Tailored for Your Well-being
A Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) focuses on the assessment, testing, and treatment of the body’s soft tissues, muscles, and joints.
A person who has pain, tense muscles, soft tissue adhesions, or joints which are not functioning in the proper manner, will try to reduce the immediate discomfort by changing the way they do their work or activities of daily living. This adjustment in the way they move can cause further injury which causes them to feel like they need to compensate further… it is a vicious cycle.
Along with the well-known Relaxation (Swedish) Massage techniques, multiple other types of massage have been added to focus on assisting lymphatic circulation, musculoskeletal dysfunction, and myofascial adhesions.
You will be asked to undress to YOUR comfort level. With that said, most people will undress to their underwear (excluding the bra). If you choose to leave on any of your clothing, please be aware the massage lotion/gel/oil can discolour your clothing.
YES… only the part of the body being worked on at the time will be undraped. Ex: If you are having your back massaged, your back will be undraped and then re-draped immediately after that portion of your massage is complete.
Your therapist may inquire as to the reason for your request to better understand your standpoint and attempt to ease any concerns you may have. Working directly on skin is preferred by your therapist for the most effective treatment; however, treatment can also be done over the sheet or thin clothing.
YES… communication with your therapist is greatly encouraged. The therapist will be checking in with you throughout the treatment.
You can always let the therapist know if an area requires an increase or decrease in pressure, even if the therapist just asked and it was fine at the time.
Communication is the key to your comfort. If you become uncomfortable at any time, let the therapist know. This gives them the opportunity to make the necessary adjustments to make you more comfortable or stop the treatment altogether, if necessary.
There are many benefits to having a massage, and there are numerous types of massage. Choosing the correct type of massage can be difficult, so here are descriptions of some of the different types of massage therapy along with their benefits.
Relaxation and Therapeutic Massage
While Relaxation Massage covers most areas of the body, using gentle techniques such as Effleurage and Petrissage, Therapeutic Massage is intended to affect certain areas and includes more techniques such as Trigger Point Therapy, Joint Play, and Muscular Energy Technique. It can also:
Increase:
- Relaxation
- Circulation
- Immune function
- Flexibility
- Range of Motion
- Energy
- Alertness
Decrease:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Muscle Pain, Soreness, Tension
Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Manual Lymphatic Drainage can improve your sleep and assist with healing after surgery if your doctor has cleared you for treatment. It can also:
Increase:
- Immune function
- Energy
Decrease:
- Swelling
- Sinus Issues
Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation
Specialized stainless steel tools are used during a Therapeutic Massage to address soft tissue lesions, fascial restrictions, and scar tissue. This can be effective in improving mobility and alleviating chronic pain conditions, as well as speeding up recovery time. It can also:
Increase:
- Collagen Production
Decrease:
- Pain
- Inflammation
Chair Massage
Chair Massage provides all the same benefits of a Relaxation or Therapeutic Massage with the bonus of the client remaining fully clothed. Much of the treatment is done with Acupressure techniques directly to the muscles. Deep-tissue treatment is rarely performed while some Relaxation techniques can be integrated into the treatment.
Medical Massage
As an outcome-based therapy, Medical Massage is not about the techniques used during the treatment. It is about putting together all the information provided by the client and assessing the client with different functional tests to try and figure out the cause of a dysfunction. The massage therapist then provides treatment specific to that issue within their scope of practice. If the massage therapist suspects the issue is beyond their scope of practice, they recommend the client seek treatment with another professional who can treat the issue.