The Institute of Sport & Remedial Massage

Working to unite and promote professional Sport & Remedial massage therapy ...

Sport & Remedial Massage involves the use of massage, soft tissue manipulation and exercise advice to reduce physical aches and pains, whether they're caused by sport, injury, or simply the stresses of modern life. People all over the world are discovering its wide ranging benefits which can also help a variety of medical conditions.

The ISRM provides a national register of fully qualified Therapists so potential clients can be assured they are getting good quality treatment, by a therapist who has been professionally trained and receives ongoing support.

Training as a therapist has traditionally been a tricky area, with no governing body to point prospective students in the right direction. Working with a range of therapists over the years, we realised many of the training courses on offer simply were not providing a high enough level of remedial massage skill to meet the clinical needs of the client. This is why, in 1989, the first seeds of the ISRM were sown.

The ISRM has now established the UK's first and only network of schools teaching an externally validated qualification in Sport and Remedial Massage.

This qualification has become the benchmark for quality training in this sector of Complementary Healthcare. Training includes advanced remedial massage techniques and assessment skills which enable the therapist to work safely and effectively with people from all walks of life, in a wide range of situations.

The Qualification is externally validated by Edexcel/BTEC which is the national awarding body for vocational education and training (it is equivalent to NVQ Level 4).

The ISRM has developed a network of schools and training centres all over the country through which this qualification operates, enabling a hitherto fragmented profession to unite and grow under a single qualification.

The ISRM represents the professional interests of Sport & Remedial Massage Therapists. It is on the General Council of Massage Therapy, which is working with the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health to establish the new federal structure for the self regulation of complementary healthcare in the UK and across Europe.

The ISRM provides teams of therapists at major sporting events and we expect this to grow considerably in the build-up to the 2012 Olympics.

Therapists with the ISRM/BTEC qualification are entitled to become full members of the ISRM, with many benefits including:

• Listing on the ISRM's National Therapists Register
• Access to Professional Indemnity Insurance*
• Access to job opportunities
• Work at major sporting events
• Continuing Professional Development programme
• Regular newsletters, discussion forums and technical support

Therapists who haven't trained with a validated school are not eligible for membership unless they are assessed and, if necessary, complete a bridging programme to bring their qualification up to the ISRM's stringent BTEC level. These bridging courses are offered by most of our Schools.

These operate at independent schools which run the ISRM qualification under our BTEC validation process. Although individual programmes may differ slightly between schools, they all apply the same written assignments, assessments and exams and have to achieve the same high quality Learning Outcomes with qualified and experienced tutors. The institute works closely with all schools to ensure high standards are consistent and to share ideas so together we can further develop training standards.

They are:

North London School of Sports Massage - North London

London School of Sports Massage - Central London and Southampton

Pulse Training Solutions - Oxford, Oxfordshire & Exeter, Devon

Advanti School of Sports and Remedial Massage - Lowestoft, Suffolk

Loughborough School of Complementary Therapy -
Loughborough, Leicestershire

Raworth International College of Natural, Sports and Nutrition Therapies - Dorking, Surrey

These operate at schools which run their own qualification, with their own external validation, to an appropriate level, with a set of Learning Outcomes that include all those required by the ISRM.

They are:

University of Westminster - London

Scottish School of Professional Massage - Peebles, Scottish Borders

A register of ISRM members is available to the public on this site under the heading "Therapist Directory".

ISRM offers free advertising to employers offering work opportunities to our members. Contact us at admin@theisrm.com