Orthotherapist - orthotherapy specialist

The profession

An orthotherapist is a specialist that combines kinesitherapy and massage therapy to relieve musculoskeletal pain. Using massage therapy, joint mobilizations and therapeutic exercises, the orthotherapist works to improve imbalances in posture. He or she is trained to design, revise and adapt a care program tailored to a client’s needs, in order to relieve pain due to a bad posture, an accident, repetitive movements or physical inactivity.

Orthotherapist training

Someone who desires to become an orthotherapist must first have a massage therapy and a kinesitherapy training. Depending on schools, the training can be taught on its own or combine with kinesitherapy. Lasting 200 hours, it can stagger from 4 to 10 months depending on whether it’s completed full or part-time.

The orthotherapist’s training includes a biomechanical knowledge enhancement in order to learn how to adequately relieve symptoms of tendonitis¹, bursitis², capsulitis³, sciatica⁴ as well as other muscle and joint inflammations.

Academic institutions

Not every academic institution recognized by the Réseau offers the specialization in orthoherapy. To know which ones do, we encourage you to contact the Réseau by phone at 1 800 461-1312 or by email at info@rmpq.ca.

To become a member of the Réseau as an orthotherapist, the candidate must fulfil the membership criteria.

Work opportunities

Once specialized as an orthotherapist, the therapist is in a better position to meet the needs of his or her clients and sees his job opportunities expand as well. Orthotherapists can be hired by sports or fitness centers, by a massage therapy, physiotherapy, or multidisciplinary clinic or by beauty centers and spas.

Being self-employed in orthotherapy signifies working from home but also working in establishments as mentioned above. Indeed, the self-employed orthotherapist can be represented as an “entrepreneur” or a “service provider”; in the first case, he is completely independent, and in the second, he has the possibility to negotiate its contract with some companies that later on will become his or her clientele.

1. It is important to take note that your therapist cannot perform a pathology diagnosis since only doctors are allowed to make medical diagnosis. Although, your therapist will be able to effectively relieve the pain.
2. ibid.
3. ibid.
4. ibid.

Orthotherapist – orthotherapy specialist

The profession

Orthotherapist training

Academic institutions

Work opportunities