Medical Massage

Wellness Massage

commercial context

health care system

personal service industry

customer relationship

patient

client

dominant paradigm

scientific, problem-solving

intuitive, nurturing

reason for treatment

medical necessity

client request

focus

functional outcomes

client satisfaction

termination of care

maximum medical improvement (usually)

when client’s needs are met or change

primary massage treatment techniques

clinical massage techniques like myofascial treatments, deep tissue massage, cross-fiber friction, neuromuscular “trigger point” technique, and muscle energy technique

relaxation massage techniques like Swedish, deep tissue, circulatory massage, and craniosacral

pricing

rates set by UCR and RVU

rates set by the consumer marketplace

billing services

yes (discount for payment at time of service)

no (all payments due at time of service)

payment

can take 30-90 days or longer

due at time of service

tipping

never/rarely

often

therapist accountable to

• patients
• IRS/state/local taxes
• state/city licensing authorities
• certification boards
• referring providers
• other HCPs involved with case
• insurance companies
• health care networks
• attorneys
• courts
• independent medical examiners
• auditors

• clients
• IRS/state/local taxes
• state/city licensing authorities
• certification boards

Medical Massage

Wellness Massage

time spent on documentation, coordination, and communication

5-20 minutes or more per session

1-5 minutes or less per session

training

basic 500-hour massage certification course plus advanced training in

• orthopedic assessment & treatment protocols
• pathologies and contraindications
• medical terminology
• pharmacology
• documentation
• communication skills

basic 500-hour massage certification course

experience

need clinical and professional experience and/or an internship

can start practicing right after graduating from massage school

receiver’s emotional state/level of proactiveness

didn’t ask to be injured, may be depressed, anxious, or otherwise distressed by both the injury/accident and/or ensuing work, life, and health complications

proactively seeking care, typically healthy and active

physical demands on practitioner

can be heavy – orthodpedic assessments, muscle energy techniques, myofascial treatments, cross-fiber frictioning, and other injury-treatment techniques can be hard on your body

may be lighter – Swedish and some other techniques are less demanding, but deep tissue massage can be hard on your body

emotional demands on practitioner

can be heavy – patients can be disengaged, distraught, or otherwise unengaged or difficult to engage

typically light and/or manageable

client education

may be OK (therapist should ask the prescribing referrer about this), but shouldn’t contradict what the rest of the medical team is saying

OK within scope of practice (“drink plenty of water,” “do that stretch I showed you,” “put an ice pack on it,” etc.)

marketing model

business-to-business networking with referring providers, health care networks, etc.; many legal and ethical considerations regarding referral relationships, etc.

consumer marketing (much like a tax preparer, hair dresser, real estate agent, etc.); gift certificates, referral discounts, and other consumer marketing practices are OK

Medical Massage

Wellness Massage