Maryland Massage Therapy Practice Act: Definitions, Scope, and Prohibited Acts
What this domain tests
This section tests the statutory vocabulary that decides who may call themselves a massage therapist in Maryland and which acts fall inside-and outside-the license.
Core definitions
- The Board means the Maryland Board of Massage Therapy.
- Massage therapy is a health-related service using manual soft-tissue techniques-stroking, kneading, friction, compression, vibration, percussion, and stretching-for therapeutic purposes.
- Practice includes taking a health history, assessing contraindications, planning a session, applying manual techniques, using oils, lotions, powders, heat, cold, and hydrotherapy as adjuncts, and teaching self-care.
- The license is individual. A business may need local approval, but a business license does not authorize an unlicensed person to massage.
Scope limits and prohibited acts
A licensee may not diagnose, prescribe, dispense legend drugs, perform surgery, give chiropractic adjustments, or hold out as another licensed profession. Prohibited acts include practicing without a license, using the protected title without a license, aiding unlicensed practice, false or misleading advertising, sexual misconduct, practicing while impaired, and treating a client whose condition is outside the therapist's training without appropriate precautions or referral.
Worked example
A client points to a rash and asks, 'Is this infection? Can you prescribe a cream?' The therapist should not name a diagnosis or recommend a prescription drug. The correct response is to decline the medical question, explain that diagnosis and prescribing are outside massage scope, avoid direct contact with the rash, and refer the client to a physician or dermatologist. The therapist may document the observation and, if the rash is not contagious and the client is cleared, proceed with appropriate precautions.
Traps that cost marks
Do not confuse 'therapeutic' with 'medical diagnosis.' Do not assume a spa or establishment license covers an unlicensed employee. Do not treat 'bodywork' as a separate unregulated title when the person is using massage techniques for compensation.