BY HUMPHREY BACCHUS BA, CMT

Having moved back from Colorado at the beginning of last year there has been an opportunity to reflect on the difference in attitudes and training institutes in both areas, particularly in terms of the models of education, the regulations and licensing procedures as well as the role of massage therapy in medical establishments and rehabilitation.

As research increasingly supports

the beneficial role of massage in critical illness and immune system support, as well as in remedial applications like the treatment of pain and posture, it is clear that massage is entering an increasingly exciting era which could see it become integrated into many parts of primary care. I believe it is therefore helpful for us to start to review the educational standards in the UK with a view to thinking about how to move forward in the coming years to make sure we position ourselves as well as possible to take advantage of the new environment. The UK has a strong tradition in

the development and application of soft tissue therapies. This can be evidenced from the work of leading figures such as Dr James Cyriax and Stanley Lief through to more recently Leon Chaitow. Like the USA though, this century has seen a demise in the role of massage in healthcare with a proliferation of pharmaceutical and technological interventions. With massage being marginalised even within the delivery of physiotherapy services within the the NHS, it has been left to private schools and independent practitioners to lead delivery within the public domain. It is perhaps the responsibility of those educators to have a vision of the future of massage and bodywork in the UK and its role in public health. That vision determines how we garner respect as professionals and how we develop training programs for students. The UK at present has many training institutes ranging from diplomas in sports or holistic massage to a three year BSc in neuromuscular therapy and remedial massage. There appears to

RAISING THE STANDARD OF MASSAGE THERAPY EDUCATION

When we start looking at the level of massage therapy training in the UK, it is hard not to cast a watchful eye to the education process over the Atlantic in both to the United States and Canada.

be large disparity between many of the courses in terms of contact classroom hours, modalities taught and length of course. There is no single professional organisation that oversees licensure or educational standards or provides a clear and defined area of expertise. A holistic massage course can have a 50 hour minimum requirement and a sports massage course can be part of a personal training certificate or as an independent 9 month course over 10 weekends. Holistic massage courses for

example will study anatomy and physiology with massage techniques over 10 weekends. Sports massage courses will focus more on injuries, treatment and applied anatomy. In the UK massage therapists can take a one day course in neuromuscular techniques or take a degree in neuromuscular therapy. The courses appear to be very directed at one specific demographic, are part time and require a large percentage of non-supervised study. At the other extreme, the School of Integrated Health at the University of Westminster runs a three year BSc course in

TRAINING COMPARED TO THE UK 20

THE USA OR CANADA HAS VERY MARKED DIFFERENCES IN

sportEX dynamics 2009;19(Jan):20-22

neuromuscular therapy and remedial massage. The school was set up by osteopath and leading soft tissue practitioner, Leon Chaitow.

Sports

massage or reflexology for example is more likely to be taken within a broader bodywork studies programme, rather than as a primary study. These disciplines are electives as such that can be specialised in at later