Massage Therapy Classes

When you enroll in a massage therapy school, you will have to choose what massage therapy classes to study. Larger massage therapy schools have more massage therapy classes for students to choose from. If you already know what types of massage techniques you want to specialize in, it is best to choose those massage therapy classes that concentrate on those massage therapy techniques of your choice.

What should I expect from massage therapy classes?

Before you start a massage therapy class, you will undoubtedly had to complete some pre-class homework. Some massage therapy classes ask you to read textbooks on the massage therapy techniques that will be discussed in those massage therapy classes. You would undoubtedly found many massage techniques in the textbooks. The more you read about massage techniques, the more ahead of the class you will be and the more you can concentrate on putting the massage techniques you learn to work.

The study of human anatomy in massage therapy classes

One of the first massage therapy classes you will take is in human anatomy.  You need to become very familiar with the body; its muscles, tendons, joints, connecting tissue, structure of organs, and the chemical makeup of the body.  You can’t treat a problem if you don’t know what part of the patient’s body is affected and what you need to do about it. 

By studying anatomy in your massage therapy class, you will learn how medical and psychiatric conditions affect the body.  Stress, in particular, causes many of these conditions and your anatomy massage therapy class will teach you how to practice your massage therapy skills on stressed-out patients and help them gain a feeling of relaxation and well-being.

Learn the history of massage in massage therapy classes

You will learn the history of this combination of art and science; several of your massage therapy classes will teach you how this holistic approach to pain and distress has been used for thousands of years. Before there was surgery for herniated disks in the lower back, there were the natural healing arts of herbology, reflexology and massage therapy. 

Ancient healers used massage therapy to treat fatigue, injury and illness.  The art of massage has greatly advanced in the modern age because of what we now know about blood circulation, connective tissue, and necessary oxygen levels in the body. 

Are There Different Kinds of Therapeutic Massage?

Absolutely!  Just as a physician would not prescribe the same medical treatment for every patient, your massage therapy classes will teach you to evaluate a patient’s symptoms and decide upon what type of massage therapy is right for him or her. This is an absolute necessity; unless you’ve properly diagnosed the source of the patient’s physical and emotional pain, you can’t know how to help the patient through massage therapy.

A physician wouldn’t give a patient a shot of penicillin for low back pain; you, as a licensed massage therapist will use the information you learned in your massage therapy classes and only select a massage protocol that fits the patient’s needs.

In your massage therapy classes you will master the different kinds of therapeutic massage such as Swedish massage, neuromuscular techniques, lymphatic massage, reflexology, acupressure massage and the Japanese art of Shiatsu massage.  Each of these massage categories has sub-categories of specific massage techniques.  Massage students typically practice on each other or on their instructor.  The only way to learn message therapy is to give a massage under the scrutiny of the instructor.  Before you ever touch anyone, your massage therapy classes in anatomy and conditions that can be helped through massage will have provided you with the instruction that you must know.

Your first massage therapy class may seem a bit overwhelming in the beginning, but with each class and each practice session, your confidence will improve to the point where you feel comfortable in accurately treating patients.