage.
- Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
Qualities of Good Massage Therapist
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Tools Used by Massage Therapist
- Bath robes
- Body lotions
- Bolsters
- Cold packs
- Cupping sets
- Desktop computers
- Heat lamps
- Hot packs
- Hydrotherapy equipment
- Massage chairs
- Massage stone sets
- Massage stools
- Mechanical vibrating massage devices
- Notebook computers
- Personal computers
- Portable massage tables
- Steam cabinets
- Treatment tables
Technology Skills required for Massage Therapist
- AppointmentQuest Online Appointment Manager
- ICS Software SammyUSA
- Land Software Customer Pro-File
- Massage Suite
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Scheduling software
- Spreadsheet software
- WinCity Custom Software WinCity Massage SOAP Notes
- Word processing software