“Recognising Red Flags for the Massage Therapist” a course designed to help navigate the uncertainties around contraindications and Red Flags.

Red Flags can be an indication of serious pathology, identifying these and knowing when and who to refer to is an essential skill for any therapist working with people in pain or injury. However the process is not straight forward as many people in our clinics will present with what seem to be one red flag at least, which in isolation may not be a strong indicator of serious pathology, so how can we identify what requires a referral? Referrals are vital when warranted but if not they could cause unnecessary anxiety. To that complexity we add the different scopes of practice of therapists then we have a very confusing and inconsistent approach and that s when things then can really be missed.

Red Flags are different from Contraindications, and this is a distinction which will be clarified in the session as it is one that is also adding great confusion.

The ST School has created this 3 hours interactive online course where the most current evidence and best guidelines around Red Flags in musculoskeletal care will be presented and also contextualised to different scopes of practice with particular focus on Massage, Sports and Soft Tissue Therapy trained practitioners. This course provides you with 3 hours of CPD credits.

Real clinical scenarios will be presented to provide meaningful examples of the types of presentations we experience at clinic.

Examples and templates of referral letters will be provided to ensure we comply with best professional practice.

Sometimes our best approach to treatment is to realise that client’s needs will be better catered by another professional.

Sometimes that realisation can prevent further damage or devastating consequences.

Be the therapist who refer timely!