One of several massage therapists forced to close on Sunday under the province's enhanced public health measures. (CHAT News photo)

By Alex McCuaig

seeking recognition

Massage therapists irked at closure while other therapy allowed

Dec 15, 2020 | 4:46 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Physiotherapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists and massage therapists all require a degree of hands-on-the-client work but only one of the professions has been not allowed to continue to practice under the new enhanced health restrictions that came into effect Sunday.

Unlike the other professions, massage therapists are not a regulated profession under provincial legislation, a long-standing issue in the industry, and so are not allowed to continue operating under the new restrictions.

In a statement by the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta (MTAA) posted on its website, the industry group says most provinces have regulated the profession and, as such, “massage therapists have been allowed to continue practicing when provinces have enacted widespread public health restrictions.”

But for one Medicine Hat massage therapist, the lack of recognition of the profession has led him to be out of work for the second time this year.

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Daniel Ross says the industry was already working under strict guidelines for the six months it was allowed to operate, including keeping strict records of clients.

“We must keep clinical records of every single person we see,” said Ross. “Its purpose is so we can come out with an effective treatment plan and give the most effective aid to an individual but it also allows for if something were to go awry – say a global pandemic where you need to track who is seeing who so you can stop any type of spread – that paperwork is there.”

While the issue of massage therapy being a provincially regulated profession is being acutely felt during the pandemic, it’s an issue that will continue to be a problem after COVID-19 is gone.

“It would allow for more client protection,” said Ross of the regulation issue. “It brings that standard of entry up from that 500-hour program over the summer to a two-year education program.”

Ross says in the meantime, massage therapists are trying to assist their clients with advice over the phone.