MASSAGE THERAPY
The Benefits of Massage Therapy
Some of the most common conditions that our massage therapists treat are headaches, sport and fitness injuries and strain, low back pain, stress, issues derived from pregnancy, osteoarthritis, and whiplash.
In British Columbia, the practice of Massage Therapy as defined by the Ministry of Health is: The assessment of soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of dysfunction, injury, pain and physical disorders of the soft tissues and joints by manual and physical methods to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function to relieve pain and promote health.
Demand for registered massage therapists is significant in British Columbia. It’s attributed to the increased public interest in seeking non-surgical and drug-free treatment for musculoskeletal conditions and pain. The focus of massage therapy is not to superficially “massage” the skin, but rather to work with deeper structures such as fascia, nerves, blood vessels, bones, joints, ligaments, and other soft tissues to restore optimal function and balance.
Massage therapy acts directly upon the nervous, musculoskeletal, and circulatory systems to rehabilitate physical injuries and improve health. Research studies have found massage therapy to positively affect and increase circulation and decrease pain while improving mobility and function.
During your visit to Body Smart Health, our massage therapists evaluate your health needs. We will determine if massage therapy, manual therapy, joint mobilization, hydrotherapy, and/or rehabilitative exercise are best for you. There are a wide range of techniques that our professional team of massage therapists can utilize, such as:
- Neurokinetic Therapy
- Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy
- Myofascial Release
- Postural Alignment
- Swedish Massage
- Deep Tissue Massage
- Joint Mobilization
- Osteopathic Manual Therapy
- Soft Tissue/Active Release Therapy
- Positional Release Therapy
- Neuromuscular Therapy
- Deep Friction Massage
- Hydrotherapy
- Therapeutic Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
- Patient Education
- Self-Care and Remedial Exercises
We assess your movement and mobility as well as the neuromuscular connections to verify if they are functioning well. We are not chasing the pain. We are discovering what the actual problem is.
This assessment contains a battery set of passive and active tests. Based on your body’s ability to heal, adjust, and recover from an injury, accident, or mobility issue, the type of massage therapy applied may change progressively over the course of your treatment plan.
Neuromuscular Massage Therapy
At Body Smart Health, we know the latest techniques, and integrated modalities, that combine both neurokinetic and massage therapy. We have developed our very own approach to functional neuromuscular screening and neuromuscular massage therapy.
Neuromuscular massage therapy is a highly effective way of assessing the root cause of the pain by tracing the pain back to the corresponding anatomy train or chain of muscles, body parts, and functioning systems. Once isolated, corrective manual therapy and muscle stripping can be applied to address the local pain or the root cause.
Myofascial Release
Myofascial Release (MFR) is the primary form of manual therapy used by registered massage therapists at Body Smart Health and includes many different types such as Active Release and Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Manipulation (IASTM) to name a few.
Myofascial Release is an effective form of manual therapy which can directly change and improve health of the connective tissue, also known as fascia. The purpose of Myofascial Release is to break down scar tissue adhesions, relax the muscle and surrounding fascia, restore good posture, and stimulate the connections for the mind and body to work together.
Corrective Manual Therapy
Manual therapy includes the hands-on manipulation, mobilization, and massage of musculoskeletal pain, dysfunction, or mobility limitation. Our Body Smart Health massage therapists utilize corrective manual therapy primarily to focus on soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilization, and a very specific deep tissue massage to reduce muscle tension or joint pain. This type of therapy also helps re-enable optimal function back to the local area as well as the anatomy train.
Sport Massage Therapy
We recognize the importance of how massage therapy can proactively assist athletic performance for a range of sport, and be a key component in an athlete’s soft tissue recovery and rehabilitation process from a sport injury.
Sport massage provides a hands-on manual therapy warm up to the relevant limb or musculoskeletal body part before and after a sporting event or strenuous exercise. Our Body Smart Massage therapists focus on soft tissue manipulation, joint mobilization, and a very specific deep tissue massage to reduce muscle tension or joint pain during a sport massage therapy session. This helps you regain optimal function back to the local area.
For strenuous sport activities, such as running a marathon, competing in a bike race, or that next competitive basketball game, we can develop a sport massage treatment plan to ensure you attain peak physical performance.
Pregnancy Massage Therapy
Corrective massage therapy recognizes the importance of how massage therapy can provide significant relief to strained soft tissue, muscular tension, and in the reduction of lower back pain during pregnancy.
All therapists are trained to provide pregnancy massage therapy with respects to the proper draping and pillow support for the bump. At Body Smart Health we understand that women may be seeking a female therapist to provide this treatment. Deanna is our primary caregiver for pregnancy massage and for many other women-related health issues including PMS, all body stress relief, and tension headaches – to name a few.
Having had four children of her own, Deanna knows firsthand the value of massage therapy for the treatment of pregnancy related issues such as headaches, neck pain, low back strain, sciatica, and post-partum soft tissue/joint dysfunction. Deanna’s treatment philosophy is an all-encompassing holistic approach to women’s health and wellness.
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Your good health is our priority.
Call 604-888-1177 between Monday and Friday