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Beware of short intensive MASSAGE courses

There are a number of short intensive courses now available but can proper training really be that quick?

Massage therapists have to use a set of clinical skills which take time to develop through good training and practice. You need to learn the basics of a technique first, go away and practice them, then come back to learn more and develop them further. And then have some more practice and guidance to consolidate the skill before the end of the training course (that’s how we do it). On a short intensive course, at best you may be shown how to do a basic technique once; you practice it once and then move straight on to the next subject. And this goes on intensively for days so when you look back, how much will you actually remember? This is no way to develop any meaningful level of clinical skill.

It is quite staggering how many techniques and subjects some organisations claim to teach in just a few days. Here is an example of the content of one 7 day intensive course we found:

Manual techniques covered:

Pathophysiology of over 30 sporting injuries and how to treat these with manual techniques:

Effleurage

Petrissage

Achilles Tendonosis

OA of the knee

Tapotement

Lateral Ankle Sprain

Iliotibial band syndrome

Deep friction

Medial Ankle Sprain

Trochanteric bursitis

Soft tissue release (STR)

Stress Fractures

Hamstring and Quadricep strain

Myofascial Release techniques

Achilles Tendon Bursitis

Rotator Cuff strain

Neuro muscular techniques (NMT)

Plantar Fasciitis

Adhesive capsulitis

Trigger pointing

Shin Splints (MTSS)

AC joint separation

Positional release

Compartment Syndrome

Deltoid muscle strain

Muscle energy techniques (MET)

Calf Muscle strain

Dislocated shoulder

Joint Mobilisation

Collateral knee ligament sprain

Golfers’ elbow

Taping techniques

Cruciate ligament strain

Tennis’ elbow

Orthopaedic Testing

Osgood Schlatters Disease

Shoulder impingement syndrome

Comprehensive Rehabilitation advice

Meniscal tear

Lower back pain

 

Patello femoral syndrome

Torticolis

 

Prepatellar Bursitis

Whiplash

Some of these techniques and conditions are complex and require a high level of
clinical skill and if not done correctly it could be dangerous.

Yes, and all this in just 7 days! Even if the trainers could ‘cover’ all these topics in the time no student could keep absorbing so much intensive new information continually for 7 days?

These short massage courses may be very quick and cheap but as always you only get what you pay for.