Massage Warsaw- Massage Therapy – Warsaw Acupuncture

Tag: Sports Massage

  • Massage Therapy vs. Physiotherapy

    The professions of physiotherapy and massage therapy are closer than you think.

    The current scope of practice for Physiotherapy in Ontario is:

    “The practice of physiotherapy is the assessment of physical function and the treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of physical dysfunction, injury or pain, to develop, maintain, rehabilitate, or augment function or to relieve pain.”

    The scope of practice for Massage Therapy in Ontario is:

    “The practice of massage therapy is the assessment of the soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissue and joints by manipulation to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function, or relieve pain.”

    The two professions have virtually the same scope of practice.  It should be known that as of January 2012, physiotherapists will have a new scope of practice that enables them to order MRI’s, X-rays and further tests with the accompanying right to diagnose.  However, at current, massage therapy and physiotherapy have essentially the same scope of practice.

    Let’s consider how massage therapy is carried out.  For the purposes of this article, we will be looking at massage therapy in a therapeutic, clinical setting.

    While many consider massage therapy a wonderful way to relieve stress or tight muscles, massage therapy is in fact quite effective at helping people find relief from the following (to name a few):

    Tension & Migraine Headaches, Strain, Sprain, Tendonitis, Tennis Elbow, Tingling or Numbness in Your Fingers, Tingling & Numbness in Feet, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Whiplash, Torticollis/Wry Neck, Peripheral Nerve Lesions, Nerve Impingements, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Dislocated Shoulder, Frozen Shoulder Syndrome, Rotator Cuff Injuries, Patello-Femoral Syndrome, (ITB) Iliotibial Band Syndrome, Scoliosis, Degenerative Disc Disease, Prolapsed/Herniated Disc, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Flat Feet, Conditions such as: Parkinson’s Disease, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, TMJ Pain

    As you can see from the list, there is more to massage therapy than relief from stress and tight muscles.

    A therapeutic massage session can be a very powerful experience.  For example, in treating a rotator cuff injury, a massage session could include:

    1. Fascial Techniques such as: Active Release Technique (A.R.T), Myofascial Release Technique (MRT), Rolfing, Myofascial Release or Frictioning to release scars or fascial adhesions that develop as a result to tears on the tendons or muscle bellies of the rotator cuff muscles.  These fascial techniques can also be used to free muscles that become stuck together as a result of fascial adhesions.
    2. Acupuncture to stimulate nerve functioning, activate the release of endogenous anti-inflammatories, analgesics and endorphins.
    3. Advanced reflexive techniques to reduce muscle spasm or trigger points such as: muscle energy technique (MET), Trigenics, and Post Isometric Relaxation.
    4. Strengthening and Stretching Exercises to resolve muscle imbalances in the rotator cuff and promote strength and stability in the joint.
    5. General massage techniques to increase blood flow to the shoulder increasing oxygen and nutrient supply while improving waste removal
    6. As well, many RMT’s are qualified in the use of ultrasound, interferrential current, and TENS (transcutaneous electrical stimulation).
    7. Hydrotherapy applications of hot and cold to reduce inflammation or increase blood flow to an area

    If this seems like an effective,  complete treatment protocol, it is because it is.  It might be expected from a physiotherapy session and can also be provided in a massage therapy session.  Looking at this, it is easier to understand that the scope of practice between massage therapy and physiotherapy are very similar.  Both professions offer a flexible framework that allows for the practitioner to design an effective treatment plan for their client.

    In choosing between massage therapy or physiotherapy for your injury, consider the following:

    • How much “face time” do you want.  A 1 hour massage therapy appointment means that you will spend 1 hour with a massage therapist (inclusion of acupuncture or other modalities will mean less “face time”).  A physiotherapy appointment can often mean very little time with your physiotherapist after the initial assessment.
    • If looking for a massage therapist, it is important to consider which modalities and techniques they are familiar with.
    • Ask your physiotherapist how much face time or hands on time can you expect to receive during your treatment plan.  Will it be a one on one experience or will you be led from machine to machine?
    • There is no real need to choose.  Massage Therapy and Physiotherapy work very well together.  In fact, in many physiotherapy clinics, you can find a registered massage therapist as well.

  • The Benefits of Sports Massage

    As an athlete can you benefit from massage? The average sports enthusiast might have their doubts. If you are running 30km a week, or lifting weights 3 times a week or generally pushing your body to its limits, how can a shoulder rub help?

    First of all, let’s have another look at the definition of “massage”. The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), in their scope of practice, defines massage therapy as:

    The practice of massage therapy is the assessment of the soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissue and joints by manipulation to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function, or relieve pain. (Massage Therapy Act 1991)

    Pretty wordy isn’t it?  Most people that want a massage for some relaxation don’t want to hear any of that.  They would prefer a nice, relaxing, soothing massage… the kind you see on tv or in the movies.  But the beauty of the definition is how open it is.  As an RMT, I treat “soft tissue and joints by manipulation”.  Soft tissue can be muscles, ligaments, tendons, or fascia.  Well, we all know what muscles are and we generally accept that RMT’s are pretty adept at “loosening” or “getting the kinks out of” muscles.  Ligaments are what are involved in ankle sprains, MCL or ACL tears of the knee.  Tendons are involved in any kind of tendonitis or tendinosis overuse conditions such as treat golfer’s elbow or tennis elbow.  And then there’s fascia which act like ropes attaching a sail from the boat to the mast.   If you imagine that the sail is the muscle that powers the boat, then the lines, ropes and pulleys are the fascia that decide how tightly the sail/muscle will be stretched and how powerful the sail/muscle can be.  An RMT is trained to work on the muscles, fascia, ligaments, tendons and joints or basically all those great little parts that work together to achieve peak athletic performance.  For the moment, let’s forget about the typical relaxing “massage” and start thinking of this as “therapy performed by a massage therapist” much the same way we think of therapy performed by a physical therapist or chiropractor.  Massage therapists are qualified to perform most of the stretches, exercises and manipulations that a physiotherapist does.

    Athletes are familiar with the burn and soreness in the muscles that accompanies a good workout.  The pain is often caused by lactic acid build-up and inflammation in the muscles or spasm (shortening) of the muscles.  During a post event treatment, RMT’s can flush out the muscles helping to remove lactic acids and other metabolic waste products while flooding the muscle tissue with fresh oxygenated blood. RMT’s can use different massage & stretching techniques to lengthen the muscle back to its normal length and reduce pain from muscle spasm.  These all help to reduce pain, increase mobility and shorten healing time after an event or a tough workout.

    During the training season athletes are constantly trying to find a balance between pushing the body harder while nursing old injuries and preventing new ones.  These injuries or imbalances can shorten an athletic career and decrease performance.   Scar tissue or fascial adhesions  often build up over injured areas or between  muscles almost gluing these structures together and decreasing strength and mobility.  Rolfing & MRT work to remove and re-align the scar tissue.  Acupuncture is also very effective at decreasing inflammation by giving the injury the equivalent of a cortisone injection.

    Here are some examples of injuries that Sports Massage can help:

    • Plantar Fasciitis
    • Shin Splints
    • Hip Pain
    • Hip Tightness
    • Knee Pain
    • Tennis Elbow
    • Golfer’s Elbow
    • Patellar Femoral Syndrome
    • Post Event Stretch & Flush
    • Frozen Shoulder
    • Rotator Cuff Tendonitis
    • Herniated Disc
    • Ankle Sprain
    • Wrist Sprain
    • Quadricep or Hamstring strain

  • What is fascia?

    What is fascia?  If you’ve ever cooked chicken, you’ve probably noticed it. The thin, transparent, filmy material that covers the chicken meat.  Our muscles are covered in fascia.  Fascia covers every muscle and keeps the muscle together.  Fascia covers and protects every single muscle bundle or fascicle that makes up the muscle.  Fascia also covers every single muscle fibre or muscle cell that makes up the bundle,  It is like the framework or scaffolding that the muscle operates within.  Fascia holds and supports the muscle together giving it shape, form and function.  It also helps the muscles slide over each other with less friction.  The body is made up of over 600 muscles that layer over each other and criss cross each other.  Each muscle needs to slide over, under or beside its surrounding muscles without interference in order to function properly.

    Fascia has a few interesting properties too.

    • It is pound for pound stronger than steel.  In other words, unless you know how to treat it correctly it can and will be very difficult to get it to release.
    • Fascia is also the material that makes up tendons and ligaments.
    • It is not contractile.  That is, it doesn’t contract or relax the way a muscle does.
    • It can shrink or expand but we have little control over that.  It also seems to be emotional.  In times of emotional stress, fascia contracts and tightens around the muscle it is trying to protect.
    • When a muscle is hurt, as in a car accident or athletic injury, the muscle and fascia often tears.  This tear eventually heals the same way that a skin cut can heal.  However, the same way that the skin can be left with a thick, inflexible, sensitive scar, the muscle and fascia can also scar.

    The last point is why fascial work can be so important to healing sports injuries and traumatic injuries.  An inflexible scar in a muscle can do a few things:

    • It can remain short, tight and inflexible causing pain whenever the muscle tries to stretch to its full strength.  You might even notice a sharp almost tearing feeling when you try to stretch.
    • The scar can become adhesed or glued to the fascia of surrounding muscles.  This acts as a monkey wrench in the system.  None of the muscles that are adhesed can function pain free in their normal ranges with this.  For example, if a scar forms between your quads and your adductor/groin muscles you might notice that you don’t have the same strength or flexibility with either quad exercises or adductor exercises.  The reason is that those muscles are essentially glued together and pulling on each other each time you use them.

    So now we know that fascia is everywhere; it’s stronger than steel; it can scar; it can become glued to other muscles.  And for many people, it is the key to solving chronic pain from old injuries. I’ll have posts in the future about how I can treat fascial restricitons with active fascial release, rolfing, myofascial release technique and acupuncture.

  • "My Shoulders Hurt When I Jog"

    jogging and shoulder pain

    We expect pain and discomfort in just about every muscle from the waist down when it comes to jogging, but why would we get a pain in the shoulder?

    First of all many of us have some sort of postural imbalance where the shoulders aren’t lined up well.  Also, there is muscle tension and stress that we keep in our neck and shoulders.  This means that there might be decreased flexibility, mobility, health and strength leading to early muscle fatigue, pain and cramping.  Treating the stress in the neck and shoulders with massage or acupuncture can free them up so that they perform better when jogging.

    Another approach is to look at how we jog.  Many jog in a way that increases shoulder tension.  A quick check is to look at your hands.  Are they loose or clenched in a fist?  They should be loose.  If they are clenched in a fist, then we are likely activating and clenching every muscle from our fingertips, arms and shoulders up to our neck when jogging.  This constant tension leads to early muscle fatigue and pain.  A simple remedy is to keep our hands, arms and shoulders loose as we jog.  It can be hard to be constantly thinking of our arms while jogging, so try this simple technique: touch your thumb to your middle finger lightly and keep it there the whole time that you are jogging.  In this position it is really difficult to have any real tension in our arms and shoulders.  The shoulders will stay loose and the pain will go away.

    Stay loose.

    Ken Shim, RMT