London School of Sports Massage
The London School of Sports Massage is one of the leading schools in the country. Its predominantly hands-on syllabus covers a wide range of treatment techniques, but also requires in-depth study of topics such as anatomy and physiology, sports nutrition, remedial exercise, etc.
Its diploma course is one of a limited number of courses in the UK that are validated by the Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage.
Other schools in the UK
There are a limited number of schools in the UK that are validated by the Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage.
You can go to the ISRM website to view an up-to-date list under the heading "Schools".
Will my health insurance pay?
Due to the lack of regulation in sport and remedial massage therapy in the UK, most private health insurers will not currently cover the costs of your treatment.
All professional bodies within sports and remedial massage therapy are working hard to change this situation in the interest of both the therapists and the clients.
A first exception among the leading insurers is PruHealth. Depending on the cover you have chosen, PruHealth will pay for treatments with any of the therapists working at the mittelmaier clinic. Please contact PruHealth previous to your treatment to get an authorisation number. We will then invoice PruHealth after your treatment.
The Sports Massage Association &
The Institute for Sport and Remedial Massage
There is no state regulation for the sports massage profession in the United Kingdom. Any person can call themselves "Sports Massage Therapist" regardless of his or her expertise or qualifications. Equally, anybody can teach or even set up a "school of sports massage" and there are institutions in Britain that offer courses which last just one day.
As a client, you want to be sure that the people treating you are well trained. Two organizations play a vital role in finding a well trained sports massage therapist in the UK:
Therapists who have trained to the standard of the Sports Massage Association use traditional methods like friction and deep stroking techniques that are the basic tools of all forms of deep tissue massage therapy.
The Institute for Sport and Remedial Massage goes several steps further in requiring its members to be competent in a wider range of modern techniques that include muscle energy techniques, assisted stretching, positional release, etc.
Any school that wants its course to be approved and reognised by the ISRM needs to meet very strict criteria. Its students must prove their knowledge and expertise in written exams and practical tests.
All ISRM members either qualified at an ISRM-recognized school or have passed a strict examination process.
There are, of course, many excellent therapists in the UK who are neither SMA nor ISRM members. If you are happy with your current therapist and you find the treatment effective, there is no reason to change.
Go to the Practitioners Register of the SMA to find therapists in your area who are SMA members.
Go to the Therapist Directory of the ISRM to find therapists in your area who are ISRM members.