What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy spans a wide variety of therapeutic approaches, working to improve an individual’s health and well-being. It involves the manipulation of joints and soft tissues (i.e., muscles, skin, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments) using a range of techniques such as, Swedish-style massage, hydrotherapy, craniosacral therapy, rhythmic mobilizations, myofascial therapy and remedial exercise. These techniques help to reduce and prevent stress, tension and the discomfort of injuries or chronic conditions, and they support the body’s own natural healing process.
Massage therapy can help in the rehabilitation of various injuries and can offer an effective treatment for many conditions including:
- Headaches and migraines
- Back and neck pain (whiplash)
- Sprains, strains, muscle spasms
- Tendinitis, bursitis
- Arthritis
- TMJ dysfunction
- Tennis and golfer’s elbow
- TOS and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Stress reduction
- Constipation
In addition to specifically addressing problem areas, massage can improve these conditions by treating the body as a whole. Treating the whole body allows us to find the root cause of the condition and work on any compensatory patterns that may occur throughout the body, secondary to the primary cause.
The Facts: Registered Massage Therapists
A massage therapist is a regulated health professional. Only members of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario are permitted to use the title Massage Therapist or Registered Massage Therapist and attach the MT or RMT designations to their names. Massage therapists have completed a two or three-year diploma program from a recognized massage therapy school and participate in a Quality Assurance Program that assists them in the maintenance of high professional standards and quality care of their clients.
If you have any concerns about the care you receive from a massage therapist, contact the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario at (416) 489-2626 ext. 116, or toll free in Ontario at 1-800-465-1933 ext. 116.
