What exactly is massage therapy and how can it benefit you? Massage is a general term for kneading and manipulating your skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Massage may range from light to deep pressure depending on your goals for treatment. There are many types of massage that target different areas of the body and can include a variety of techniques to individualize your treatment plan. Massage has become increasingly popular as part of therapeutic practice to help with pain, injury, and rehabilitation.
You don't need any special preparation for massage. Before a massage therapy session starts, your massage therapist will go through an assessment. They will ask you about your symptoms and goals for the massage, your medical history, and take you through movements to assess and locate areas of pain or discomfort within the body.
In a typical massage therapy session, you undress to your level of comfort or you can be fully clothed, the treatment is modified accordingly. You will lie on a table and cover yourself with a sheet. Your massage therapist will leave the room for you to undress before the massage and when you get dressed following.
Massage Therapy can be an important part of your health maintenance plan by doing the following:
Reducing or eliminating pain
Improving joint mobility and range of motion
Improving lymphatic drainage
Promoting circulation
Reducing muscle tension
Maintenance of tissue health
And many more!
Registered Massage Therapists work with a wide variety of patients in the treatment of illness, injury, rehabilitation and disability and has been shown to improve rehabilitation significantly on its own or when paired with other therapies.
As some of you may or may not know we have recently added two Registered Massage Therapists to our team at the Arlington location.
Michael Lopez
Michael has believed in the power of hands on health care since personally experiencing its benefits in healing through past sports related injuries. This positive experience is what inspired him to become a Registered Massage Therapist. With a background as a competitive soccer player, Michael realized the importance of not only rehabbing injuries but also the importance of prevention. Michael graduated from Vancouver College of Massage Therapy (VCMT) in April 2014. During his program he was able to complete 3000+ hours of training, which included 550+ hours of hands-on training that enabled him to work with a variety of patients and conditions. A strong believer in continuing education, he is constantly expanding his knowledge through courses, as well as learning from his fellow practitioners.
Victoria Pankow
Victoria graduated from Algonquin College with a 3-year Advanced Diploma in Massage Therapy in 2018. Through her years of training, she gained experience working with patients of all ranges, with a specific interest in pre and post-natal populations, post-operation joint replacements, managing chronic pain, and working with TMJ dysfunction. Victoria is passionate about learning and is always trying to continue her education to have more knowledge and be able to utilize more techniques. She uses modalities such as cupping, myofascial scraping, hydrotherapy, and advanced joint mobilizations to assist in achieving desired goals. Victoria also comes with experience working in clinical settings and also had placements working with developmentally challenged children and at outpatient rehab facilities. She utilizes her background as a Registered Yoga Instructor as a rehab tool to provide an optimal therapeutic approach to her care, aiming to alleviate discomfort, aid mobility, maintain progress, and promote an overall state of well-being.
You can book with Micheal or Victoria through calling the clinic at 613-389-5877 or booking online www.ktpt.ca/book