Massage Therapy - An interdisciplinary approach

Hello,

You and I have unique dreams and desires in our lives which motivate what we pursue and focus on. As a massage therapist I have had the privilege to observe people pursue healing from injuries, less pain, more mobility, and greater strength. I get to witness the results of their hard work and commitment to better health! In order to achieve those goals, steps are taken such as receiving treatment, as well as having and maintaining a self care program.

So friend I want to know…What is the GOAL that you are going to take actionable steps toward? Is it lessoning stress in your life, having decreased pain, walking 2 blocks pain free, or running in your first 5 km? What your goal and focus is will help guide the whole treatment process. At Deep Physio we want to help you achieve your goal. We work to not just treat the symptoms of the issue, but dig deeper to specifically to treat the driver. I have found this approach so important to progress patients to a state of less or no pain!

What can you Expect?

At Deep Physio, we as therapists work together with an interdisciplinary approach. Massage therapy in conjunction with other therapies such as physiotherapy, chiropractic and acupuncture are very effective as the body is treated as a whole. As therapists at Deep we focus on providing care that is thorough and specific to what needs to be treated. As many of you know massage therapy can be so different from therapist to therapist. I want to share how I use massage in a treatment session, and what you may experience during on of my massage therapy session.

As the first session I want to know you as a patient, including what you are coming to massage therapy for. This helps me know how I can help. Information on what you are experiencing, past injuries, health history, and your purpose for coming is taken into account. This is important for developing a treatment plan. As I work in this amazing interdisciplinary clinic, I may also suggest another therapy that would likely also be beneficial in conjunction with massage therapy. This is for the purpose of progressing healing, and promoting mobility or stability.

Within massage therapy treatment, I have found it very important to assess the area of complaint, as well as the whole body. This process of observing postural alignment, viewing functional movement patterns, and accessing other assessment tools provide an important foundation to build the treatment on. Assessment is KEY to treat specifically and efficiently. It also is necessary to track progress made from beginning to end of sessions, as well as from one treatment to the next. This is also where you as a patient can determine what form of therapy within massage is working and helping, and what may need to be changed. With your help we then decide the best course of action such as the type of treatment, and the area to focus on.

As a massage therapist, I am passionate about supporting the body so that changes can be made. The Hands-On part of the session is when areas are released, changes made, and you as a patient can learn so much about your body. I use variety of skills and methods for treatment according to what is needed. Below are 3 treatment techniques, found to be very effective, that I use regularly in massage treatments.

Neurokinetic Therapy

“Neurokinetic Therapy presents manual muscle testing used with a specific protocol specially designed to stimulate the body-mind complex to resolve injury, stress, and pain.” This specific muscle testing helps determine the source of the problem, and not just treating symptoms. I have found this approach of releasing overactive muscles and stimulating underactive muscles very effective. The results are often increased stability, improved motor control, and decreased pain.

Craniosacral Therapy

This modality assesses and treats the cranium to the sacrum; releasing built up tension in the pelvis, the cranium and spinal cord. CST also promotes the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid within the craniosacal system. Some problems treated with CST are concussions, whiplash, back pain, pelvic and sacral pain, headaches, widespread body pain, chronic pain ect. If you have questions about this therapy feel free to read the blog that I previously wrote on Craniosacral Therapy. And I am happy to answer questions and talk about this therapy that isn’t necessarily well known, but may be very effective for your treatment.

Therapeutic Massage

Specific areas are treated where trigger points form and circulation is decreased. I use therapeutic massage with the purpose to decrease muscle tension, release fascial adhesions, and promote circulation for proper blood flow. This approach can be very effective for enhancing the body’s healing process and maintaining healthy tissue. Many people who have tension in certain areas, muscle imbalance, and decreased mobility experience release and improvement after this treatment.

You as a patient know your body better than anyone! Through self care that you can do at home, your body can continue this process of healing and maintenance! For example, specific releases and exercises are encouraged to be done consistently to reprogram the body in proper movement patterns. Your body is able to improve even after the treatment is over! Follow-up sessions are also very effective to progress the healing process. I may suggest 30-45 minute sessions depending on the time between scheduled sessions, how your body responds, and your preference. We are a team! And I look forward to working with you and helping you accomplish your goals.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Christina