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Ethics: Contraindications to Massage

Ethics: Contraindications to Massage
3 CE Hours
$38.00

Cost includes all materials. Shipping, if applicable, is a flat rate.

Learn how to recognize contraindications, medical precautions, and other safety considerations when providing Swedish massage. This 3-hour continuing education course introduces massage therapists to absolute and systemic contraindications, endangerment sites, headaches, client intake, treatment planning, informed consent, professionalism, and SOAP charting.

Whether you are reviewing safe massage practices or looking to strengthen your ability to recognize when massage is appropriate, this course provides practical information to help you determine when massage should be modified or avoided and when referral to another healthcare professional may be appropriate.

In this course, you will learn:

  • The difference between absolute, systemic, and local contraindications
  • Common medical precautions related to massage therapy
  • Endangerment sites and why they require special consideration
  • Headaches and situations in which massage may or may not be appropriate
  • How to recognize situations that require modification or avoidance of massage
  • The importance of client intake and gathering relevant health information
  • How to develop appropriate massage treatment plans
  • Informed consent and professional responsibilities
  • SOAP charting and client documentation
  • When referral to another healthcare professional may be appropriate

Why take this course?

Recognizing contraindications and medical precautions is an important part of providing safe and responsible massage therapy. Understanding when massage is appropriate, when treatment should be modified, and when a client should be referred can help massage therapists make more informed decisions about client care.

This focused 3-hour course combines safety considerations with practical information about intake forms, treatment planning, informed consent, and documentation. It is a useful option for massage therapists who want to strengthen their knowledge of contraindications and professional decision-making.

  • Define absolute, systemic, and local contraindications to massage.
  • Identify common medical precautions and endangerment sites relevant to massage therapy.
  • Explain when massage may be appropriate, modified, or contraindicated for clients with headaches.
  • Recognize client conditions and circumstances that may require changes to a massage treatment.
  • Explain the importance of thorough client intake and health-history information.
  • Develop appropriate treatment plans based on client information and professional considerations.
  • Describe the role of informed consent, SOAP charting, and professional documentation.
  • Identify situations in which referral to another healthcare professional may be appropriate.
  • Text: Ethics: Contraindications to Swedish Massage by Cindy Hummel, LMT, LPN and Corrine Mollet Rubida, BS, LMT, 28 pages
  • Course instruction guide
  • 19-question multiple-choice final exam
  • Course evaluation
  • Certificate of Achievement upon completion
  • Unlimited phone support for course-related questions

The Center for Massage Therapy Continuing Education, LLC is an Approved Provider through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB); Approved Provider number 409296-00.

Our massage online continuing education courses are also accepted by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and most state boards.

For more information on individual state requirements and approvals, please visit our Approvals page and click on your state.

I especially liked the printable diagram reflecting the endangerment sites. - Marie Leone

The content was excellent. The format was easy to read and understand. I love the therapist forms provided. The best and most informative ethics course I have ever taken. - Melanie Castillo

I liked the course, it helped me understand and refresh what to look for in my client’s. Thank you. – R. Kublik, LMT

I liked everything about this course and found it easy to navigate through all the information. Thank you for assisting me with my continuing education. - R. Creson, LMT

I like all of the additional information I did not get in school. - Nancy Dudek, LMT

Thanks for providing quality education that is convenient, well organized and helpful. - Mary Batt, LMT

The definition of a massage contraindication is:
A.    Signs or signals indicating that massage should be performed on any area of the body
B.    Signs or signals indicating that massage should not be performed or limited to areas of the body
C.    To benefit the body with massage
D.    A condition in which deep tissue massage is indicated

Contagious or infectious diseases are what kind of contraindications?
A.    Absolute or systemic
B.    Medical precaution
C.    Relative or local
D.    Prenatal massage

A region of the body in which nerves, arteries, and veins lay close to the body’s surface is known as:
A.    Palpation site
B.    Endangerment site
C.    Relative contraindication
D.    Absolute contraindication

Course Author

About the Instructor

Cindy Hummel

Cindy Hummel, LMT, LPN

Cindy began her career as a licensed practical nurse in 1990 and then attended massage school in 1998. She has been a licensed massage therapist since 1999. After teaching for 5 years at a local massage school, she practiced massage in a chiropractic setting for over 20 years before retiring in 2023.