As massage therapists, we deal with muscles during each massage we give. It is helpful to know where each one begins and ends and what soft tissues are on top of other soft tissues in the body.

Anatomy is very important in school. Knowing your way around the bony landmarks and soft tissues of the client's body is necessary to give the correct massage strokes to the many different soft tissues under the skin.

Anatomy is even more important in real life when there is a client on your table or in your chair.

Do yourself and your clients a favor and learn the muscles. Learn where they are, what bony landmarks they are near, what way the fibers go for each one, if there are any arteries close by, etc. We do a disservice to the client when we are not as familiar with the soft tissues of the body as we should be.

This section is mainly for students who need help studying the insertions and origins and for massage therapists who need a quick refresher course to better serve their clients. It is also for the clients who want to know their own bodies better.

Clients, you may get so interested that you decide you would like to have a career in massage therapy. I am including some of the most often worked-on soft tissues in the body.

They are divided into groups and body sections, except for two special ones-- Trapezius and Sternocleidomastoid.

Body sections are:

Head and Face

Neck

Shoulders

Upper Arms

Forearms, Wrists, and Hands

Elbows

Back

Legs

Feet

Chest

The groups listed are:

SITS Group

Deep Hip Outward Rotators

Iliopsoas

Gluteals

Hamstrings

Adductors

Triceps Surae

Scalenes

Suboccipitals

Abdominals

Quadriceps Femoris

Remember to review these often after you finish massage therapy school so that you can keep them fresh in your mind. Because there are so many, you tend to forget which one does what function on the body so reviewing them from time to time will assist you. You will need to know where they are, what they do, and in what directions their fibers go as you massage clients. This is very important if you want to help your clients who are having pain.

Happy Studying!

The trapezius seems to be more complicated than other muscles so I chose to give this muscle its own page.

Below is the muscle study aid for massage therapy students.

It is also known as the coat hanger muscle. It covers more than half of the back. The upper, middle, and lower portions perform 3 separate actions. Also, this muscle can be an antagonist to itself.

Origins:

External occipital protuberance

Superior nuchal lines

Nuchal ligament

Spinous processes of C7-T12

Insertions:

Lateral one third of clavicle

Acromion process

Scapular spine

Actions of upper fibers:

Extends neck and head

Elevates scapula

Rotates scapula upward

Action of middle fibers:

Retracts scapula

Action of lower fibers:

Depresses scapula

This muscle also laterally flexes the neck and rotates the head by unilateral (one-sided) contraction.

Sternocleidomastoid is on both sides of the neck from the base of the skull to the clavicle and sternum. It is the only muscle that moves the head but is not attached to the vertebrae.

Below is the muscle study aid for massage therapy students.

If this muscle has spasms, the client can get vertigo.

Origins:

Manubrium of the sternum

Medial one third of the clavicle

Insertion:

Mastoid process

Actions:

Rotates head to opposite side

Flexes neck

Laterally flexes neck

Assists in forced inspiration

This muscle is the mirrored image of another muscle called splenius capitis, which you can read about under the neck muscles. It is important to note that that the carotid artery lies underneath this muscle and the external jugular vein is placed on top of it.