Benefits of Massage Therapy

The Amazing Benefits of Massage Therapy Then and Now

“It hurts.”

That’s usually the first thing we hear from our clients who want relief from their discomfort. What they don’t know is that pain is merely a symptom of myriad problems. As our knowledge of the human body has evolved, so has our awareness of how our body’s movement and structure are fundamental to our overall health.

You hear a lot of talk about balance in healthcare these days, whether referring to a diet, exercise, or massage therapy. It’s an important concept because everything works together. Often, unconnected symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, indigestion, and more can be related to muscle tension and imbalance in your posture. After injuries or surgeries, our muscles can develop compensatory and harmful patterns, and our posture can be altered or imbalanced.

At Bellesmere Massage Therapy Clinic in Scarborough, ON, we believe that restoring balance is the healing art of massage therapy. At its most basic, massage therapy is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, skin, tendons, ligaments, and fascia.

Working With Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs)

An RMT is a rigorously trained professional with extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology. Your massage therapist is an important part of your healthcare team, often partnering with your physician, dentist, chiropractor, physiotherapist, and others to ensure that you achieve optimal health.

Massage As “Alternative” Healthcare

While some might consider massage as alternative healthcare, its practice is as old as medicine itself. Ancient Greek physicians prescribed massage as valuable therapy while the Romans integrated massage as a vital curative part of their bathing rituals.

Worldwide, cultures throughout history have recognized the restorative and preventative benefits of massage. It’s a powerful therapeutic tool that can have a wide-ranging impact on your body and well-being. There’s nothing “new-age” about massage—history has proven its important role in overall healthcare.

1. The Bellesmere Difference

The Bellesmere Massage Therapy Clinic is dedicated exclusively to the practice of massage and complementary therapies. While we work closely with other health care professionals, we are a standalone, fully-equipped facility with multiple therapists and treatment rooms.

The breadth of expertise of our staff means we can always find the right treatment and the ideal therapist for your unique situation.

At Bellesmere, we will not only treat your complaint, we will improve your awareness of your body and how it moves, instilling the right habits to reduce the pain, fatigue, stress and emotional impact of a body out of balance. An analysis of posture, the way we hold our bodies when we stand and sit, can reveal so much. Your therapist can help correct problems through targeted treatments, even teaching you specialized exercises and stretches to maintain your health.

Whatever the treatment or technique, the goal is the same: to improve the quality of your life so you live pain free.

Unlike most clinics, we are open seven days a week, ensuring you access to the treatments you need at a time that fits with your schedule.

Please call (416) 431-9791 to schedule an appointment with one of our therapists.

2. The Science of Massage

We all know the feeling of relaxation and well-being that comes from simply kneading tense neck muscles. Cramps and stiffness disappear. But did you know that massage therapy is so much more…a powerful treatment that impacts almost every system in your body?

While it stimulates and relaxes joints and muscles, massage therapy has wide-ranging effects on the nervous system, the skin, muscles, the circulation and lymphatic systems, even digestion. Our nervous systems are responsible for regulating so many key functions of our bodies so stimulating and soothing nerve endings offers a wide range of immediate benefits including faster healing time from injuries.

By increasing blood circulation, massage helps tone the skin, strengthening the collagen fibers that give skin its elasticity and strength. Even the sweat and sebaceous glands work more efficiently to keep the skin properly lubricated and moisturized while improving the elimination of toxins through the skin’s surface.

Increased blood flow also allows nutrients and oxygen to circulate more efficiently. This not only improves overall muscle tone, it helps support the lymphatic system, our body’s waste elimination system. While the circulatory system relies on the heart to pump blood, the lymphatic system depends on our muscles to keep its filtration system flowing. A properly functioning lymphatic system means a better immune system and improved overall health.

You owe it to yourself to explore the wide range of massage therapy treatments available. Don’t underestimate the power of massage therapy. From posture to Parkinson’s, massage therapy can treat a vast array of symptoms and conditions.

3. Who Can Benefit?

Virtually anyone can benefit from massage therapy from those needing general relaxation and stress relief to people with chronic conditions or injuries. Remember, pain is not a lifestyle. You deserve to live your life to its full potential. Let our therapists design the right treatment program for you.

4. Where Does It Hurt?

5. Your History

Before your treatment, you will be asked to complete a confidential health history form detailing your medical history and any medications you are taking. It is important that the therapist has a full understanding of your overall health. Often, current complaints may be related to past, seemingly unrelated problems or conditions. We don’t want to just treat the symptom, we want to understand and correct the underlying problem. That can take some therapeutic detective work which is why a complete health history is taken and thoroughly reviewed with you. We need to be aware of injuries, surgeries, diseases, medicines and specific problem areas. Your therapist is an expert in assessing your health situation and designing the right treatment plan for you.

Once you are ready to begin the treatment, your therapist will show you how to lie comfortably on the massage table then leave the room so you may disrobe and cover yourself on the table. You may wear as much or as little clothing as you are comfortable with. During treatment, you will always be securely covered by a sheet or blanket except for the specific area being treated.

As partners in your recovery, we welcome and encourage questions and feedback.