Massage Therapy
Experience the benefits of massage therapy from gentle relaxation to therapeutic treatments. Whether you're interested in improving your state of physical and mental well-being, or focusing on the treatment of specific ailments, we can help you find the right balance of treatment focus. Massage Therapy is an investment in your health that can help you lead a more productive, happy and enjoyable life. As a therapy and science massage therapy postitively affects the muscular , nervous and circulatory systems of your body. These affects can help relieve acute or chronic physical injuries and improve health. Massage Therapy is a leading natural therapy for improving health and wellness.
What we do
We offer Registered Massage Therapy for people seeking therapeutic or relaxation massage. RMT's provide an accurate assessment, differential diagnosis and prognosis of specific soft tissue and musculoskeletal conditions. A treatment session includes patient history, assessment, manual treatment and remedial exercise.
Our Registered Massage Therapist’s are dedicated to providing high quality health care treatments. Our therapists focus on pain relief and preventative care. We also work in conjunction with chiropractors and acupuncturists which can help patients gain measurable results.
About Massage therapy in BC
British Columbia has the highest professional standards for Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) in North America. To become an RMT in BC, you must have at least 3,000 hours of training over three years at an accredited college.
Massage therapy students curriculum include Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, Regional Orthopedics, Spinal Orthopedics, Neurological Assessment and treatments, Systemic Treatments, Hydrotherapy, Therapeutic Exercises... and hands-on training. This extensive education is necessary because massage therapists are part of the provincial health care program - they need to know the intricate details of how the body works and how to identify health problems.
Massage Therapists use Swedish massage, along with many other techniques such as Deep Tissue Massage, Neuromuscular Facilitation (NMT), Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial release Hydrotherapy, therapeutic exercises, stretching and postural education in an average massage therapy visit.
What does Massage Therapy do?
Massage Therapy acts directly upon the muscular, nervous and circulatory systems to rehabilitate physical injuries and improve health. Research studies have found massage therapy to positively affect:
- circulation
- muscular system
- nervous system
- immune system
- pain perception
- psychological state
- respiratory function
What conditions may benefit from Massage Therapy?
Registered Massage Therapists are licensed, professional health care providers who can successfully treat, and thereby reduce or eliminate the pain caused by a wide range of conditions, including:
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Arthritis
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Headaches
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Postural Deformities
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Athletic Injuries
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Iliotibial Band Syndrome
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Sciatica
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Bursitis
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Impingement Syndrome
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Scoliosis
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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
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Insomnia
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Sports Injuries
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
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Knee Injuries
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Sprains
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Chronic Pain
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Low Back Pain
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Strains
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Cramps
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Migraine
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Stress Related Disorders
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Degenerative Disc Disease
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Muscle Tension / Spasm
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Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
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Entrapments & Compression Syndromes
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Neuralgia / Neuritis
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Tendonitis
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Fibromyalgia
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Osteoarthritis
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TMJ Dysfunction
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Frozen Shoulder
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Parkinson’s Disease
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Whiplash
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Gout
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Plantar Fasciitis
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Massage Therapy For Athletes
First developed for athletes, sports massage therapy is now used by people training for marathons, the Times Colonist Run, skiing or a round of golf. If you want to help keep and improve your range of motion, flexibility and overall muscle health, or if you’re planning on training for a specific event, please consider adding sports massage to your training program. Sports massage can help improve athletic performance by helping to increase flexibility through stretching techniques, releasing tension in muscles and releasing trigger points that can negatively affect performance. Recovery and rehabilitation is invaluable in helping an athlete recover from post-event soreness, resume training or participate in the next event. Massage therapists can help you design and implement a treatment program to fit your specific needs.
Pre/Post Natal
Women in their childbearing years have many physiologic changes from pregnancy, postpartum and as a new parent. Massage therapy can help support these changes that occur throughout these years. Some women experience muscle and joint pain. Stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue can also be problematic for some women. Pregnancy related low back and pelvic pain has an impact on daily life for many women. Recent studies have documented about 72% of women experience low back pain daily during their pregnancy. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other forms of tendinitis may develop post partum from carrying, feeding and holding their new baby.
Massage Therapy may help:
- reduce general muscle tension and pain
- decrease stress, depression and anxiety
- improve mood and sleep
- reduce headaches
- manage and help prevent symptoms of edema, carpal tunnel and sciatica
Some of the techniques we use:
Swedish Massage Techniques
Swedish massage is a group of techniques used for relaxation and therapeutic massage. Swedish massage can be light to moderate pressure or deeper pressure. Light to moderate pressure can benefit in increasing local venous and lymphatic return which aids in increasing local circulation or to reduce edema. This has a relaxing effect on the body and helps with stress release. When Swedish techniques are used for relaxation it can help reduce muscle soreness, decrease stress and anxiety, promote relaxation, decrease muscle tension, improve sleep and decrease depression.
Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue consists of Swedish and non-Swedish techniques applied with moderate to deep pressure. Deep tissue can be used as a relaxation treatment for people who enjoy deep pressure but it is also used to treat specific areas of discomfort. When giving a deep tissue treatment, the therapist is always working within the comfort level of the client. A deep tissue treatment can have a relaxing, soothing effect or a stimulating effect depending on the focus of treatment.
Myofascial Release Techniques
Fascia is connective tissue that runs throughout your body. It covers muscles, bones, tendons, nerves. Myofascial release techniques reduce painful soft tissue dysfunctions.
Joint mobilization techniques
These techniques increase range of motion to a joint. The techniques take a joint up to the limit of available motion and no further in contrast to chiropractic adjustments that take the joint briefly past the limit of available motion.
Muscle Energy Techniques
Muscle energy technique (MET) is a technique frequently used to normalize motion of the hips, back and neck (sacroiliac joints, the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine). It can also be used on any joint in the body. Muscle energy is a non-invasive technique that involves the energy of the client's contracting muscles used to make corrections. Muscle contractions can be isometric (no movement at the joint with contraction) or isotonic (joint movement occurs with contraction). Both are used with muscle energy.
Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger points are area known as a hyperirritable spot in a muscle. When a trigger point develops it can radiate pain or discomfort to other areas of the body. For example, a headache could be from a trigger point in the trapezius muscle in your neck, or you could have symptoms of sciatica but it could be a trigger point in your gluteus muscles. With thorough assessment trigger points can be treated. Trigger point therapy is a technique integrated into a treatment which is used to decrease pain or discomfort in the body.
Strength and stretching
Therapeutic exercises are designed by a massage therapist to provide a client with a variety of means to help rehabilitate from injury or help prevent injuries, improve, restore or enhance physical function, prevent or reduce health related risk factors, optimize overall health status, fitness or sense of well being.