What is Registered Massage Therapy?
What is Registered Massage Therapy?
Everyone deserves a massage therapy program that’s just right—and Equilibrium is committed to working together with you to understand your needs and deliver the best that massage can be. Our Registered Massage Therapists (RMT’s) customize their sessions using a range of modalities, and each treatment is focused on helping you attain your wellness goals.
Massage Therapy is a very personal Journey. We are the largest provider of Massage Therapy in Victoria and therefore have many RMT’s to choose from. Now that we have three convenient locations, we also offer physiotherapy, acupuncture and osteopathy at our Yates Street location and massage therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathy at our Tillicum Rd. location. We encourage you to read our bios for a thorough introduction to each staff member. Try treatments with several therapists as each have their own styles and strengths. It’s always a great idea to have more than one therapist that you feel comfortable with so that you can be sure that you get the treatment when you need it, rather than waiting for your regular therapist to be available. Each therapist combines different modalities to provide the best treatment for your goals. All of our RMT’s are great, so rest assured that you will get a fantastic treatment no matter who you book with. You will be working directly with your therapist to help design the therapy that’s right for you. Speak up, don’t be shy; this is your chance to have the massage you’ve always wanted!
We work with a wide variety of people – including those who seek relief of a specific issue and those who desire the benefits of long-term massage therapy.
Why use a Registered Massage Therapist?
Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) are primary practitioners in British Columbia and are health professionals recognized under and regulated by BC’s Health Professions Act. As mandated by the Act, College of Massage Therapy of BC (CMTBC) regulates the profession of massage therapy in the public interest to ensure that registered massage therapists (RMTs) in BC deliver safe, ethical, and effective treatment. In British Columbia, only CMTBC registrants are permitted by law (the Massage Therapists Regulation) to refer to themselves by using one or more of the following professional titles: “registered massage therapist” (including “RMT”), “massage therapist”, “registered massage practitioner”, or “massage practitioner”. Health care professionals with the designation as a Registered Massage Therapist or RMT have completed a minimum of 2200 hours of College level education.
Massage Therapy is the manipulation of soft tissues, fascia and joints of the body to augment physical function, reduce tension and relieve pain. RMTs work with illness, injury and disability in diverse and broad patient populations and focus on disorders of the musculoskeletal and related systems.
A lubricant is typically used for most massage therapy techniques. We use high quality massage creams, so you won’t feel oily after your massage.
Your Massage Therapy Journey
Who is massage therapy for?
Everyone from young toddlers to seniors can benefit from massage therapy. Massage therapy offers a variety of benefits that’s truly safe for just about anyone.
Specific benefits of massage therapy include:
- Improved circulation and lymphatic drainage
- Accelerated healing
- Reduced swelling and inflammation
- Improved range of motion
- Reduced pain
- Decreased adhesions and scar tissue formation
- Decreased stress
- Improved mood
We use massage therapy to help people manage or recover from a wide range of conditions, including back and neck pain, arthritis, migraines, sports and auto-accident related injuries, fibromyalgia, and psychological disorders including anxiety and depression (since mental and emotional stress is often neurologically carried into and stored in physical tissues). A professional massage provided by a registered massage therapist can even ease the effects of chemotherapy and can hasten the healing process in post-surgical patients.
What should I expect during my massage treatment?
The first thing you should expect when you come to visit our clinic for a massage therapy appointment is a thorough examination and patient history questionnaire. We ask that all our patients visit us in comfortable clothes.
During your massage session, your therapist will most likely use cream although it varies with each therapist and the style of treatment they give. At our clinic, our therapists can talk to you about anything you may be experiencing and work with you in a coordinated way to encourage healing on all levels and help you gain a deeper understanding of your body and what’s happening with it. We’re not just concerned with symptom relief; we want to identify and resolve the underlying cause (or causes) of your symptoms so that your healing will be more complete and longer lasting.
Are you wondering if massage therapy is right for you? (Hint: it probably is.) Book a massage today!
Massage Therapy Treatments
These are descriptions of some of the types of treatments that the Registered Massage Therapists at our clinic use:
Massage Therapy Treatments
Swedish Massage Therapy
Swedish Massage is what comes to mind for most when massage is mentioned. It is generally known as Relaxation Massage. Flowing strokes, deep kneading, surface friction and joint movement are all used to create a deeply relaxing and healing effect on the body. Swedish massage forms the foundation for all other forms of massage therapy techniques. Swedish massage is generally done at a moderate to slow speed, soothing rhythm, with deeper or lighter pressure depending on your preference. Many people drift off into a relaxing state of consciousness somewhere between sleep and awake during this style of massage.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep Tissue Massage is beneficial to athletes and anyone who needs to relieve tension in their deep musculature. Deep Tissue Massage consists of a group of special techniques used to access deeper muscular layers unreachable by traditional Swedish massage. The techniques employed, work with the body’s responses by slowly sinking into tight muscles allowing them to “melt” permitting deeply held tension to be released. Deep tissue massage does not need to be painful to be effective, but may be bearably uncomfortable. Any initial discomfort felt from the deep tissue work will lessen within a few moments as the muscle begins to naturally relax. At certain points during the massage, there are usually various levels of discomfort and depends on the area being worked and the patients level of tolerance to discomfort. It is important to tell your massage therapist when the discomfort you experience is outside your comfort zone as good deep tissue therapy does not have to involve extreme discomfort. Slow techniques should allow the muscle tissue to respond to the pressure with minimal discomfort. Communication between the RMT and the patient is essential to maintain the balance between deep pressure, without pain.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial Release is a very effective hands-on technique that provides sustained pressure into myofascial restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. The theory of Myofascial Release requires an understanding of the fascial system (or connective tissue). The fascia is a specialized system of the body that has an appearance similar to a spider’s web or a sweater.
Fascia is very densely woven, covering and interpenetrating every muscle, bone, nerve, artery and vein as well as all of our internal organs including the heart, lungs, brain and spinal cord. The most interesting aspect of the fascial system is that it is not just a system of separate coverings. It is actually one structure that exists from head to foot without interruption. In this way you can begin to see that each part of the entire body is connected to every other part by the fascia, like the yarn in a sweater.
Fascia also plays an important role in the support of our bodies, since it surrounds and attaches to all structures. In the normal healthy state, the fascia is relaxed and wavy in configuration. It has the ability to stretch and move without restriction. When we experience physical trauma, scarring, or inflammation, however, the fascia loses its pliability. It becomes tight, restricted and a source of tension to the rest of the body. Trauma (such as a fall), whiplash, surgery, repetitive stress injuries or just habitual poor posture over time have a cumulative effect. The changes they cause in the fascial system influence comfort and the functioning of our body. The fascia can exert excessive pressure producing pain or restriction of motion. They affect our flexibility and stability, and are a determining factor in our ability to withstand stress and strain.
This type of treatment requires little or no oil and can be superficial or deep.
Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger Point Therapy– A Trigger point is a collection of muscle cells that are in a continuous state of full contraction. They are commonly referred to as a “muscle knot”. The more technical definition describes a Trigger Point as “a hyper-irritable spot in skeletal muscle that is associated with a hypersensitive palpable nodule in a taut band. This spot is painful upon compression and can give rise to characteristic referred pain, referred tenderness, motor dysfunction, and autonomic phenomena.” Travell & Simons; Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction, The Trigger Point Manual; 1999, pg.5
There are two types of trigger points:
- “Latent” trigger points will cause fatigue and weakness to the involved muscle(s); however, they do not cause pain or other symptoms.
- “Active” trigger points will also cause fatigue and weakness to the involved muscle(s) AND will always produce symptoms. Symptoms such as dizziness, numbness, vertigo, sinus issues, toothache, muscle weakness, sciatic pain, migraine, TMJD, heartburn, knee issues, back and shoulder pain, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hip pain and carpal tunnel syndrome are very often caused by trigger points.
Pressure, either static or dynamic, is applied to the trigger point to “release” it. When pressure is applied to the trigger point, it may reproduce the discomfort that a person has been feeling that has caused them to seek treatment in the first place. Don’t worry, by releasing the trigger point the pain associated with it will be gone or greatly diminished. It usually takes 2-3 sessions in close proximity to see great results.
Prenatal and Postnatal Massage Therapy
Prenatal and Postnatal Massage Therapy is a natural choice that offers so many benefits to new moms and moms-to-be. Imagine relieving your body of any aches, pains and alignment issues during pregnancy and beyond. Increase your comfort levels and truly enjoy the transformation your body is going through.
Prenatal Massage Benefits:
- alleviates muscle tension, cramps and spasms in the legs, hips, lower back, rib cage and neck areas
- improved blood and lymph circulation, which can reduce swelling especially in the lower body
- helps prevent possibilities of compensations (ie. poor posture due to expanding belly)
- relaxation and stress reduction, which benefits both mom and growing baby
At Equilibrium Massage Therapy, all of our RMT’s have training in Prenatal Massage. We get Mom extra comfy in a side lying posture supported by pillows. We don’t use a pregnancy pillow system that allow moms-to-be to lay on their stomachs because much of the literature by the leading Pregnancy Massage Therapy experts caution against it as it may cause too much stress on the ligaments that support the extra weight of the baby in pregnancy.
Postnatal Massage Benefits:
- alleviates muscular tension and fatigue
- improves circulation due to changes in postures as a new mom
- helps to balance hormones and reduce postpartum emotional challenges
- aids in correcting posture
Sports Massage Therapy
Sports Massage is a system of techniques designed to help athletes increase performance and prevent injuries during training and competition. This kind of massage is interactive and goal oriented in its approach focusing on increasing fluidity, power, and performance as well as decreasing the potential for overuse injuries and the length of recovery time. Anyone can benefit from receiving this kind of work. Whether you are an athlete or just work long hours at your desk, sports massage can help you feel less stiff and sore throughout your entire body. It can also help you feel more balanced in your daily routine and give you greater range of motion and fluidity in your movements.
Pre-Event Sport Massage
Pre-event massage stimulates circulation, calms nervous tension, and prepares the athlete for optimal performance while reducing the chances of injury. This type of massage is applied for a short period of time, relative to the body part(s) that will be utilized most intensively during the event, and is usually applied 15-45 minutes prior to an event.
Post-Event Sport Massage
Post-event massage helps in recovery from hard training and competition. This massage is best administered following an event once the athlete has cooled down and, preferably, is no longer actively sweating. However, it can be administered within hours following the event. The main goals are to reduce the effects of the event such as pain, inflammation and muscle tension.
Graston Technique
Are you suffering from a soft tissue injury? Do you have a sports injury or injury from a car accident? Do you have scars or adhesions that are causing pain and limiting your movement?
The Graston technique is a form of instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). It is a type of manual therapy that incorporates special ergonomic tools that are used to gently massage and scrape parts of the skin. These stainless steel instruments are used to heal injuries to the soft tissues, such as sprains, strains, subluxations, and repetitive use injuries.
It can also be used to treat numerous other conditions, including lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tears, quadricep pain, tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, and headaches. To learn more about how the Graston Technique can benefit you, contact Equilibrium today!
How can the Graston Technique help me?
Scar tissue is a type of fibrous connective tissue that receives less blood than normal tissue and stretches much less. It tends to be thick and may build up around the ligaments, tendons, and muscles after an injury. The buildup of soft tissue is referred to as adhesions. Injuries that may result in adhesions include shin splints, pulled hamstrings, meniscal tears and much more. When an individual is injured, adhesions and scar tissue may occur either in the tissues or in the skin.
It is believed that scar tissue and adhesions prevent the underneath body structures from moving properly. This is because ligaments, tendons, and muscles are unable to move freely. It’s problematic because scar tissue and adhesions may bend to fascia and cause a condition known as fascial restriction. Adhesions and scar tissue can also occur on a smaller scale as a result of a cross-linking of muscle fibers. Over time, even the wear and tear of everyday life can cause muscle fibers to adhere to each other irregularly. With the Graston technique, the treatment causes a muscle fiber separation, which reduces pain and increases functional mobility.
How is the Graston Technique performed?
At the beginning of a Graston Technique treatment, the areas of the soft tissue fibrosis will be moved to make the scar tissue more receptive. One of our stainless steel tools will be used to follow the affected soft tissue by gliding across the edge of the tool slowly across the skin surface until it comes in contact with an adhesion. Our physiotherapist will then rub over the adhesion to elicit movement. This friction will help promote the healing process of your soft tissue injury.
The amount of pressure used with the instrument, and the speed in which it is done will vary depending on the nature of your condition, and it will be adjusted throughout the treatment. After each treatment, the affected area will be stretched and our physiotherapist will provide you with ice packs if you experience any soreness.
Most patients who receive the Graston technique will undergo two treatments a week, over a five-week time frame. You should expect to notice relief by the third or fourth treatment.
Some of the many benefits of the Graston Technique include:
- Reduction in inflammation
- Reduction in pain for better quality of life
- Boost in cellular activity for good health
- Breakdown of collagen cross-links
- Increased mobility and ability to perform daily tasks
- Increased rate of volume and blood flow to affected areas to enhance healing
How will I benefit from the Graston Technique?
Still interested in learning more about the Graston Technique? Here are some helpful facts:
- More than 31,000 clinicians worldwide use it.
- Used by more than 500 professional and amateur sports organizations.
- Used by 16 NBA teams, 18 NFL teams, 16 MLB teams.
- Part of the curriculum at more than 50 colleges and universities.
- Applied at more than 3,600 outpatient facilities.
Are you ready to get started on the path toward relief and recovery? Contact Equilibrium today to schedule a consultation with one of our dedicated Victoria Graston technique therapists. We are committed to helping you heal and get back to your pain-free life!
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