Why is it so important that you learn advanced massage skills that focus on pain management?

Because from coast to coast and around the globe, people who are in ongoing pain are searching for a solution. In an effort to alleviate the suffering that has started to have a negative impact on their overall quality of life, these folks may meet with a broad range of professionals who have different skills and experience in the realm of chronic pain. These professionals often include doctors, chiropractors and acupuncturists, as well as massage therapists and bodyworkers of all kinds. Along the way, patients and clients with chronic pain frequently end up discovering Erik Dalton and his pain-management modality, which is called Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT). For manual therapists who wish to work with the vast number of people who are suffering from pain, it is imperative to learn advanced massage skills and get a certification as a myoskeletal therapist – MAT – in order to offer worthwhile services.

For manual therapists who wish to work with the vast number of people who are suffering from pain, it is imperative to learn advanced massage skills and get a certification as a myoskeletal therapist – MAT – in order to offer worthwhile services.

Typically, a client in pain comes across MAT through a referral of a practitioner with a certification as a myoskeletal therapist or through the client’s own persistent search for a solution to his or her chronic pain. Many times, people may have already seen several physicians, as well as alternative medicine practitioners, with no satisfying reduction of their pain. In fact, there are clients who may have undergone one or more surgeries in an effort to resolve the pain or who have been placed on pain pills with unwanted side effects. These kinds of clients are desperately searching for a manual therapist with the massage skills and techniques that can, at last, offer some measure of relief from the ongoing pain, preferably without any invasive procedures or the necessity of pain pills. These are also the kind of clients who tend to become quite savvy over time about experience and credentials in their search for a solution.

Therefore, for the manual therapist looking to book this client population, the right credential can be crucial. After all, a client with chronic pain is probably not going to make an appointment with a massage therapist who practices techniques that are designed mainly to induce mental and physical relaxation. Instead, these folks are looking for someone who has been specifically trained to perform assessment protocols for chronic pain followed by strategic deep tissue massage techniques to relieve the pain, hopefully forever. In this sense, earning your certification as a myoskeletal therapist can be a powerful step toward earning the trust and business of chronic pain clients. With this proof that you have taken the time to learn advanced massage skills for pain management, your clients can rest assured that they’re in good hands when they book a MAT session with you.

In order to get your certification as a myoskeletal therapist, there are several steps you can take on the path toward securing this prestigious credential. The main route toward certification in MAT is to complete one of Erik Dalton’s continuing education classes on the topic of this pain-management modality. Dalton and his team at the Freedom From Pain Center, a teaching facility dedicated to MAT training and practice, have developed a number of CE classes that lead to the Certified Myoskeletal Therapist credential. For example, you may choose to take a MAT continuing education class online if you would like the convenience of learning MAT and earning certification from your own home or office. When it comes to these online offerings, there is currently one MAT CE program, called Technique Tour, which takes place entirely online. In the near future, four more online MAT CE classes will be available for enrollment.

Students may also wish to consider signing up for one of Dalton’s home-study CE programs on MAT. There are three different home-study continuing education courses available through the Freedom From Pain Institute — Lower Body Specialist, Upper Body Specialist and Posture & Pain Specialist — each of which comes complete with top-quality DVDs and textbooks. A third option for practitioners who are looking to get certified in MAT is to attend an in-person seminar with Erik Dalton. Typically, these live workshops take place twice a year, in Costa Rica and Oklahoma City. However, they do tend to sell out quickly, so it’s important to book a seat as soon as possible if this is your top choice for MAT continuing education.

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