Tailored to your health and wellness needs, therapeutic massage can help you heal and recover faster.
We’ve all come to understand the benefits of massage as a means to release tension in sore muscles, relieve stress, and relax.
A soothing and relaxing massage can relieve achy muscles, help you reduce stress, and help to improve your sleep as well as your mood. Perhaps less understood, is how effective massage can be to offer recovery and healing well beyond relaxation.
Therapeutic, or medical, massage, is designed to help address more serious medical concerns. Administered in a clinic or hospital environment, as opposed to a spa where you would receive relaxation treatments, massage for the purposes of therapy is provided by a licensed professional trained to focus on more serious issues.
At Kootenay Columbia College, the graduates of our Registered Massage Therapy Program have been trained in foundational techniques, theories, and methods of massage. They have acquired knowledge in the human sciences, orthopaedics, research, nutrition, as well as patient and self-care.
What is Therapeutic Massage?
Therapeutic massage is massage therapy focused on the soft tissue of the body – the muscles, tendons and ligaments that support and move the body.
In short, therapeutic massage provides a distinct therapeutic benefit. And while this type of massage can be relaxing, relaxation is not the primary goal of treatment. It’s often the perfect complement to other treatments you might be receiving to heal an injury or strain or to help with other issues such as acute anxiety or stress or even something like cancer care.
Goals for therapeutic massage therapy vary depending on the client and the therapist. Therapeutic goals can vary considerably between massage therapists and clients. It’s common for a doctor, physiotherapist, or chiropractor to refer a patient or client to a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) to include therapeutic massage in a larger therapy strategy.
Therapeutic massage can also be a treatment that stands alone, independent of any other therapies. Athletes, for instance, or someone with a high-stress job can opt for therapeutic massage to help maintain their physical or mental health. Great for people of any age, therapeutic massage is also beneficial for expectant mothers, people with disabilities, and individuals undergoing serious medical treatments.
Therapeutic massage is not one-size-fits-all therapy. The techniques are derived from various massage styles and your treatment will be tailored to your unique needs.
Benefits of therapeutic massage
Therapeutic massage is known to help relieve a variety of aches, pains, strains, and more – naturally.
A combination of relaxation massage and remedial massage (identifying damaged areas of the body to treat and repair damaged, tense, knotted, or immobile muscles and accelerate the body’s healing processes) therapeutic massage relaxes the body as it effectively works through soft tissue concerns or issues.
Therapeutic massage improves circulation and enhances oxygen and nutrient delivery to muscle cells. It also helps eliminate harmful waste to reduce inflammation and swelling. The effects of therapeutic massage often provide relief for inflammatory conditions like arthritis.
By its nature, therapeutic massage induces a relaxation response. It lowers heart and breathing rate and helps to lower blood pressure. It offers immune-boosting benefits and can minimize the physical impacts of stress.
Therapeutic massage benefits various conditions
Offering significant benefits, therapeutic massage helps relieve a wide variety of troublesome conditions.
Massage helps to relax muscle tissue which leads to less nerve and joint compression. It helps to increase the range of motion of muscles and joints. As a result, patients experience improved function with less discomfort or pain. Therapeutic massage can offer the following benefits:
- Improve recovery of soft tissue injuries
- Increase joint flexibility and mobility
- Reduce tension in muscles
- Improve circulation
- Relieve arthritis
- Relieve high blood pressure
- Stimulate the lymphatic system
- Reduce stress hormones
- Relaxation
- Improve skin tone
- Enhance immunity
- General health and wellbeing
When should you get therapeutic massage?
Seek therapeutic massage upon your physician or other therapist’s referral, of course, But, otherwise, consider therapeutic massage if you have minor aches and pains that leave you feeling tight with your mobility reduced. If you’re under stress or if you feel that your general health and wellbeing is compromised, therapeutic massage can provide you with significant improvement.
Many people find that regular sessions of therapeutic massage – monthly, or every second month – is just what they need to keep feeling at their best. It’s their prevention therapy!
It’s not unusual for patients under significant stress to rely on therapeutic massage to manage their mental health to cope with daily life.
If you’re interested in a therapeutic or relaxation massage treatment, we offer sessions conducted by our students – and at a great rate! See the schedule and book your appointment.
Are you interested in becoming a Registered Massage Therapist? CONTACT US to find out more about our programs!
