What is Remedial Massage? When do I need it? What about sports massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue, and others? Does remedial massage have to hurt? What makes Remedial Massage different? What benefits does Remedial Massage have? If you have ever found yourself asking these questions or others like these, then you are not alone. With so many options out there for muscle care, it can be hard to know what is right for you. In this article, we will be jumping in to explore the basics of what Remedial Massage is and how starting treatment with a therapist today can start you on the journey to muscle freedom.

Defining Remedial Massage

The purpose of a remedial massage is to create a space for your body to return to normal health and function. We treat a variety of different conditions and cater to people with a range of medical histories and even pain tolerances. Remedial massage is the assessment and treatment of the muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues to help with pain and injury management, and rehabilitation. It is designed to balance muscle length, tension and tone which will in turn promote the return to normal joint, capsular and bone position. Our goal is to reduce or eliminate pain and restore the range of motion and function to the body.

When do I need to see a Remedial Massage Therapist?

In remedial massage, therapists will work over a number of sessions on a goal specific to your body. Be it a desire to reduce headaches, restore movement or simply maintain muscle health, remedial massage will help you keep your body in its best condition. If you are experiencing any of the following conditions or symptoms, then remedial massage is for you!

• Headaches
• Muscle tension
• Limited range of motion
• Pain in range of motion
• Low back pain
• Sciatica
• TMJ
• Frozen shoulder
• Tennis & golfers’ elbow
• Postural imbalances
• Flexibility
• Prevention & management of injuries
• Sports performance

What to expect.

We want you to feel good after a session and also feel like you’ve had a change in the symptoms. How is this achieved? We will break it down for you here.

To begin, your therapist will work on assessing your needs. Initially your remedial massage therapist will get you to fill out a health history form and have a chat to you about why you are coming in for treatment. Based on your conversation they will have a look at your posture, range of movements, flexibility, muscle strength and identify any underlying causes or possible conditions that could be contributing to your symptoms. They then formulate a treatment plan specific to your needs.

After assessing, we will start a treatment which is tailored to you. Our therapists have a wealth of knowledge of treatment techniques and regularly participate in professional development on the latest assessment and treatment protocols. They understand each individual responds differently and some techniques work better on one person compared to another. Therapists work hard to identify which remedial techniques work best for your body to cause a change in your current symptoms. These techniques include:

• Postural & Movement assessment
• Deep tissue massage
• Trigger point therapy
• Dry Needling therapy
• Myofascial release
• Tragger
• PNF stretching, passive stretching, MET
• Joint mobilization
• Manual lymphatic drainage

Before ending your session, your remedial massage therapist will work with you to create a take home plan to maximize the benefits of your treatment. Together we will find a plan that will fit into your lifestyle as well as your work, family, and exercise commitments.

Finally, expect to come back. We want to keep you always at your best, not focused on individual issues. Most of us want a quick fix on our problems – that would be amazing! -, however, the reality in most cases is that your pain was not created in a day, and neither will your solution be overnight. It is usually an accumulation of posture, work, repetitive movements, and habits that eventually build to the point that you then feel pain, discomfort, restriction. Therefore, we need to know about your health history, do an assessment of how you move, and ask about your daily movements. Once we identify the causes for the pain, we can then set a plan to help you to recover.

What should it feel like?

Everyone’s pain and pressure tolerances are different in a remedial massage, and so because of this we will work together to ensure we achieve your goals for the massage. Many people love firm pressure and gain great results from a good deep tissue massage. The techniques involved in this type of remedial massage are deep tissue massage, trigger pointing, stretching, dry needling. This would usually involve a bit of discomfort. We refer to it as the good kind of pain.  Two things to keep in mind with this style of remedial massage: 1) It should not be excruciating or unbearable for long periods of time during the massage; 2) You should not be sore for more than 2-3 days after a massage.

Other clients who are in pain and want the results of a remedial massage, do not like firm pressure or have conditions not suited to a deeper massage. For these clients we have a range of gentle and highly effective techniques. These include myofascial release, positional release, stretching and even low-level dry needling. It is important to remember that the firmness of a massage does not equate to its effectiveness. Instead, the level pressure used by your therapist is about meeting your personal needs.

Communication is key to you getting the results that you need, especially during your first few massages. To determine the kind of massage that is effective for you we will keep in touch throughout the massage to gauge how you are feeling. It is just as important for us to ask how you are feeling as it is for you to tell us when or if you are feeling discomfort or you are unable to relax. Keeping in communication will ensure that you are receiving the care that you need.

A quick tip for maximizing the benefits of massages is to make sure you take deep breaths throughout the massage. Especially during the more sensitive areas. This will help your muscles to loosen faster and tolerate a firmer massage. Try to relax your muscles as much as possible. When you can relax your muscles, you’ll get faster results, and your therapist can get through an area and decrease the pressure.  Book an appointment today with Regenerate Chiropractic.