RSM International Academy provides professional massage education in Chiang Mai, Thailand, connecting functional anatomy, clinical palpation, muscle-function assessment and movement analysis with practical manual therapy.

Training is designed for practitioners developing clinical and practical skills, including massage therapists, physiotherapists, doctors and sports-conditioning professionals. Students working toward professional practice should describe their training and practical experience when applying, so the appropriate entry point can be confirmed. Advanced courses retain their stated prerequisites.

Students practise selecting the target tissue and technique from assessed findings, adjusting pressure and load, and reassessing the same task. In classes of up to 14, Hironori Ikeda gives direct feedback on contact, pressure direction and therapist positioning. Lessons, materials, practical instruction and questions and answers are in English.

Practical training follows a clear sequence: review the person’s history and goals, assess movement, range of motion and muscle function, palpate the relevant anatomy, select the technique and load, then reassess the same task.

Students compare findings and explain their working hypothesis rather than treating posture or tenderness as a diagnosis. Contact area, direction, depth, speed and duration are adjusted to the person’s consent, tolerance and response. The next decision may be to continue, modify or stop the technique, or to recommend assessment by an appropriate healthcare professional.

Hironori Ikeda, MSc Sports Medicine, University of Tsukuba, has more than 30 years of clinical and teaching experience worldwide. His practical teaching connects functional anatomy, biomechanics, clinical palpation and movement assessment.

He delivered six days of intensive therapist training at Chiva-Som Hua Hin, Thailand, and four days at Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, Malaysia. He has also conducted professional workshops in Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Spain.

Participants have included medical doctors, physiotherapists, national-team massage therapists and physical-conditioning professionals from European professional sport. In class, students receive direct feedback on palpation, contact, load and their explanation of assessed findings. See the instructor profile for further background. All course communication is in English.

Students identify bony landmarks, muscle attachments, fibre direction and the relationships between neighbouring tissues. They compare contact at rest with changes during contraction, stretch and joint movement, adjusting palpation direction and depth.

Tenderness, resistance or perceived glide alone does not establish an adhesion, nerve disorder or cause of pain. Findings are compared with the person’s history, movement, range of motion and muscle function. In the cadaver anatomy programme, anatomical observation helps students relate three-dimensional structures to their contact during practical training.

Trigger Point Therapy (TPT) establishes clinical palpation and muscle-function assessment. Deep Tissue Massage (DTM) applies that foundation to deeper tissue contact and pressure control. Dynamic Myofascial Release (DMR) then integrates movement with soft-tissue techniques. DTM requires completion of TPT; DMR requires both TPT and DTM.

Each core course is five weekdays and 20 hours, costing THB 12,000. The final two hours on Friday, 13:00–15:00, are Practical Application (2 hours), included within the 20-hour total. The three core courses together cost THB 36,000. Check the current schedule and eligibility before applying.

The same area of discomfort can present with different histories, loads, movement responses and functional findings. Students compare these findings before selecting soft-tissue techniques, stretching or joint mobilisation within their training and scope of practice.

Contact area, pressure direction and depth, speed, duration and movement range are adjusted to the person’s tolerance and response. The same task is repeated after intervention to guide the next decision. Greater pressure or a larger range of motion is not an objective in itself; the aim is a reasoned, controlled application that can be reassessed.

Assessment includes the person’s reported experience, history, load, movement, range of motion, muscle function and response to contact. Posture or tenderness alone does not identify the cause of pain.

The IASP definition of pain recognises a personal experience influenced by biological, psychological and social factors. Students distinguish observed findings from their working hypothesis, explain the proposed approach and check consent and response. Findings outside the suitability of massage or the practitioner’s scope require referral or advice from an appropriate healthcare professional.

Students observe walking, squatting, single-leg support and arm elevation, comparing the foot, knee, hip, pelvis, thorax and shoulder girdle. Individual measures such as ankle dorsiflexion, hip extension and thoracic rotation help interpret the task.

A movement variation is treated as a finding to investigate, not a diagnosis or prediction of injury. Students change the task conditions, compare range of motion and muscle function, and use palpation where relevant. The same task is reassessed after the selected intervention. See Dynamic Posture Assessment and Kinetic Chain Training for the practical approach.

Students compare tissue relationships, joint movement and symptoms during changes of position, stretch and load. Perceived tension or glide is recorded as a finding; palpation alone cannot confirm nerve compression or an adhesion.

Neurodynamic assessment considers mechanical sensitivity alongside the person’s history and other functional findings. Any application is adjusted to suitability, tolerance and response. Radiating pain, tingling or worsening symptoms require modification, stopping or appropriate referral. Dynamic Myofascial Release connects these assessment principles with movement-based soft-tissue practice.

Standing posture is considered alongside walking, single-leg support, weight transfer, squatting and arm elevation. Pelvic position, forward head posture and thoracic or scapular movement are recorded and compared with the person’s task, symptoms and functional findings.

Proprioception and movement control are explored through balance, task repeatability and responses to changes in support or load. Video observation helps students compare the same conditions before and after intervention; appearance alone does not establish a disorder or future injury.

Course selection depends on practical experience, completed study, English communication and the skills the applicant needs to develop. The core sequence begins with Trigger Point Therapy; afternoon modules, weekend courses and private training have their own entry requirements.

The Professional Sports Medicine Massage Course combines practical massage education with cadaver anatomy study in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University. Its eight-, six- and four-day formats have different experience and prior-course requirements.

Send your training history, practical experience and preferred dates through the application and contact page. Confirm eligibility and availability before arranging travel. All lessons, materials, practical instruction and questions and answers are in English.

Trigger Point Therapy (TPT) combines the person’s history, tenderness, responses to muscle contraction and stretch, movement and range of motion. Students identify muscle attachments, fibre direction and function, then choose contact, pressure direction, depth and load.

Tenderness or referred sensations are not treated as a complete diagnosis. Students compare the same movement or range of motion after intervention and adjust their hypothesis or technique. This shared assessment and palpation foundation is required before progressing to Deep Tissue Massage. See the course content and booking information.

Deep Tissue Massage (DTM) builds on the clinical palpation and muscle-function assessment established in Trigger Point Therapy. Completion of TPT is required before DTM.

Students consider pelvic position, forward head posture, thoracic movement, scapular mechanics and hip movement alongside symptoms, range of motion, muscle function and palpation. Posture alone does not establish a shortened or weak muscle. Findings guide the target tissue, contact area, direction, depth and speed.

Therapist positioning and weight transfer support controlled application. Students monitor the person’s tolerance and repeat the same task after intervention to decide what to change. See Deep Tissue Massage course details for the curriculum, dates and requirements.

Dynamic Myofascial Release (DMR) combines soft-tissue contact with movement, using the person’s response to adjust the application. Both Trigger Point Therapy and Deep Tissue Massage must be completed before DMR.

Students compare muscle attachments, tissue relationships, contraction and stretch responses, and joint range. They select contact direction, speed, load and movement range, adding joint-mobilisation or neurodynamic assessment principles where appropriate. The same task is reassessed after application.

Perceived tissue changes are compared with symptoms and observable movement. Training does not promise to remove adhesions, restore nerve glide or prevent injury in every person. See the DMR course page for the practical curriculum and eligibility.

Sports Massage considers the athlete’s event, recent training, fatigue, soreness, history and time until the next performance. Students compare relevant movement, range of motion, muscle function and responses to contact before selecting the area, technique, pressure, speed and duration.

The person’s response and the same task are checked again after application. Massage is considered alongside training load, rest, exercise and appropriate healthcare input. Improved performance or injury prevention is not promised as a certain result of massage.

The Sports Massage Course is an optional afternoon module during the Trigger Point Therapy week. Check the course page and current schedule for dates, fees and eligibility.

Students compare rib-cage movement during breathing, thoracic and spinal mobility, posture and the person’s functional task. History, range of motion, muscle function and palpation help guide the approach.

Practical work emphasises non-thrust joint mobilisation, with contact direction, pressure and movement range adjusted to suitability, contraindications and response. The same breathing, movement or range-of-motion task is repeated after application. This is professional manual-therapy education rather than training to diagnose or treat respiratory disease.

See Orthopedic Massage for Breathing and Spine Mobility for course content, dates and entry requirements.

Students compare individual anatomy, movement, range of motion, muscle function and symptoms. Pelvic position, hip rotation and foot posture are interpreted alongside responses to changes in task or load, rather than making every asymmetry a correction target.

Assessment methods such as Craig’s test are considered with their conditions and limitations. A single test or palpation finding does not establish bone structure, nerve compression or the cause of pain. Students select the area, technique and load, then reassess the same task.

The Remedial Massage Course is an optional afternoon module during the Deep Tissue Massage week. Confirm completed training and course eligibility before booking.

The Sports Medicine Massage Course at RSM International Academy is an advanced afternoon module for practitioners connecting assessment findings with practical decisions in sports conditioning and rehabilitation-related work. It takes place during the Dynamic Myofascial Release (DMR) week. DMR requires prior completion of Trigger Point Therapy (TPT) and Deep Tissue Massage (DTM).

Students bring together the person’s history, training demands, sport-specific movement, range of motion, muscle function and palpation findings. These findings guide the area and purpose of application. An observed posture or sensitive point is considered alongside the other findings, rather than treated as a diagnosis.

In supervised practice, students select and combine previously learned techniques, control contact, direction, depth, pressure, load and movement range, then repeat the same assessment task to check the response. Hironori Ikeda provides direct feedback on palpation, therapist positioning and technique selection, helping students explain their decisions and make specific adjustments.

The practical benefit is a structured process for assessment, application and reassessment, including recognising when to modify or stop a session or recommend further assessment. See the Sports Medicine Massage Course page and current schedule for dates, fees and eligibility, then use the application page. The Professional Sports Medicine Massage Course with cadaver anatomy is a separate programme.

This programme combines practical massage education with cadaver anatomy study in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University. Anatomy teaching examines the three-dimensional relationships between muscles, tendons, fascia, nerves and joint capsules.

During free-practice time, Hironori Ikeda guides palpation, bony-landmark identification, contact direction and depth, and the interpretation of deeper muscle layers. Students relate directly observed structures to their contact and assessment during practical massage training.

The fee is THB 38,000 for eight days, THB 33,000 for six days, or THB 29,000 for four days. Practical experience and completed RSM courses determine the applicable format. All course communication is in English. See the official programme page for dates, eligibility and application details.

RSM International Academy brings together massage therapists, healthcare practitioners and sports-conditioning professionals from different countries. Students explain their findings, select an approach, control the application and reassess in English, receiving direct practical feedback from Hironori Ikeda.

Published student reviews highlight clear anatomy teaching and specific feedback during practical training. Read the Google Maps reviews for participants’ own accounts. RSM issues its own course-completion certificates; these do not confer a healthcare qualification or licence to practise. Application in practice must follow local law and the practitioner’s scope.

Research is interpreted according to its population, methods, outcomes and limitations. Reference resources include the IASP pain definition, WHO guideline on chronic primary low back pain, and the lateral ankle sprain clinical practice guideline. These inform clinical reasoning; they are not endorsements or accreditation of RSM or proof of its course outcomes.