Shoulder issues are among the most common complaints seen in clinic—and often among the most misunderstood. The Functional Shoulder is a hands-on, in-depth workshop designed to help you unravel the complexity of shoulder anatomy, movement, and pain, giving you the confidence to support your clients with clarity and skill.
The shoulder is a remarkably mobile joint, but that mobility comes at the cost of stability—making it vulnerable to tension, injury, and compensation patterns that affect the whole body. As massage therapists, we have an incredible opportunity to help our clients restore ease, movement, and balance in this vital area.
In this workshop, you’ll explore detailed shoulder anatomy, looking at the forequarter as a whole and delving into conditions such as Rotator Cuff injuries, Shoulder Impingement, and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. You'll also develop your assessment and movement analysis skills, while gaining a broader understanding of pain science and the Biopsychosocial Model of care—because shoulder pain is rarely just physical.
Shoulder issues can be the result of posture, trauma, or repetitive strain—but they can also reflect emotional holding and protective patterns. You’ll learn to consider the whole person, developing a holistic approach to treatment that recognises the relationship between physical structure and lived experience.
This course will equip you with a toolkit of hands-on techniques you can immediately use in your clinic, such as Muscle Energy Techniques, Soft Tissue Release and much more. Whether you're treating athletes, desk-based clients, or those recovering from injury, you’ll leave with greater confidence and clinical clarity.
To support your learning, you’ll receive immediate access to online theory modules when you enrol—so you can arrive ready to dive straight into the practical work. Your in-person training will focus on refining techniques, asking questions, and exploring the application of everything you’ve learned in real-life scenarios.
Led by experienced tutor Ruth Bell, this inspiring and supportive workshop will expand your understanding of both the shoulder and your practice as a whole. The Functional Shoulder is CPD Approved, and you’ll receive a certificate on completion.
Join us to deepen your skills, grow your confidence, and bring more function, freedom, and understanding to your clients.
Dates:
Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July 2026 - ONLY 1 PLACE LEFT
Fees:
Pay £175 to secure your place and remaining balance due one month before the course start date.
Full Course fee: £345
Course fee to be paid in full if booking your place within 2 months of the start date
Time:
10am to 5pm each day
Venue:
Exeter, Devon. UK
CLICK HERE for details
Tutors:
Important - please read:
Students must hold a recognised minimum of a Level 3 Massage Diploma and Anatomy, Physiology & Pathology.
If you have no previous experience of Advanced Techniques such as METs, STRs, Trigger Points etc, then we recommend that you attend the Deep Tissue and Advanced Massage Techniques weekend workshop or arrange some 121 tuition first so that you are comfortable with the theory and application before focussing on specific areas, although this isn't a prerequisite. This will enrich your experience on the more focussed days.Â
Upon booking your place on any of our courses, you will automatically receive a receipt and an email containing course information. Please ensure that you check your spam folder as this email contains vital information about attending your course, what to bring and how to access online course material that may form part of your course. Please inform us if you haven't receive anything within 24 hours of booking.
Please ensure that you read our Terms & Conditions prior to booking onto this course.
Here at the School of Bodywork we are all about Therapist longevity and so whilst we teach you how and when to use techniques, we also think about your body mechanics and practitioner presence. Being an excellent therapist is so much more than simply applying techniques and we encourage our students to develop their own unique style throughout our trainings, but with a strong foundation in the clinical skills and understanding of when and why you would use them.
