Why Choose Massage Therapy

For centuries, people from all corners of the earth have used massage as a form of healing. Often, our first reaction to pain is to rub where it hurts, shake it out or stretch it. So why not have a trained professional help to do all these things and more?!

However, there are many misconceptions about massage therapy. One of the biggest is that massage therapists just give you a good “rub down” and you leave feeling better than when you came in. I hope that the latter part of this statement is true. But massage therapy is much more. Massage therapists are highly educated, trained professionals using specific techniques for specific problems.

Currently, massage therapy training is a three-year program that includes academics of anatomy, physiology and pathology of all cells, tissues, organs and organ systems in the body. These courses are complemented by the clinical anatomy, clinical assessment and practical treatment courses required. Also, treating the public in an up-and-running massage therapy and hydrotherapy clinic in order to get real-life experience is part of the education in B.C. Exams, both written and practical, must be successfully completed through the governing College of Massage Therapists of B.C. along with continuing education requirements.

So now that you know what education background we have, what can massage therapy do for you? This question, of course, has different answers from person to person. Yet, from infancy to old age, we can all benefit from massage therapy.

Infant massage is something that can be taught to new parents for help with problems like irritability, indigestion, colic and, above all, to create a closer bond between parents and child. Mothers can use massage therapy to alleviate both pre- and post-partum aches and pains.

At the other end of the age spectrum, the elderly patients I have treated have found a decrease in arthritic pain, along with an increase in movement. They’ve also experienced more restful sleeping patterns. An important aspect of treating some elderly – and some not-so-elderly – people is adding a positive, healing form of human touch to their lives. This paramount in the healing process for some.

For those of us who do not fit any of the above situations, conditions such as sprains and strains, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, whiplash, degenerative disc disease, multiple sclerosis and many, many more are all treatable through massage therapy.

Massage therapists will assess the patient’s problem, both specifically and holistically, before the hands-on treatment begins. Another part of massage therapy is patient education – teaching the patient about their body and injuries, preventing further injury and explaining homecare exercises or stretching programs appropriate to their healing process.

Massage therapy can be an exceptional form of rehabilitation. I hope this will encourage you to find out more about how it can become a part of your life.