Remedial Massage Therapist
What the work is
Performs remedial massage therapy to relieve pain and stress, and improve musculoskeletal function, circulation and movement.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Conducts physical assessment of clients' musculoskeletal and orthopaedic conditions to identify functional capacity, pain and associated stress
- Consults with clients concerning remedial massage treatments and techniques
- Administers remedial manual manipulation therapies involving the deep or shallow soft tissues of the body including muscles, tendons, fascia and ligaments
- Administers treatments to remediate muscle tension and pain, improve circulation, reduce early onset muscle soreness, and facilitate movement and rehabilitation
- Performs joint mobilisation, myofascial release techniques, trigger point therapy, stretching therapy, taping, heat therapy and ice therapy
- Maintains detailed patient records, involving treatments, responses and progress, and provides client records for referrals to Health Practitioners
- May use cupping, acupressure and essential oils when treating patients
- May perform other techniques to assist recovery, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, dry needling and movement-based therapies
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small clinic with two treatment rooms, offering remedial massage and myotherapy. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A client who arrived hunched over leaves standing straight and smiling
- A treatment plan you put together works, and the client sends you a thank you note
- A regular tells you they slept through the night for the first time in weeks
Hard days
- A full day of treatments with sore hands and a client who wants one more session
- A client who does not do the exercises and wonders why nothing improves
- Having to tell someone that what they are hoping for is not realistic
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 441233, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.