Registered Massage Therapy is regulated in five provinces in Canada: Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Other provinces are not far behind and hope soon to also be regulated.
Massage therapy is unique among health professions in that RMTs have great flexibility in their work setting and duration and require minimal tools and equipment to perform. In addition, massage therapy has the dual benefit of influencing both physical and psycho-emotional states in patients, affecting change in the soft tissues and simultaneously reducing sympathetic nervous activation to bring about an overall feeling of wellness and calm.
There are almost 15,000 registered massage therapists in Ontario. RMTs work in a variety of settings,
including:
The majority of RMTs are self-employed and work independently within the community, underlining one of the barriers to consistent interprofessional collaboration.
Massage therapists have a history of working collaboratively with physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, chiropractors, midwives, acupuncturists, psychotherapists, and other regulated health professionals. Barriers to effective teamwork lie in the:
a) structure and resources of our health care system: OHIP vs fee for service;
b) practice of professional healthcare: independent setting, overlapping scopes of practice, dearth of real-time communication, limited time;
c) education of healthcare: lack of mutual professional recognition and understanding.
Massage therapy is beneficial for both acute and chronic health conditions, and is employed in the prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and management of a large variety of health issues,
including:
The Massage Therapy Act, 1991, defines the scope of practice of Massage Therapy as “the assessment of the soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissue and joints by manipulation to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function, or relieve pain.”
Orthopaedic and neurological testing, Swedish massage techniques, hydrotherapy, remedial exercise and client education programs form the backbone of Massage Therapy. Some RMTs have additional training in modalities such as acupuncture, manual lymph drainage and compression therapy, TENS and ultrasound.
Training to become an RMT in Ontario consists of a two to three-year diploma program from one of several recognized Massage Therapy schools in the province. By 2026, all schools in Ontario will be accredited according to national standards. Currently, applicants who are trained in massage therapy internationally or in an unregulated Canadian province must undergo an assessment to ensure qualifications are equivalent to those provided by Ontario’s education programs in massage therapy.
After completing education, all candidates must take the Certification Examinations and register with the CMTO to be eligible to practise. Only people registered with the CMTO are permitted to use the protected titles “Registered Massage Therapist” or “Massage Therapist” and use the letters “RMT” or “MT” with their names.
Massage Therapy came into increased prominence during World War I, at the time when Canada helped care for its soldiers overseas. Orthopaedical centres, devoted to conditions involving the musculoskeletal system, were among the many makeshift hospitals set up during this time. These centers began offering hydrotherapy and massage to injured soldiers. Throughout World War I, nearly 2,000 soldiers were treated daily with massage, establishing Massage Therapy as a necessary and valued form of healthcare. CMTO has been regulating Massage Therapy in Ontario since 1919.
