Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Top Four Massage Therapy Courses

By Bart Icles

Massage therapy has been predicted to be a six- to eleven- billion US dollar industry in 2005 by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Today, a typical massage therapist considers his or her massage therapy profession as a second job. Even though this is the case, a career in massage therapy is very rewarding. On average, a massage therapist working about 19 hours a week solely doing massage therapy sessions earn about sixty-three (63) US dollars an hour. If a massage therapist sticks to this schedule, he or she can earn over US $60,000 annually! This is more than enough to augment the resources to sustain daily needs!

Before you eventually venture out into having a massage therapy career, however, you should decide which type of massage therapy courses you will be specializing in. This is because there are over 80 types of massage therapy out there, and not being able to specialize in one or two or a handful might get you nowhere. So, how should you choose the massage therapy courses you should be taking?

According to AMTA, the four most popular massage therapy courses today are Swedish massage therapy at 89 percent, deep tissue massage therapy at 82 percent, trigger point massage therapy at 62 percent, and sports massage therapy at 49 percent. These facts can help you decide which massage therapy courses you should be taking and, eventually, specializing in once you earn your massage therapy license.

Here are brief overviews of the massage therapy courses mentioned earlier:

1. Swedish massage therapy - also known as just massage therapy, is the most common. This is characterized by kneading, smooth strokes, and circular movements. Oil or lotion is being used in this type of massage therapy. It targets the surface muscles.

2. Deep tissue massage therapy - this type of massage therapy targets the deep muscle layers and the tissues connecting them. The strokes are harder and slower to be able to penetrate the deep muscles. It's usually used for those experiencing chronic pain or for those who are recovering from certain injuries. It is characterized by soreness after a day or two of having it.

3. Trigger point massage therapy - this massage therapy is characterized by applied pressure to tender muscle tissues for the purpose of alleviating pain on other parts of the body. It is also known as myofascial trigger point therapy.

4. Sports massage therapy - this massage therapy is specifically designed to address the needs of athletes. This is usually done before, during, and after sports events to ensure optimum performance.

These are just four of the massage therapy courses that you can, eventually, specialize in. Choose the ones that you would be most comfortable in. - 14130

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