classical massage is based on Western school medicine. Here, massage is defined as manipulation of the body's muscles and connective tissue in order to normalize and strengthen its functions.
quality assurance
Massage is given by many all over the world, regardless of whether the person has an education in the subject or not. The members of the Norwegian Massage Association have the quality-assured titles massage therapist, Massage Therapist or sports massage therapist, based on their education and practice. It provides security for customers. See Or university level and titles
The practice of massage is regulated in Norway by the Act on Alternative Treatment of Illness. A voluntary registration scheme has been established for alternative practitioners in the Brønnøysund Register, where masseurs can also register. All our members are qualified for registration and thereby receive VAT exemption on their treatments, which benefits customers.
not alternatively
It is worth noting that the reason why classical masseurs are listed in the Alternative Register is that they offer an alternative to the public health service. This does not mean that there is anything alternative to the methods or explanatory models. The masseurs have the same medical view of the body as doctors and physiotherapists, and the methods have solid scientific support.
Massage is part of the physiotherapy education, and massage performed by physiotherapists is not considered an alternative treatment. When the same treatment is performed by therapists without public education, however, it is called alternative.
Understanding illness
Because classical massage springs from physical therapy and physiotherapy, the understanding of the disease does not differ from the school medicine. One mainly deals with physical structures and processes as causal and explanatory models of physical health problems, and sees massage as a form of treatment for specific ailments in the muscles and skeleton.
In the literature on classical massage, there is an emphasis on the connection between mental / emotional and physical ailments. There are thus explanatory models that allow the cause of illness to be both mental and physical. At the same time, based on research, it has been recognized that massage can have an effect on the immune system in general. Thus, it is opened up that massage can also have effects on disease in general, although this is usually not the main focus of treatment.
Massage + own efforts = effect
The goal of massage is to reduce pain and muscle tension, as well as provide relaxation, by softening tissues and muscles. All theorists in classical massage emphasize the importance of linking the massage to exercises and self-training to get the full effect of the treatment.