What are the first things things that you learn when starting massage therapy school?

Question

What are some of this things you really delve into? What are some of the most crucial and time consuming things to study while in massage school? I haven't started massage school quiet yet, but i most likely am going to enroll for this autumn. What are the most renowned modalities that are widely practiced in the U.S., the world? Please be very descriptive when telling me your experiences and everything you know about massage therapy . Thanks so much!!!

Answer 1

You will start learning basic college level anatomy and physiology.  You will have to learn the name of around 150 muscles and where they are located exactly and what movement they do.  You have to learn about all the different diseases and how massage can affect people with them so you can know when to work on them and how.

There are over 250 different types of massage and more types being created every day so you can't really go into that here.

The basic type that most massage schools start you off with is Swedish massage probably followed by deep tissue massage, myofascial release and orthopedic massage.

Answer 2

Depends on where you are studying.  All states and provinces have slightly different levels of study in order to become a registered massage therapist.  I am in Ontario so I will go through 2300 hours of classes before I can become certified to work.

Term one for me was a lot of basic Anatomy & Physiology.  This was the majority of the class time and study time.  Learning each bone and muscle in the body, where they attach, what they do, etc.  All the systems in the body (nervous, muscular, endocrine, respiratory...), how they function.  

Then we also learned the beginnings of client assessment (how to observe posture, gait, pain, etc.) and therapeutic relations (how to be professional and what sorts of issues to expect).  

Plus, of course, basic Swedish Massage techniques.  We learned all the techniques and how to apply them in a basic full body relaxation massage.  

Swedish massage is the most widely practised modality in the Western world.  There are of course many techniques from different modalities than can be added to this (thai, hot stone, etc.)

It takes a lot of time to memorise and study all the science material, especially.  I am lucky enough to not have to have a job throughout school, as it would be very stressful to spend time working when I should be studying.  

Good luck deciding what to do and where to go.  It's a very satisfying experience so far and I look forward to the career!