Back ache is a common problem and a serious one for some. There are various treatments that cater to backaches; massage therapy is one of them. Massage therapy is not a simple treatment as it may sound. It requires you to be careful of the muscles being massaged and the nerves being treated in the process. For this, you need to be confident of your therapist. This can be done by ensuring that your therapist is skilled and qualified to undertake massage therapy as a profession. You must find out whether your therapist has the required certificates and the license to be in the profession or not.
Qualification for the Massage Therapist
According to the American Massage Therapy Association, a massage therapist apart from his/her course must have a work experience of at least 500 hours. It is desirable that they have a training in other clinical and therapeutic techniques. These qualifications will tell about the efficiency of the therapist and the experience will make you feel in safe hands.
The license
The licenses to the therapists are granted by the state itself; there are places where the licensing authority is the municipal corporation or the county. Wherever it comes from, the point is, the license should be there on their wall. If you are unable to see the license on the wall, you may straight away ask the therapist whether he/she has one. It would be good if your therapist is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). This would work like an assurance for you.
The Certification
Certification of the therapist is a clear indicator of commitment and experience. It has been observed that the massage therapy is only effective if you get it done from an experienced person. Otherwise it may be useless spending that much money. And, if they are licensed, it is like an icing on the cake. Majority of licensed therapists qualify the national certifying exam of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). The exam tests the therapist in his/her excellence in anatomy, physiology, health conditions, techniques, ethics and others areas.
Membership in Professional Organizations
If back pain is your constant problem, you can get a membership in professional organizations like AMTA. Here you would learn more about the working of massage therapy. The concerned people will provide you with the contact details of good local massage therapists. And, this organization adheres to the norms put forward by the local and the state law. Another organization that you can enroll with is the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals for regular education on a perfect massage for yours or your family members' ailing back.
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