Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 13/01) - An association of NWT massage therapists are relieved to finally have a voice with the national body which oversees ethical guidelines within the profession.

The NWT Massage Therapists Association joined forces with the Canadian Massage Therapist Alliance July 28.

According to association vice-president Jennifer Stranart, gaining membership was crucial for NWT massage therapists. It ensures them good standing throughout the country wherever they may seek employment.

Additionally, Stranart said without certification, there is no way to guarantee the public that they are being massaged by a licensed trained therapist.

"We want to ensure that no one can come up here and call themselves a massage therapist without the initial training and commitment to upgrading education," Stranart said.

"One of the biggest aspects to our training is that it's not just a rub and buff, there's assessment, treatment, and exercise programs."

Seven members currently belong to the NWT Association -- all in Yellowknife. Under its mandate, all members must have a minimum of 2,200 hours of training and meet the criteria set out by the Worker's Compensation Board of the NWT.

When contacted by News/North, Bronwin Watters, director of Policy Planning and Human Resources for the Department of Health and Social Services, said "there was no danger to the public" and "there's still standards that have to be met."

But when pressed to outline what the standards for massage therapists are in the NWT, she admitted that it "would be up to the employer."

In fact, there are currently no regulations regarding massage therapy in the NWT. Watters did say policies regarding the profession are currently under review, but could not confirm how long the process would last.

"I'd be very reluctant to give that right now," Watters said.

Stranart, who has practiced massage therapy for the last 10 years and is currently a managing partner with the Athletic and Therapeutic Clinic in Yellowknife, said there is indeed a danger to the public if uncertified massage therapists were allowed to continue practicing in the North.

"Someone could come in with a pain in the leg, but it could be a blood clot," Stranart said.

She said an inexperienced massage therapist may not be able to properly assess the problem and begin massaging it, releasing the blood clot into the system and potentially cause a stroke.

She remembers one day while still in training in Toronto a man came in complaining of pain in his elbow. Her instructors were able to diagnose the situation -- it turned out that the man was suffering a heart attack.

"One of the important things to do in the course of giving a assessment is to know when it's not appropriate to give a massage," said Stranart. "It could be a more serious problem."