In the realm of wellness and injury recovery, there are many different directions that therapy can take and knowing what works best is sometimes trial and error. We get directed to one type of therapy (whether on our own or with a referral from a doctor/family/friend, etc) but there is often a question of “is this the right thing for me?” Or “is this the only thing for me?” It can be hard to figure things out so sometimes it’s best to ask a therapist. When the many therapy approaches have some overlap in what they treat, how they treat it and the outcomes we can expect, where do we start?
There are many different approaches to recovery from injury or discomfort and massage therapy is great for many reasons. ProActive Rehab is a multi-disciplinary clinic that gives you an opportunity to get the best care possible and can include cross referrals to different therapy types. Whether you start with physiotherapy, and they suggest massage therapy, or you simply choose massage therapy first, we have a supportive team that works together to get you to your goals. Depending on your injury/discomfort and where you are in your rehab journey, massage therapy could be a wonderful addition.
Massage therapy helps to loosen muscle and connective tissue tension, improve resting tension, reduce scar tissue, improve flexibility of muscles and joints, and soothe the body with relaxation of the nervous system. All these things can help your physiotherapist with soothing muscles after your exercises or hands-on care and contribute to progressing your exercise program. Along with the independent exercise program from your physiotherapist, massage therapy can have the same benefits if you are working with our exercise therapist. If you are attending therapy at a different clinic, that doesn’t mean that massage therapy cannot be a helpful tool. Here are some examples of other types of therapy that work really well alongside massage therapy:
- Chiropractic
- Osteopathy
- Athletic therapy
- Personal training
- Mental health support
Relaxing muscle tension, reducing scar tissue and improving flexibility of muscles can help your Chiropractor and Osteopathic practitioner by helping prepare your body for their treatment so Massage Therapy can be a good addition to their program of care. Massage therapy can take some of the work away from these therapists, making their progress greater or their focus of treatment more diverse. Discuss massage therapy with your Chiropractor or Manual Osteopathy Practitioner if you are interested in trying it.
Massage therapy can have similar benefits for personal training and athletic therapy. Loosening muscle tension, reducing scar tissue, improving muscle recovery and soothing the nervous system can help with your recovery from a session with a personal trainer, working out at the gym or a therapy session with an athletic therapist. Discuss massage therapy with your therapist or trainer if you are interested in adding it to your routine.
Mental health support is considered outside of the Massage Therapy scope of practice but your RMT can help with stress management and how stress is affecting your body. Massage therapy can help by facilitating more body awareness, discovering the physical impact of stress on the body. It also soothes the nervous system, promotes relaxation and gives you an overall feeling of well-being. It can help with mindfulness and getting “out of your head and into your body.” Massage therapy is not an alternative to your current mental health support but it can assist should your therapist/counselor believe it would benefit you. Physical touch may or may not be the right therapy for you, or it could be an addition later on in your therapy so talk to your mental health support should you be interested in trying it.
For further information about our massage therapy service or to book appointments, please call us at 705 788 1480. You can also find us online at www.proactiverehab.com, on Facebook and on Instagram. Come find us there for lots more great info!
