Providing valuable information on how to skillfully apply massage techniques, this practical text is the most widely-used massage therapy resource available! The new edition of this best-selling text includes discussions on sanitation, hygiene, body mechanics, business practices, ethics, and much more. Each chapter builds on the one before it, beginning with the basics and expanding to therapeutic applications, as well as providing an introduction to complementary bodywork systems. Workbook features are integrated throughout the text, with interactive case studies that help readers understand and apply key topics. Instructor resources are available; please contact your Elsevier sales representative for details.

Key Features

• Comprehensive coverage includes all the fundamentals of therapeutic massage including: specific massage techniques, equipment and supplies, wellness, working with special populations, business considerations, and much more.
• The unique textbook/workbook format is an outstanding value (no separate workbook necessary), that encourages critical thinking and interactive learning through activities, short essays, fill-in-the-blank questions, drawing exercises, and more.
• Core massage material, including techniques, body mechanics, hygiene & safety, and massage preparation, are covered in more detail than any other massage textbook available.
• An entire chapter on medical terminology and record keeping prepares the student for professional practice.
• Appendices on contraindications, skin pathology, common medications and their implications for massage, and self-massage provides valuable information for students, as well as additional avenues for study and reference.
• EVOLVE website activities, highlighted with an EVOLVE icon, are included in each chapter to direct readers to the Internet for further study.
• Well referenced coverage discusses the latest research in massage therapy and directs readers to additional literature on the topics in each chapter.
• More than 500 illustrations accompany procedures, concepts, and techniques to enhance the understanding and comprehension of each topic presented.
• Practical Applications are included in each chapter to support competency-based learning and to enable readers to see the way material applies to real practice.
• Each chapter contains Chapter Outlines, Chapter Objectives, Section Objectives, Key Terms, Summaries, Proficiency Exercises, EVOLVE exercises, Workbook Sections, and Think it Over questions to help improve comprehension.
• The easy-to-read format engages readers with various learning styles.
• Content is ideal for National Certification Exam preparation.

New to this Edition

• A new chapter, Integration—Case Studies, combines the information from this textbook with basic science content to help students put the material from the text into practical application with individual clients. The 20 case studies in this chapter cover common conditions seen by massage professionals in day and destination spas, as well as health, fitness, wellness, sport, and medical settings.
• Content has been significantly expanded to help students prepare for practice in the areas of: Palpation and differential assessment, Sports massage, Spa applications, Lymphatic drainage massage, Medical massage, Oriental and Eastern massage theory and application, and Conflict resolution.
• Increased material on gait and muscle assessment procedures — as well as muscle firing patterns — helps to increase assessment skills and prepare students for more advanced massage training.
• A greater focus has been placed on clinical reasoning to help support student-directed learning.
• The entire book features an appealing design that makes the text easier to use and corresponds directly with the internal design of the Mosby’s Essential Sciences for Therapeutic Massage, 2nd Edition.
• Content has been revised and updated to reflect changes in accordance with new COMTA (Commission On Massage Therapy Accreditation) standards, so readers will have the latest and most relevant information available.