What is the difference between "medical massage" and "therapeutic massage"?

Therapeutic Massage is usually performed by massage therapists working in a SPA-type setting and is described as a general, feel-good massage. Regular massage therapists while competent and well trained in relaxation-based massage, generally lack both the knowledge and experience to treat specific musculoskeletal disorders. Most initial massage education programs do NOT include the classes in health and medical sciences needed to gain expertise in these areas. Medical Massage Therapists at Sunrise Therapeutic Massage in Puyallup, WA have been trained to adhere to the following clinical criteria: • Medical Massage is not a general treatment. Rather, Medical Massage Therapy is applied as a specific manual therapy to the areas relating to the diagnoses provided by the primary care physician. • Medical Massage therapy is delivered to an anatomical region of the patient's body based upon soft tissue and joint exam findings and various other assessment procedures. • Medical Massage ...  more