What is Swedish Massage Therapy?

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Massage therapy is the manipulation of soft tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia,bones and joints) for the purpose of restoring optimal function and range of motion in those tissues. Most massage therapy education in Canada is based around Swedish massage techniques but registered massage therapists have a wide range of modalities in their scope of practice including myo-fascial  release and cranio sacral therapy. 
 

Many people think of massage as a relaxing way to unwind or reset their nervous systems. This can be true! But massage therapy is also very useful in the treatment, prevention and management of chronic pain, head aches, tendinitis, muscle spasm, insomnia, plantar fasciitis and many other conditions. 
 

 

There is also some research showing how massage can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety. 
 

 

If you have questions about how massage might help you please give us a call!

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Do you direct bill to private Insurance companies?

 

Yes. We can direct bill for the following insurance companies:

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Blue cross

CINUP

Chambers of Commerce

ClaimSecure

Cowan

Desjardins

First Canadian

Great-West Life

Group Health

Industrial Alliance

Johnson Inc.

Johnston Group

Manion

Manulife

Maximum benefit

SunLife

Green Shield

SSQ

 

Please note: some policies do not allow for direct billing or the client may be required to authorize the practitioner to direct bill. Please look into your health plan for specific requirements.

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Do I need a physician referral for a treatment?

 

You don’t need a referral to see a massage therapist but your insurance plan may require it for the treatment to be covered. Please check with your insurance plan before coming in.

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Can I exercise before or after a treatment?

 

There is no rule about exercise either before or after a treatment. However, sometimes people feel quite fatigued post treatment and really need to rest. Often a walk or pain free range of motion is helpful for your body to integrate the treatment. The important thing is to check in with your own body and see what would be most helpful for you. You can always ask your therapist for advice on this.

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Should I bring shorts?

 

You do not need to bring any specific clothing for a treatment, just wear something comfortable.

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Will I have to get undressed?

 

Swedish massage does require skin to skin contact for efficacy. However, it is always the choice of the client whether or not they will remove any clothing. An entire massage treatment can be done completely clothed.

 

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Does massage hurt?

 

Sometimes in particular tight areas of the body when pressure is applied it can cause some pain. This pain is meant to be felt more as a release of tension. Because pain is so subjective, it is important to speak to your massage therapist about your own comfort level and your therapist should adjust to an appropriate amount of pressure. Generally, if you are able to breathe comfortably and not tense up during the pressure you should be tolerate most massage techniques.

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Can I have two kinds of therapies in one day?

 

This is a good question!

 

Often people will ask if they can or should do two treatments in one day. This depends on what is being treated, how and why. Sometimes less can be more! Overwhelming the nervous system with too much ‘therapy’ does not always allow the body space and time to heal itself. Our bodies are intelligent organisms and often with the right kind and amount of support they will move towards healing naturally. This of course is subjective and it’s important to assess what’s right for you. Sometimes having two treatments in one day is just better for our schedules! So we need to factor in life’s obstacles as well.

 

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Should I have massage before or after my physio/Chiro appointment?

 

This also depends on what you are having treated. Generally these types of treatments, work really well with massage and the general rule is that massage therapy is helpful before any adjustment work (osteopathy or chiropractic) to help prepare the body for this work and access a more healing part of our nervous systems.

 

Some people prefer it the other way around and like to have a massage treatment after a physio/osteo/Chiro treatment. Everyone is different and it’s important to do what’s right for you.