This clinical practice handbook will prove essential to healthcare providers interested in non-pharmacological management of musculoskeletal pain.
Course Description:
Managing a Massage Practice will explore business structures, legal, and tax documentation requirements for a massage therapy practice. Students will formulate a marketing plan including advertising, market analysis, and professional goals.
Learning Outcomes:
A student will be able to:
1. Identify the elements of effective job search and a resume, cover letter, mission statement, business cards, and brochures.
2. Create effective marketing material.
3. Create methods of time management, client scheduling, and maintenance of the work environment.
4. Understand the basic aspects of legal contracts, employment agreements and the appropriate use of medical release and consent forms, and professional insurance needs.
5. Understand client/financial accounting and bookkeeping methods for a massage therapy business.
6. Identify strategies for effective communication with other professionals regarding client care and referrals including the process used to identify the scope of practice of allied health professions.
7. Demonstrate knowledge of ADA and HIPPA requirements and their implication for massage therapy and bodywork practice.
Myofascial trigger-points are a hot topic in the world of pain management. The issue that most critics have with myofascial trigger-points or other tissue-driven pain problem is that it is an oversimplification of a very complex process. It is still not know if our manual treatments are ‘correcting a local pathology' or if it just sensory input leading to a cascade response through the nervous system resulting in the 'descending modulation' of the pain experience.