The Second Edition of Introduction to Massage Therapy instills the essential skills and knowledge needed to become a professional massage therapist and excel as one. The authors integrate functional anatomy, physiology, and pathology with massage therapy techniques, helping you translate your knowledge of the underlying science into practice. Designed to prepare you for all aspects of massage practice, the text also covers communication and documentation, safety and self-care practices, and essential business concepts.

This text offers a wealth of 3D anatomical information on the skeletal, muscular, and neurovascular systems, as well as surface anatomy. The Second Edition features expanded coverage of hydrotherapy, Eastern techniques, sanitation and hygiene, and HIPAA.

New Features to Help You Master Massage Therapy—

• New topics have been added or expanded to better prepare you for the National Certification Exam (NCE).
• Critical thinking exercises test your skills in selecting the correct techniques to apply under specific sets of circumstances.
• Contraindication boxes highlight particular situations when massage should not be used or a specific stroke may be harmful.

  More Highlights and Features—

• Full-color illustrations and photographs help you learn important concepts and techniques.
• Progressive case studies ask you to develop step-by-step treatment plans for a client.
• Procedure boxes set forth step-by-step instructions for treatments and assessments.
• Exercises in each chapter help you assess your grasp of key concepts.

  Bonus DVD Each copy of the text includes the Real Bodywork DVD, featuring outstanding video clips of massage sequences presented in the text.