What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy is a form of integrative medicine performed by a trained, certified medical professional - a massage therapist. Your massage therapist will use varying degrees of pressure, movement, and techniques to manipulate muscles, fascia, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues of the body.
Massage therapy is performed by a trained and certified medical professional
Types of Massage therapy?
There are many types of massage therapy treatments, and it’ll all depend on your massage therapist’s experience, populations they’ve worked with in the past, and the continuing education courses they take. Some of the most common types of massage therapy are listed below.
Swedish Massage - this is the most common type of massage when people initially think of massage therapy. Swedish massage is typically a full-body massage using gentle touch. It works to calm the nervous system, encourage a relaxed emotional state of mind which can directly impact your muscles, and is the classic go-to if relaxation is the main goal in mind. This type of massage is a good pick for those new to massages.
Deep tissue massage - this type of massage uses more pressure than a Swedish massage. Your massage therapist will work into the deeper layers of soft tissue with the goal of releasing muscle tension in mind. Your muscles can get tight from repeated use (such as sports, repetitive movements in your occupation, prolonged sitting, driving, hunching over your laptop). A deep tissue massage is perfect for people recovering from injuries, general muscle tightness, and muscle pain.
Sports massage - this will feel much like a deep tissue massage. A sports massage zeros in on specific muscles that are repetitively used in the type of sport or physical activity you participate in. People typically seek out sports massages just before or after an event or competition. Receiving a sports massage prior to your competition or game can properly warm up your muscles to prevent or decrease the risk of injury and optimize performance. Receiving a sports massage after your competition or game can facilitate a faster recovery of your muscles and decrease muscle soreness.
Trigger point massage - this type of massage focuses direct pressure to target your trigger points. This will increase blood blow to these areas and help release them. A trigger point is a “knot” in your muscle. Trigger points cause muscle soreness and tightness, and movement dysfunction. When pressure is put on this knot, it’ll feel sore and sometimes achy. This type of massage can be helpful for all conditions and particularly those suffering from chronic pain.
Lymphatic massage - the use of gentle touch to facilitate the flow of lymphatic fluid to move freely throughout the body. This type of massage is great for those suffering from inflammation and swelling (eg.) arthritis, mastectomies, acute and subacute injuries).
Myofascial release - your massage therapist uses manual therapy to create deep stretching of your fascia and surrounding soft tissue. This type of massage involves kneading and stretching to release tension and tightness. This technique is often used together with other massage techniques during your treatment. Myofascial release is great for opening up tightness in your neck, shoulders, and back.
Prenatal massage - targets those who are pregnant. Prenatal massages address the aches and pains of the growing body that accompanies pregnancy. It takes pressure off the upper and lower back, hips, chest, helps with swelling in the feet and legs, and alleviates symptoms felt in the upper extremities such as numbness and tingling. On top of these benefits, prenatal massages promote relaxation, and when the mother is feeling well, the baby benefits as well!
Benefits of massage therapy
Conditions massage therapy commonly treats:
What is the difference between a Registered massage therapist and a Bodyworker?
Registered massage therapists (RMT) are governed by the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) and are legislated by the government under the BC Health Profession Act. Only registrants of the CMTBC are entitled to use the titles “registered massage therapist,” and “massage therapist.”
A Bodyworker is an unlicensed practitioner who offers massage services, but is not governed by CMTBC and therefore, not registered.
Only sessions with a registered massage therapist will be covered by your health insurance. We can therefore direct bill for your sessions with an RMT when you come in.
The bodyworkers at Therapy X are all graduates of the massage therapy school program and waiting to obtain their registration. They possess the skills of a registered massage therapist, but the price point is lower as patients are unable to submit these sessions to their health insurance. People who are not covered by any health insurance may find sessions with a bodyworker to be the best option for them as they get the professional treatment of a skilled professional at a lower price point.
What to expect at Therapy X
Our massage therapists are experts in their field and have dedicated years into continuing education and continue to do so, in order to upgrade their knowledge to learn new techniques that they can offer to their patients. In addition to manual therapy, the massage therapists at Therapy X can offer instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), fascial release, trigger point release, sports massage, and prenatal massage.
At Therapy X, we work in a highly collaborative fashion. Beyond massage therapy services, we also offer physiotherapy and chiropractic services. We see each patient as a whole and utilize the different services we can offer to generate the most efficient and effective treatment plan to get people back to their goals as soon as possible with long term benefits.
There may be some situations where someone comes in for a massage therapy treatment and after a thorough assessment by your massage therapist, it may be recommended that the patient see a chiropractor and/or a physiotherapist for a couple sessions to work on specific areas that a different service specializes in before finishing up their treatment plan with the massage therapist.
Let’s get your treatments started so you can get back to doing what you love to do, pain-free. Come in for an assessment and treatment with one of our expert therapists at our Vancouver location. We look forward to meeting you!
With care,
Therapy X Collective