A Swedish massage is one of the most well-known types of massage treatments among patients, especially those who were never exposed to massage therapy. It can vary from gentle and slow to more firm pressure, depending on the patient’s needs and the massage therapist’s style. A Swedish Massage uses five techniques to work the superficial layers of muscle: stroking, gliding, kneading, rhythmic tapping, and vibration. These five types of treatment techniques aim to improve circulation, increase flexibility, and relax the entire body as it targets not just the back, but the legs, arms, and neck as well.

Deep tissue massage is a type of massage therapy treatment involving the use of a moderate, more directed, pressure to treat the deeper layers including muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This treatment works by breaking down scar tissue and adhesions within or around the muscles to relieve pain and restore movement to troublesome areas.

Sports Massages are not just for professional athletes, but for weekend joggers and recreational sports enthusiasts alike. The techniques used in a sports massage are unique and tailored to each patient based on their athletic activity. This allows for focus on specific areas of the body that are stressed or injured from repetitive motions and overuse. Sports massages are a beneficial part of a training regimen; they aid in preparing for an event, increasing endurance during and speeding up the recovery time post event.

Myofascial release is a type of massage therapy that uses gentle sustained pressure to treat damage or restrictive tightness in a type of connective tissue known as ‘fascia.’ This technique provides pain relief and can restore motion by relaxing contracted muscles, which in turn stimulates the stretch reflex an improves both blood and lymphatic circulation.  Myofascial massage will also help to realign the body and assist in restoring proper posture when used in combination with stretching and postural awareness

Joint mobilization aims to reduce pain and regain movement to stiff, sore or locked joints using different techniques to target these various issues. These techniques can include, moving joints in specific directions and at different speeds, applying the joint against resistance, passive muscle movements and stretching techniques to return to a full range-of-motion and restore pain-free movement to joints and ligaments.

Also known as a prenatal massage, a pregnancy massage is a treatment designed for both new mothers and mothers-to-be here in Vancouver to relieve the aches, pains, and swelling that are often experienced while carrying a child as well as after. Depending on where you are in your pregnancy, different approaches and patient positioning are used to address your specific needs, concerns, and to ensure you are comfortable throughout the treatment. The most common method for a prenatal massage is to incorporate Swedish massage techniques since they are gentler, use lighter pressure, and increase overall muscle relaxation, one of the many benefits for those who are experiencing a lot of general discomfort pre or post delivery.

The treatment process begins with a short 5-minute interview will be conducted for initial patients. For subsequent patients, this interview will be about 2 minutes to follow-up and re-assess the previous treatments’ effectiveness.

This interview process is critical for the RMT to determine the cause of the injury the best approaches to the problem, and therefore, offer the best possible treatment and home-care plan for the patient.

The hands-on treatment will take up the majority of the time and will consist of various treatment techniques based on the patient’s unique medical condition and information gained from the interview process.

A structured treatment plan that works well for both the therapist and the patient will be decided upon based on the severity of the issue. A regular schedule with the treatments closer together, in the beginning, is standard until the patient starts to recover and receive periodic maintenance work to prevent a reoccurrence of the original condition.

Occasionally, a few minutes will be dedicated to demonstrating stretching and strengthening exercises, postural corrections, and reassessment of the original issue. Home care, like the interview, will take up a little more time for the initial treatment and less time for subsequent treatments.

The reassessments will assist the therapists and enable them to see how the patient is responding to the treatment. With this information, the therapists can make changes in any treatment plans or home-care given to the patient.