Massage therapy is one of the branches of the healing health arts. A massage therapist uses her hands to ease the body into relaxation, releasing the tension. This process improves blood circulation, soothes tired muscles and helps injuries to heal.



Those seeking to establish a career in this healing art must first become certified through an accredited program to become licensed in their field of practice. Once they have attained a license, they must take continuing education classes to keep their license.

Regulations for massage therapy differ from state to state. Enrolling in massage education classes allow professionals to be informed and kept up to date with new changes in state and local guidelines that relate to their area of practice.

Even though a national license is obtainable, a certain number of massage therapy education hours must still be logged with the state of practice.

So what do these continuing education classes cover? Classes typically include these six points:

1. Boundary Training: knowing how to set boundaries between the healer and the patient

2. Ethics Training: effectively managing clinical dilemmas, reporting abuse, insurance billing

3. Licensing Requirements: state and local regulations to abide by

4. Good Ergonomics: knowing proper techniques and having the right equipment

5. Shoulder Rehabilitation: working with injuries to the shoulder, sports medicine and massage

6. Upper Anatomy Familiarity: dealing with major muscle groups and structure, tendons and levels of movement

Massage therapy classes are logged in hours. Total credits logged are reported to the state board by the accredited program attended by the massage practitioner.

This procedure ensures that the therapist abides by rules and regulations determined by the state in which they practice. In the event a massage therapist does not keep in line with the requirements of their state, his or her license will be terminated.

It is not hard to find massage continuing education classes online offered by accredited and reputable schools, including those in your local vicinity. Look through your local newspapers and magazines for public ads and ask at local universities.

Online courses offer an opportunity to massage therapy practitioners to keep their licenses with the local state board in good standing without having to spend hours in a classroom.

As the pace of learning is decided by the student, this can be a great option for the busy professional to satisfy licensing requirements without taking time from an already hectic work and family schedule. Many states also allow the renewing massage therapy licenses online.