Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 059 - Arkansas Board of Massage Therapy › Rule 059.00.08-001 - 2008 Massage Therapy Rules

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
Preface
The Arkansas State Board of Massage Therapy interprets the intent
			 of the Legislature that passed the Massage Therapy Act and the Governor who
			 signed it into law to be the protection of public peace, health, safety, and
			 welfare.
Therefore, the Arkansas State Board of Massage Therapy, in all
			 its deliberations and in all its adopted Rules and Regulations, diligently
			 pursues these goals most consistent with the public interest and, at all times,
			 applies the provisions of the Massage Therapy Act and any Rules and Regulations
			 (adopted from time to time) in a fair and impartial manner.
Article One
Principles & Methods
1. Terms found in
Arkansas Code
&
		  17-86-102
		  are descriptive rather than limiting, and massage therapy includes those
		  techniques which are utilized in all phases of massage and bodywork for the
		  purposes of relaxation, stress reduction, pain relief, injury prevention,
		  injury repair, postural improvement, and/ or health enhancement.
2. Massage therapy includes any technique or
		  procedure that utilizes hands-on or mechanical manipulation of soft tissue
		  (skin, muscles, and connective tissues) affecting the circulatory, nervous, or
		  musculoskeletal systems of the body.
3. Any technique or procedure that involves
		  pressurized touch or contact sufficient to impact soft tissue and/ or
		  circulation (even if based in non-Western or eclectic approaches) is considered
		  massage therapy or bodywork if not specifically regulated by another licensing
		  board.
4. Those practices involving
		  only light touch in the administration of energetic principles or spiritual
		  healing do not rise to the level intended to be regulated by law: they are not
		  addressed under this chapter, and such practices may not receive approval for
		  continuing education program credits by the Board without endorsement of such
		  if otherwise qualified under Article Five.
5. Hydrotherapy is defined as the use of
		  water in any form for therapeutic purposes and includes methods of full and
		  partial immersion baths, whirlpools, sponging, sprays, body shampoos, body
		  scrubs, body wraps, fomentations, compresses, poultices, packs, masks, steam
		  treatments, or sauna treatments.
6.
		  Depilation, waxing, extractions, and electrolysis are not within the scope of
		  massage therapy.
7. Colonic
		  irrigation and other methods of internal hydrotherapy are not within the scope
		  of massage therapy.
8. Heliotherapy
		  is defined as the use of light for therapeutic purposes and may consist of the
		  use of infrared radiation lamps and devices and the various uses of other light
		  that might be approved by the Board.
9. Electrotherapy is defined as the use of
		  electrical devices for therapeutic purposes and may consist of the use of
		  mechanical vibrators, electric stimulation, direct and alternating currents,
		  interferential currents, micro currents, and Russian stimulation.
10. Therapists must demonstrate training in
		  the use of electrical devices other than simple mechanical vibrators and
		  present qualifications acceptable to the Board before using such
		  devices.
11. Unless prescribed by a
		  licensed physician, practices involving the use of ultrasound are outside the
		  scope of massage therapy.
12.
		  "Direct supervision" is defined as "being in the physical presence of a
		  licensed master massage therapist or massage therapy instructor," and "assists"
		  is defined as "assisting the licensed master massage therapist or massage
		  therapy instructor."