Are certified Personal Trainers allowed to massage or perform hands on soft tissue work on clients?
Hi Sean. The best way to find the answer your question is to check with your State licensing board. In most (if not all) States, massage therapists are licensed providers. As such, the State regulates who can provide massage therapy, and the techniques that give rise to someone “performing massage” to the extent that it crosses that line into the actual profession of massage. Hopefully this makes sense.
The bottom line is that your State licensing board will be the best source for this information.
I hope this helps.
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
[email protected]
Thank you LaRue!
I live in Texas and the law states only a massage therapist can give massages. However, I’m also wondering if there are any other certifications
besides ART or MAT that allow for “hands on” soft tissue work. I have seen many trainers doing soft tissue work under the guise of massaging.
Hi Sean,
hands-on soft tissue work is not in the scope of practice of certified personal trainers. If you have the qualifications for it, then this will be regulated through the appropriate agency.
There are several techniques for self-manipulation which can fall into the scope of a personal trainer, such as MELT (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique) or the myofascial release techniques recommended through the corrective exercise continuum of the NASM CES certification. Those are done by the clients themselves based on evaluation and advice of a trainer.
Hope this helps.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
