Remedial-massage-brunswick-northside-natural-health.jpg — Remedial Massage

Appointments available with Yvette Campbell and JodyAnn Van Keulen.

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What is remedial massage?

Remedial massage is a complementary therapy, carried out by trained remedial massage therapists, that is designed to aid in the prevention and management of pain and injuries. Remedial massage techniques treat muscles that are damaged, knotted, tense or immobile and help to speed up the body’s own healing processes. The treatments are useful for a wide variety of problems that are related to muscles, tendons and bones. A key part of remedial massage is to investigate and locate the original causes for the pain, thereby tackling both the symptoms and their origins. To do this, remedial therapists must have in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology.

Benefits of remedial massage?

The benefits of remedial massage are numerous and include effects such as:

Decreasing both acute and chronic pain, e.g. neck, shoulder or back pain
Preventing and treating soft tissue injuries, e.g. from sports and other activities
Releasing tension and tightness in the muscles
Increasing blood flow and oxygen to treatment areas
Increasing recovery time for people who train rigorously
Breaking down and healing scar tissue after surgeries
Assisting the flow or draining of lymph fluid in patients with cancer and/or lymphedema
Assisting with decreasing headaches, fatigue, depression, anxiety, abdominal pain, low back pain and sciatic pain
Assisting with decreasing muscle cramps, whiplash, muscular atrophy, fibrositis, spondylitis, and arthritis

Remedial massage can help to repair damaged tissues, stimulate blood flow, make joints more mobile, and restore the correct position of the bones, thus helping the body to heal from injuries.

Remedial Massage Techniques

1. Deep tissue massage and trigger point therapy

Deep tissue massage involves firm and flowing strokes being applied to the relevant areas of the body, thus easing tension. In addition to their hands, your remedial massage therapist may use their knuckles and elbows to achieve the desired depth, pressure or direction.

Trigger point therapy on the other hand utilises cycles of pressure and release, helping to ease tension. It is often used in conjunction with deep tissue massage and deep breathing techniques to achieve desired results.

2. Petrissage movements

Remedial massage therapists use deep petrissage movements, deep kneading movements using the thumb and palm of the hand, in order to deeply manipulate the soft tissues.

3. Stretch therapy

In stretch therapy massage, the remedial massage therapist will guide and assist the patient in stretching various areas of the body, helping to relieve pain, enhance flexibility, improve circulation and improve their range of motion.

4. Joint mobilisation

Joint mobilisation therapy, usually targeted at a specific problem joint, involves applying a low speed, passive movement of a joint, improving stiffness and pain and encouraging intracapsular movement.

5. Myofascial release

Myofascial release involves applying a specific, local stretch-based massage technique to problem areas or particular trigger points of the body, helping to relieve pain in the affected area.

6. Thermotherapy and cryotherapy

Thermotherapy involves using heated objects such as heat packs, hot water bottles, or hot baths to promote flood flow and induce muscle relaxation.

Cryotherapy on the other hand utilises cooled objects, such as cold compresses, ice packs, or cold baths, to decrease blood flow, thus reducing inflammation and the risk of tissue damage.