Massage therapists can choose to use home-study courses in numerous ways. They can be used to pursue personal educational interests, expand your knowledge of the profession or increase your business knowledge.
Massage techniques can be used to treat depression, cancer, fibromyalgia and chronic pain, so knowing your clients’ needs can aid you in choosing what is right to help expand your practice.
By learning the benefits of massage techniques in the privacy of your home or office through home-study courses, massage therapists can easily implement these tools into their practice.
Below is a glimpse of some home-study courses offered.
Massage for fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that can affect nearly anyone’s physical, mental and social dispositions. Some of the courses that teach massage for clients with fibromyalgia cover such topics as signs, symptoms and causes of fibromyalgia, diagnosis, treatment and massage techniques.
In some courses, materials also cover coexisting conditions, topical balms, salves, along with stretches and exercises.
Oncology massage
Oncology massage aids in easing an array of symptoms that persist from chemotherapy and radiation treatments that cancer patients endure.
For oncology massage, basic home-study courses include topics that cover cancer and neoplasia, the causes of cancer, current medical treatments for cancer, general guidelines for massage therapists, cancer types, skin health, specific massage oils, therapy protocol and cancer massage precautions.
HIV/AIDS
HIV and AIDS are autoimmune diseases that attack the body’s immune system and can cause the client great pain. If not handled properly, the diseases can be a danger to the massage therapist.
Some of the courses for HIV and AIDS offered also include diagnosis, treatment, transmission, standard precautions for preventing infection, contraindications for HIV-Infected clients, bodywork modification, emotional impact to the practitioner, research findings, along with references and resources for further study.
As always, make sure to check with your national and state licensing bodies to make sure the courses you select are acceptable for continuing education credits.