Deep Tissue Massage CEU Course – Outline and Learning Outcomes

Massage therapy and bodywork is an incredibly rewarding profession. Clients come into your office in pain, under stress, and oftentimes both. They’re seeking relief, and a big part of your job is to provide them with that relief.

There are a wide variety of techniques at your disposal. You might employ Swedish massage, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, and more in order to improve your client’s condition. Different modalities are appropriate to different conditions, and oftentimes clients respond in a relatively short amount of time with only moderate intervention.

Sometimes, though, clients come in with persistent, chronic issues that are difficult to address. They may have pain and myofascial problems that are located extremely deep down in their tissue layers. These issues have often been present for many years, and the client has dealt with them for as long as they could: but, now, they’ve hit a wall, and they need your help.

Unfortunately, these kinds of deep-seeded, long-term issues are often very challenging to address. Standard modalities and techniques might fail to provide clients with the relief they seek, because these approaches can’t get deep enough into a client’s tissue layers to address the underlying root problem.

Deep tissue massage techniques are precisely what you need in these sorts of situations. These techniques are capable of addressing these kinds of long-standing issues, and provide clients with the relief that they’re seeking.

Do you want to learn more about deep tissue? Our online massage CEU course is the perfect choice. Read on to learn more.

Learning Objectives for Our Deep Tissue Massage CEU Course

So, you think you might be ready to get started with this program. But, maybe you’re not quite sure if this course is right for you. Don’t worry: we’ve provided you with a list of the learning objectives for this course, so you can confirm what you’ll gain from your time investment.

Aside from helping you make your decision, though, looking at these learning objectives will accomplish one more important thing. Understanding learning outcomes helps you succeed as an adult learner. When learning as an adult, it may have been awhile since you were in school. Simultaneously, though, you’re likely more motivated and prepared than you were as a younger student. Reading over the learning objectives will increase your retention and rate of learning by preparing you for what you’ll find in the course.

In general, this class will define the technique itself; identify layers of connective tissue; teach you about the history of the modality and its leading contributors; look at various modalities in greater depth; discuss how to do client intake and assessment; examine contraindications; and look at common pathologies.

Specifically, after completing this course, you’ll be able to accomplish the following:

Define the Modality

This class covers a highly unique grouping of massage modalities. In order to apply these techniques a productive way as part of your current massage practice, it’s helpful to be able to define what we mean by these techniques conclusively: both for yourself, as well as for your patients. This course will teach you what exactly we mean when talking about these techniques.

Identify Connective Tissue Layers

In order to offer your clients an effective and therapeutic experience, it’s important to be able to identify the various layers of connective tissue that you’re working with. This modality involves accessing some of the body’s deepest myofascial layers. Without an understanding of how the body’s connective tissue layers are structured, this is difficult to achieve. As part of this continuing education course, you’ll learn all about the body’s connective tissue layers and how to access them.

Understand History and Leading Contributors

Just as with other massage modalities and techniques, one of the most interesting parts of learning about this modality is gaining a new awareness of its history. As part of this history lesson, you’ll also learn about leading contributors over the years who have added to the wealth of information surrounding these techniques.

Recognize Modalities

This approach includes a subset of many different modalities, all focused on achieving relief for clients with issues and conditions set deep within their musculature. In this course, we’ll go into detail and cover the various modalities associated with deep tissue massage. You’ll gain an understanding of each of them, and how they might fit into your practice.

Construct Client Intake, Interview, and Assessment Processes

Client intake and interviewing is an essential component of any successful massage practice. With this modality, however, the intake, interview, and assessment process becomes even more important, as the therapy you’ll be administering to clients will access some of their deepest and most problematic conditions and issues. In this course, you’ll learn how to work with clients to fully understand their needs before you get started.

Recall Contraindications

Every massage technique has its associated contraindications. This modality is no exception. In fact, considering the intense nature of deep tissue massage techniques, it’s important to ensure that you fully understand when this type of therapy is contraindicated. As part of this course, we’ll examine in great detail all of the various contraindications associated with this type of bodywork, so that you can be sure to only use it with clients for which it’s appropriate.

Identify Common Pathologies

In the same vein as contraindications, there are common pathologies for which this approach isn’t appropriate. In this course, we’ll discuss each of these in significant depth. This will ensure that you recognize scenarios where this modality is less appropriate, and where other therapies can and should be employed instead.

Course Outline

After looking over the learning objectives, you should feel confident about what you’ll gain from this program. Still, though, you might be curious: what specific topics does the course cover? Are they examined in detail? What’s the course layout like?

To answer these questions, we’ve provided you with a comprehensive outline of the course below. By reading through this overview, you’ll have an understanding of what’s covered in the course. As a result, you can take stock of what areas might be more problematic for you (where you’re perhaps less knowledgeable). This will allow you to prepare yourself ahead of time for which sections of the course might be more difficult, or require you to spend greater time in familiarizing yourself with the content.

What Is It?

Deep tissue is an amazing collection of techniques and modalities. But how can we define it? If one of your clients asks you what exactly deep tissue is, can you articulate it to them clearly and coherently? As you’ll see in this course, this modality is a complex and incredibly interesting topic. We’ll go into detail as we examine what this technique is, how we can define it, and what that means for your practice of massage therapy.

Principles

As with all approaches to bodywork, training in this modality involves familiarizing yourself with the various principles associated with its techniques and modalities. Understanding these principles will make you a better practitioner, and help you to absorb the wide array of information necessary to become proficient in this modality. In this course, we’ll cover these principles extensively, ensuring that you finish the class with a thorough understanding of associated principles.

Advanced Modalities

Deep tissue massage includes a range of advanced, somewhat technical massage modalities. Understanding these modalities, where they originate from, who created them, and how they’re utilized today will help make you a better massage practitioner. As part of this course, you’ll learn about a number of advanced modalities, including:

Myofascial Release

Developed by Dr. Andrew Taylor Still more than a hundred years ago, myofascial release is an incredible therapeutic approach that can address a range of issues in clients. By relaxing contracted muscles and increasing circulation, it provides patients with significant pain relief.

Rolfing

Rolfing, as it’s now commonly called, was first created by Ida Rolf in the early 20th century. In this course, we’ll discuss the origins of Rolfing and its indications in therapeutic sessions.

Trigger Point Therapy

Dr. Janet J. Travell began using the term “trigger point” just a few decades ago, in 1976. Over the past half century, trigger point therapy has become an important modality for massage therapists across the world.

Myoskeletal Alignment Technique

In 1998, the Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) was created by Dr. Erik Dalton. After studying Rolfing, Structural Integration, and other therapeutic approaches, Dr. Dalton coined the term MAT to describe his unique approach to treatment.

Techniques

Aside from the modalities mentioned above, there are a number of other techniques available to practitioners. While the above modalities sometimes require years of specialized study, these other techniques involve the use of specific body mechanics while employing elbows, knees, fists, and so on in order to achieve deep myofascial results. We’ll discuss these techniques, and how proficiency in them can be acquired more quickly than with some more complex modalities.

Sports Massage

While many clients may come to you specifically for issues related to acute and chronic pain, sports massage addresses a much more specific segment of the general population. In sports massage, therapeutic techniques are used to increase the body’s capacity to perform under stress, and to recover afterwards. In this course, we’ll examine the in’s and out’s of sports massage and its benefits, along with one of its leading early proponents, Jack Meagher.

Benefits

As with other massage techniques, there are benefits specific to deep tissue therapy that make it ideal for certain patients with particular conditions. As part of this course, you’ll learn more about some of the benefits associated with deep tissue techniques, including (but not limited to): tissue healing and scar tissue; tissue pliability; decreased tension; enhanced performance; and more.

Fascial Layers

In order to provide your clients with effective therapy, you’ll need to understand the body’s tissue layers. Without a thorough awareness of the deepest myofascial tissue layers, it’s impossible to perform the techniques you’ll learn effective. In this course, we’ll examine the body’s tissue layers, including the layers of both fascia and muscle.

Client Interview, Intake, and Observation

When a new client comes into your office, you likely already make a concerted effort to understand their background, history, and individual needs. With deep tissue massage, though, it’s more important than ever to ensure that you have a full and in-depth understanding of your client’s current state, and observe their progress so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the deep tissue techniques you might employ. In this course, we’ll explain how to conduct a detailed client interview; how to structure your intake process; and the importance of observation, palpation, posture, and range of motion in assessing clients.

Contraindications

As with any other massage modality, deep tissue massage techniques come with contraindications for certain conditions, both local and systemic. While deep tissue can be highly effective and provide patients with significant relief, it’s important to take note of these contraindications. This way, you can ensure that you only utilize deep tissue massage when it’s most appropriate for your clients. In this course, we’ll discuss all of the various contraindications for deep tissue massage, including: localized contraindications; infections; cardiac decompression; cellulitis; decreased sensitivity; paralysis; edema; fever; hematoma; herniated disc; lymphangitis; melanoma and tumors; deep vein thrombosis; skin conditions; spastic paralysis; Parkinson’s disease; and multiple sclerosis.

Endangerment Sites

Like other massage techniques, there are certain “endangerment sites” associated with deep tissue massage. These sites are areas on the body where sensitive structures such as arteries, nerves, and veins are located close to the surface of the skin. This course will cover in detail endangerment sites to be avoided when performing deep tissue therapy, including parts of the abdomen, the axilla and elbow, the face, and areas on the back and the extremities.

What are CEUs, and Why are They Important?

As a massage therapist and bodywork professional, your continuing education should involve a couple of important parts. First and foremost, your daily experience as a clinical provider gives you a kind of practical education that’s a significant part of your daily professional growth. Simultaneously, though, it’s equally important that you continue your education in the conventional sense, too. You might be wondering how you can do that as a busy massage professional. Fortunately, we’re here to help. Massage CEUs, or Continuing Education Units (GUIDE TO LMT CONTINUING EDUCATION), are the perfect way to continue learning long after you’ve graduated from a massage program.

While massage CEUs are a major component of your professional growth, they’re also more often than not required by law. In fact, in many states, licensed massage therapists must take a certain number of CEU course hours (NCBTMB GUIDE) each year (or every two or three years) so as to maintain a current massage license.

At Panda Massage CEU™, we’re an NCBTMB Approved Provider of CEUs. This means that you can count on our CEU courses to fulfill your local state requirements for continuing education.

Why Choose Panda Massage CEU?

Sure, there are online providers of massage CEU courses out there. But we’re certain that Panda Massage CEU is by far the best choice for your continuing education needs:

Quality

There are a lot of online courses which are of a lower quality. At Panda Massage CEU, we’re excited to offer you the highest quality courses in the country.

Unique Topics

Other online courses offer the same, stale material, and oftentimes just a handful of required courses. In addition to requirements like medical errors and HIV/AIDS, however, our courses include exciting options like hot stones and hydrotherapy.

Professional Narration

Have you ever taken an online course without professional narration? It’s a disaster. Our courses are all professionally narrated, making them easy to follow along with,

Video Included

You’d be surprised at how many online courses don’t include a video. Meanwhile, we’ve created high quality instructional videos to accompany every single one of our courses. This simulated an in-person learning environment.

Self-Paced

We understand how hard it can be to keep up with an online course, given the busy schedule of most massage therapists. To address this, we’ve made all of our courses self-paced. That way, you can keep up with the material regardless of your schedule.

Great Prices

Quality is important, but so is price. We offer our CEU courses at affordable prices to fit any budget. Plus, with an online course, you save thousands of dollars that you might otherwise have to spend on traveling to and from an in-person training session.