Purpose

The goal is to advance the field of massage therapy and to promote and establish it as a viable therapy integral to good health. The AMTA works to set standards for care and ethical practice, support member therapists, to educate the public about massage therapy and its benefits, and to support legislative efforts in favor of massage therapy.

Who Can Join

Membership to AMTA is open to professionals and students pursuing a career in massage therapy. There is a fee to join and maintain membership; the fee is dependent on the level of membership chosen. Membership is offered at different levels for both students and practicing professionals, and each level of membership requires different qualifications.

What The AMTA Offers Clients And Consumers

Although the AMTA is an association which exists largely for the benefit of its members, the function of the organization is also to promote the art and science of massage therapy, and so the American Massage Therapy Association offers services to massage therapy clients and consumers as well.

The AMTA offers opportunities for the consumers and clients to advertise in their journal and on their website, but what it s most interested in doing for consumers is to educate them and assist in obtaining professional massage therapy services. This is done by

o Offering advertising and job posting services to consumers looking to reach massage therapists

o Offering a “National Locator Service” which can be used to locate a local therapist

o Promoting public education initiatives

o Offering informational resources for consumers

What The AMTA Offers Massage Therapy Professionals

The Association offers a number of different services to its members; access to services is dependent on the level of membership, and some services are available to non-members for a fee.

Professional services offered to therapists by the AMTA include

* Access to member’s section
* Informational resources
* Job search/listing services
* Inclusion in locator directory
* Continuing education opportunities
* Advertising opportunities
* Materials and resources for clients/public education
* Code of Ethics and core documents
* Industry demographics
* Professional support
* Access to insurance (liability, health, disability, optional insurances)
* Regulatory information and updates
* Professional publications
* Political/legislative voice

The American Massage Therapy Association, a member of the Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork, and Somatic Practice Organizations, represents over 56,000 massage therapy professionals. The AMTA is a valuable resource for both clients and therapists alike.

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All About Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is also considered to be the best tension buster and in some cases this therapy is an integral part of the CAM or the complementary and alternative medicine. The term “massage therapy” does not only include the different practices and techniques that are used to soothe the senses of the patient, it also covers a large number of related practices as well due to the fact that the massage therapy includes approximately 80 kinds of different therapies.

The main intent behind the massage therapy is to relax the muscles and tissues of the person thereby increasing the oxygen and blood delivery to the areas where massage has been performed and in turn decrease the level of pain suffered.

Various Kinds Of Therapies
The different types of massage therapies include the following:

Trigger point massage
In this type of massage therapy, the therapist uses different strokes of strong pressure in order to relax the trigger points or knots.

Swedish massage
Long strokes are given to the person along with muscle friction and kneading in order to make the joints flexible.

Deep tissue massage
Deep finger and hand pressure is given on the particular parts of the patient’s body where the muscles and tissues are knotted or tight. Focus is paid on the muscle layers that are located deep inside the skin.

Shiatsu massage
In this kind of massage therapy, the professional applies rhythmic and varying pressures from his fingers on the body parts, which are crucial for the vital energy flow.

Reflexology
This type of massage therapy is popularly known as the zone therapy and the main focus of the therapy is paid on the ears, hands and feet of the person. Foot reflexology is the more famous of the other two-reflexology therapies.

Thai massage
This is also called as the Thai yoga massage therapy and involves the unblocking of the energy pathways. In this kind of therapy, the person getting the massage remains completely clothed and the therapist begins to give the compression massage on the body parts that need special care. The patient is made to be placed in different yoga like postures in order to relax the muscles and soft tissues.

In all of the different types of massage therapies, the professional therapist rub, press and manipulate the soft tissues and muscles of the respective person often varying the movement and pressure exerted in the massage. The therapists use their fingers and hands but in some cases when there is a need to do stronger massages, even the elbows, feet and forearms can be used to relieve the patient.

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