Q: How do you feel about massaging women?
A: Most of my clients are women. I feel that I’m able to give a good, therapeutic, intuitive massage. I’m not judgmental of women’s bodies; I treat all of my clients with the respect they deserve. Q: And how about massaging men? A: In my experience, men who ask for a male therapist usually want deeper tissue massage, which is great for me because that’s what I like to do! Deep tissue focuses on the therapeutic aspect of massage. It’s a major part of what I do. Q: What are your feelings about being a gender minority in the massage world? A: I look at my job from the perspective of a massage therapist, not from that of a man. Unfortunately, massage therapy is still confused with intimacy, which it is not. It’s assessment, it’s treatment of soft tissue injuries. It’s an hour on the table working on your muscles. It’s therapy. Your therapists sex has nothing to do with it. Q: What would you say you focus on during treatments? A: Pain is often what brings clients in. I always address pain first – it’s a symptom that shouldn’t be ignored. Once the pain goes away, I focus on funct
Pain and tightness suffered post mastectomy/ lumpectomy can limit one’s life drastically. Myofascial Release can help create vast changes by softening dense scars and fibrosed fascia that remain unchanged with traditional therapy and stretching. Traumatized tissue can have a cascading effect on the body. Locally, tightened and fibrous fascia can restrict blood flow and lymphatic flow resulting in lymphedema. Auxiliary cording can also occur, causing a significant loss of range of motion in the shoulder, leading to a loss of function. Pain and weakness can occur in the shoulder, arm and chest wall. Burning, pins and needles, numbness, or spasms can also occur in these areas. Tightness, with time, can start to effect areas not associated with the scar even if these areas are far removed from the local site. Symptoms not “normal” to mastectomy, lumpectomy, reconstruction, or augmentation can start to occur. Headaches, jaw pain, low back pain, pelvic pain, digestive issues, postural changes, hormonal imbalances, etc, may become a “common” occurrence for you. The inability to move, or the pain suffered with common range of motion and activity c
It is the last weekend of April and as you know, the theme of April is “Letting Go”. I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about some of my bad habits because physiotherapists are people too! In the spirit of starting fresh this coming May, here are some of MY bad habits which some of you may relate too! And try not to hold them against me! Haha 1) Chewing my nails. Disgusting, I know. I don’t even know I’m doing it. I’m pretty sure I chewed my nails in the womb, that’s how bad this habit is. Have I tried to quit? Yes. Have I been successful? Not even a little bit. So if anyone has any suggestions on how to quit, leave a comment! What have I tried? Well my parents offered me $1000.00 to quit for a whole 12 months when I was much younger. I was able to go about 8 months before my nerves got the best of me. I was participating in a cross-country race in The Grove located in my hometown of Arnprior, ON. Fortunately (or, unfortunately) I won the race, but lost the war when it came to my nails. It just took one race and my nails were GONE! I have also tried using that disgusting stuff that makes your nails taste terribl
I’m staring at my feet. I’ve been staring at my feet for the last two minutes, trying not to distract myself. My feet are planted into my vibrant purple yoga mat. My knees are bent just a little, and my upper body is flopped over, my arms hanging down by my feet. Context starts to creep in: wow, I really need a pedicure. How long have I been in this pose? Sounds like that baby outside is pretty unhappy… No. I give my head a teeny shake to empty my mind of chatter. I focus on the exquisite sensation in the back of my legs. Breathe in: focus on tension. Breathe out: let tension go. I repeat this breathing pattern until I feel the rigidity in my hamstrings start to slacken. Ahhh. But I still need a pedicure. Becoming a yoga instructor was not something I thought would ever happen, but here I am, three days into Yin training, learning the (y)ins and outs of poses such as Rag Doll, Hero, and Smiling Cow Face (yes, seriously). Why am I here? The first time I tried Yin yoga was during my first foray into running, and my hips were tighter than the lid of a pickle jar. I sought relief from the discomfort in my body. Now, almost ten years later, I seek relief from the discomfort in my mind. Like many people I know, I’ve gotten used to being distracted by the context – while driving to work I seek distraction from the radio. While waiti
Mel’s Meandering Massage Mind: Are you a….Desk Potato??
Often, we go from sitting at work all day to sitting on a couch all evening. Desk potato to couch potato. I haven’t worked in an office setting in a long time, but I can remember the endless hours at my desk, followed by the long seated car ride home, followed by the ‘down time’ in front of the computer or TV at night. I was sore and tired A LOT. Sound familiar?
I say we take the opportunity to start fresh this month. Take those resolutions that you have forgotten about from January and restart them now. For those of you still going strong on your resolutions; re-evaluate them, see where you have come from and where you want to go, then adjust accordingly. Do something! Change something!
Don’t let yourself be a Desk Potato anymore. Maybe you can’t change jobs, but you can make the best of your situation. Your lunch hour is the perfect time to step outside and go for a quick jaunt around the block, have a dance party in your office (maybe close the door for this one), or you can put up a sign to see if anyone wants to have weekly lunch hour yoga sessions.
Spring begins tomorrow. It’s a great time to kick potatoey habits to
So you’ve gone and hurt yourself, huh? You’re a gung-ho weekend warrior with a twinge in your back and aren’t sure what to do about it. This isn’t unusual. We get all kinds of people coming through our doors who’ve injured themselves in brilliant and creative ways. As I sit here compiling this literary masterpiece, a client walks in with back spasms that are causing him visible discomfort. “How’d that happen?” I say. “I was choking on some long grain rice and coughed so violently that I threw my back out” he replies. Believe me when I say we’ve seen and heard it all. You may find yourself asking “What kind of treatment am I supposed to get?” With all the various types of sprains and strains you may be unlucky enough to receive, where to start can be an overwhelming decision. Here are a few things to consider: 1.What is your level of pain? If you’ve got a full-scale broken back, you’re going to want the emergency room and not deep tissue massage. An honest evaluation of the pain you are in/damage you have done is important at this stage. Open wound? Hospital. Arm dangling at a weird angle where you KNOW there isn’t a joint? Hospital. Tightness in the lower back after trying the caber toss for the first time? Whole Therapy!
Ladies ladies ladies! Let’s talk about bras and how they support us, or don’t. They are meant to aid a beautiful part of our body! However, I have been seeing a running theme in my practice lately and even out and about on the street. Ladies, why are you wearing ill-fitting bras with absolutely no support?
I hear all the excuses…”oh this is just my lazy day”, or “this is my bad bra”, or “my other one is in the laundry”, or “I just came from a work out”…again, all the excuses! Bras that you bought 10 years ago, throw them out! Even ones you bought 2 years ago, look at them closely! Does the elastic still support you the same way? Does the cup? Have you washed them…and dried them? How many do you have in a rotation? Why do I bring up this subject? We can’t take our breasts off like we can our bras. We need to support them! We honour our bodies with exercise and nutrition, so why do our breasts hang low and depressed!? If you have not been fitted, go get fitted! If you continue to wear the ill fitting bras, the drag will exacerbate poor posture, which can put aberrant stresses on your neck, shoulders and back. Poor posture can also impair breathing capabilities. There are some wonderful places here in Ottawa that are both fabulous and more importantly educated on proper fi