In Canada, all Registered Massage Therapists are bound to therapist-client confidentiality. It is one of the cornerstones of our profession. Confidentiality is also one of the most important advantages that RMT’s have over “masseuses” , non-registereds or non-professionals. RMT’s are also different from the competition in that we are educated, regulated, responsible and insured.
RMT’s cannot divulge anything that you tell them while in their care. We are only allowed to break that confidentiality if we are legally ordered to do so. Breaking confidentiality will otherwise result in the RMT appearing before a disciplinary committee of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and most likely end in the RMT losing their license.
It is taken very seriously, so take comfort in the level of professional care you are receiving.
All RMT’s in Ontario can look forward to an audit by the CMTO every 3 years on average. Part of the audit concerns proving to the CMTO that we have kept in compliance with all of the College’s by-laws which includes reading the CMTO’s publication “The College Standard” and answering the mandatory CEU questions.
For these poor RMT’s that are madly scrambling about last minute to track down their old magazines that may have accidentally been filed in the “cylindrical hall of fame” or “circular filing cabinet”, I offer you this link which will take you to the CMTO’s website where you can download old issues of the College Standard in PDF format. Merry Christmas!
There is a 3 part series of articles explaining how the nervous system is related to pain on Todd Hargrove’s blog.
I would strongly recommend all bodyworkers to have a look at it as it is a very simple explanation of some key concepts.
Some points he raised:
Nerves are flexible and slide back and forth as the body moves.
Nerves are very large consumers of blood and oxygen, consuming 20% of the body’s oxygen while only making up 2% of the body’s mass.
Nerves can become irritated when they are not allowed to move as freely as they need. eg. when a vertebral disc is pushing against them, when an arthritic porion of a bone presses on them.
When the nerves become irritated, the body will react by limiting the motion that causes irritation or damage. eg. if the sciatic nerve is irritated, the central nervous system will prevent the hamstrings from lengthening in order to prevent over stretching or injuring the nerve.
In this way it is possible that a hamstring may be tight due to a damaged sciatic nerve, in which case traditional stretching techniques may not be best.
Traditional stretching techniques often can be uncomfortable and use a certain “no pain no gain” attitude. This in turn can overstretch a damaged nerve and actually slow down your chances of pain relief.
Understanding the nerve may be irritated at some point in its path, the following principles should be used when stretching:
It is necessary to move very slowly and calmly, staying within the pain free range.
The central nervous system needs to accept that the new range can be achieved without pain or discomfort in order for the stretch to work.
Feldenkreis method and Tai Chi are stretching techniques which incorporate these
I was just thinking about my trip to Thailand and Indonesia and all the amazing treatments I had there. I am so appreciative for the therapists that tried so hard to help me. In particular there was a wonderful therapist in Chiang Mai that offers therapeutic Thai massage that I would like to help promote. Therapeutic massage is actually quite difficult to find in Thailand. Massage is everywhere in Thailand, but it caters more toward relaxation or spa type treatments. These can be wonderful experiences, but if you have chronic issues, you are probably looking for someone that can actually ‘fix’ it and make it better.
The experience of getting a therapeutic massage can be quite different from receiving a traditional Thai massage. A traditional Thai massage should be a 2 hour visit where prescribed pressure points all over the entire body are stimulated in a set routine. The massage should leave you feeling relaxed all over. Therapeutic treatments on the other hand focus on specific conditions. It is not uncommon for a therapeutic practitioner to spend an entire hour focussing on treatment of just one body part such as a shoulder or neck. The treatments can be more aggressive or painful, but in the end, you may feel freedom of movement or a real decrease in pain.
One therapeutic massage therapist is Master Ajarn Sinchai Sukparset. He is a bit of a legend in Chiang Mai. While studying massage there this year and also two years ago, I asked around quite a bit looking for a good therapist. Whenever I asked for someone that really knew how to heal or fix specific chronic problems, Master Sinchai’s name came up. Unfortunately, even though everybody in the city knew of his reputation, nobody could tell me his exact address, and as such the legend and mystery around him grew.
On my last day in Chiang Mai, I finally tracked him down and got my first massage from him. The experience was one that I will never forget. Master Sinchai is blind and graduated from a massage academy for blind people. He has 40 years experience and intuitively knew how to treat my sprained shoulder. He treats by testing, trying one approach or technique and then re-testing. This he does again and again repeatedly changing his approach until the tests yield a significant reduction in pain. He has incredibly soft and supple hands and moves at a slow thoughtful pace in his treatments. Even when the massage feels very intense, he keeps with his slow, gentle rhythm. One look at the videos and you will understand what I mean. Some of his techniques are quite innovative. Other approaches look simple at first blush, but in the master’s hands are able to unlock restrictions.
He is definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Chiang Mai and need some real healing. Or better yet, try one of his massage courses.
Here is his information:
Ajarn Sinchai Sukparset
50/1 Chang Phuak Rd
T. Sriphom A Muang
Chiang Mai
50200
Having a tough time remembering all of your orthopedic testing for the big exam? Just found this website that breaks down all the orthopedic testing you will ever need to know. The site is name orthobullets and it presents summaries or cheat sheets of many different conditions and testing protocols.
This weekend I will be away in Mississauga for part II of the Visceral Osteopathy component of Osteopathic training at the Southern Ontario College of Osteopathy. The course runs from 9 to 5 Saturday May 29 and Sunday May 30. Unfortunately this means that I will not be available for treatments.