By Patrick Stiles, RMT SMT (cc)
There is often a misconception among the public and health professionals alike, that massage therapy is only intended for relaxation. Utilizing massage therapy as a health care option to assess and treat conditions and injuries is often overlooked.
My name is Patrick, and I am the Director of Massage Therapy at Wellington Ortho & Rehab. Welcome to our blog site - and the first of many entries on massage therapy and it’s possible uses and benefits.
Although there is absolutely nothing wrong with a good relaxation massage; or a good back rub, massage therapists in Ontario are trained to do much much more. We have all graduated from a rather intense 2200 hour program, covering anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, neurology, assessment, orthopaedic testing, treatments and hydrotherapy. Additional courses that I have personally taken are: equine massage, sports/advanced sports techniques, esalen deep tissue techniques, and most recently a course on “Building the Ultimate Back: from Rehab to Performance”, by Dr Stuart McGill.
In the past three years, since graduating from Sutherland-Chan School and Teaching Clinic (in Toronto, ON), I have had the privilege of working with many athletes and dancers from all levels, recreational to professional. I spent two seasons with the Guelph Storm (OHL) at home and away largely providing pre-game massage. I also help out on an ongoing basis with the University of Guelph Athletics department - Athletic Therapy Services, treating a variety of varsity athletes, largely from football.
I now devote most of my time to my community based sports massage practice treating a variety of athletic and non-athletic issues.
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