What is Clinical Massage Therapy?

I have been quite taken aback at the amount of positive feedback I am receiving from clients who have shared how refreshingly different and beneficial their treatment experience has been for them, and this has led me to write about what exactly I do.

For those who may not know, I am a Clinical Massage Therapist who trained and worked in Nova Scotia, Canada. Massage Therapy is an essential part of the Canadian healthcare system, to such an extent now that it was added to Canada’s express entry priority list of essential healthcare occupations earlier this year! Although Clinical Massage Therapy is present in the UK, I have noticed that massage here is perceived quite differently. So I thought I might explain what Clinical Massage Therapy is, the ways in which it may differ from other types of massage and how it can be of help to people on their health journey.

In general, Massage Therapy is therapeutic in nature. Typically, the body’s tension, pain, discomfort and stress is reduced, usually in a calm and relaxed setting. On one hand, some people may have experienced a relaxation massage at a spa, focusing on stress reduction, alleviating tension, and overall well-being with Swedish massage, hot stone and aromatherapy. While this is immensely beneficial for the body and mind, Clinical Massage Therapy provides the same benefits but with a more specific focus on addressing existing acute or chronic health conditions, injuries or pain. This is best achieved by:

🌿 Using a variety of advanced techniques suited to each treatment and condition
🌿 Re-educating and maintaining soft tissue health for improved function
🌿 Measuring the improvement of symptoms, posture and joint range of motion with each session
🌿 Creating treatment plans and offering advice on how to reduce pain and discomfort between sessions

To give an example of a clinical approach, imagine a scenario in which you may have a compressed nerve in your arm due to repetitive strain or direct trauma. This may cause related problems such as reduced sensory and motor function further down the nerve pathway. By applying knowledge of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of the body, a Clinical Massage Therapist could help target the root cause of injury through testing and palpation. They could then use advanced techniques to alleviate the symptoms and help reduce or eliminate the root cause of obstruction.

Another example may be a postural related problem; the most typical being from sitting at a desk for long periods of time. This may lead to neck pain, where a forward rotation of the shoulders would typically change the balance of muscle length in different areas of the body. A clinical approach may be to address these muscles differently to reduce pain and rebalance tension in the body, re-educating the position of the shoulders. Another focus would be to attend to the areas of most pain and discomfort for the client.

In both examples, it is important to get to the root cause of the problem, and reduce and/or resolve the problem over a series of consecutive treatments. The time it takes to resolve a problem will very much depend on the health history of the client, the nature of the condition or injury and the client's lifestyle. It may also depend on what the client is experiencing at the time and wanting from each treatment. Above all, every treatment should always attend to the needs of the client in respect to their current physical, mental and emotional state and stage of healing.

Sacred Tree offers a clinical perspective with a holistic and integrative approach. This does not mean there must be a pre-existing condition in order to receive a treatment, or that treatments should stop once a condition has been addressed. It is important to remember, all types of massage have therapeutic value and regular massage can make a huge difference to your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Speaking as a therapist, I have an enormous amount of respect for my fellow bodyworkers, no matter what background and training they have, as bodywork is a conscious choice to help others and can take a lot of personal time and energy both in and out of treatment hours: in order to fill other's cups, you must first fill your own!

Whether your reasons for booking a massage are preventative, regular maintenance or managing an existing acute or chronic health condition or injury, experience the difference a Clinical Massage with Sacred Tree Wellness at Remote Therapies can make! 💆