remedial massage therapy
There are countless websites, books, social media posts etc that attempt to define how Massage therapists can "fix" you by using Remedial Massage. Sounds great yeh? but what is remedial massage really?
​
Here is a good description by one of the major health funds about what they think it is.
​
"Remedial massage is the systematic assessment and treatment of the muscles, tendons, ligaments and connective tissues of the body to assist in rehabilitation, pain and injury management."
​
or this one, I also like
​
“Remedial massage is the assessment and treatment of dysfunction, supported by a treatment plan and documented treatment notes.”
​
Systematic Assessment, What's that about?
Through my extensive clinical experience, I have found that more than half the people I treat come to me wanting me to treat their symptoms, and I really happy to do that, but only through an extensive assessment, am I able to look at the larger picture and identify the root cause of a problem, rather than just "put a bandaid" on a symptom.
​
​
I want to be really controversial here (well it's my page) I am supposed to be "selling" Remedial Massage treatments but, It's my belief that Remedial Massage its self is rarely a cure or fix for musculoskeletal problems and dysfunction. Remedial Massage is performed in order to help create favourable conditions for the body to heal itself and return to normal health after injury. This is what I believe differentiates Maitland Myotherapy from most Remedial Massage Therapists. Through Myotherapy techniques we are able to compliment massage techniques to achieve outstanding long term results.
​
If a patient has suffered a moderate injury resulting in structural pain and/or loss of function, then treatment is required to reduce or eliminate pain and restore that function.
Remedial massage is designed to balance muscle/soft tissue length, tension, tone which will, in turn,
-
promote the return to normal joint/capsular/bone position;
-
increase the flow of blood and lymph, particularly in the injured areas, thus removing blockages, damaged cells, and preventing or minimising scar tissue and adhesions resulting from the injury.
Let's look at some common mistruths (dare I say, "Fake News" or "Alternative Facts")
​
Remedial Massage is not Deep Tissue Massage and it shouldn't always hurt.
It is true that if your ankle hurts from a recent acute now and I rub it, it will probably hurt, that's hard to shy away from. but why on earth would someone want to massage that ankle so deeply that the damaged tissue gets squashed against a bone? In my opinion, there is very little, if any benefit in that, in fact, increased damage is likely.
No Pain; No Gain has no place here. Going deeper just to cause pain is not the way we do things.
​
I'm not saying that Deep Tissue Massage has no place here. Yes, during some treatments we recommend the application of Deep Tissue massage, and you are more than welcome to request it to treat the deeper tissues of the body. At times that can be tolerably uncomfortable (my favourite phrase) but If I don't believe it's a good idea, I will explain why.
​
You should be able to fix this in one treatment!
I'd love to be able to have every person leave here after 1 treatment feeling on top of the world and never NEEDING to come back, but if you have had a dysfunction or chronic injury for years, please don't expect miracles. It is now and has always been, my goal to see you feeling better quickly, that way I hope you go out and spread the word that the treatment you received here was sensational. I will guarantee you that Maitland Myotherapy & Sports Massage will never be about how many re-bookings I can get out of any person.
​
As a Myotherapist I have an extensive knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology to determine where to treat patients. My treatments are based on best practice principles and before any remedial massage treatment begins, thorough patient consultation and assessment is to be performed to ascertain your current health status.
​
​