Massage Therapy for Camrose
Massage therapy can help with many health issues.
Cameron Sanderson graduated from the Alberta Institute of Massage in 1999. The techniques he focuses on are Myofascial Release, Structural Integration and Visceral Manipulation.
Massage therapy is available at The Camrose Chiropractic Clinic Monday through Saturday. To check for available appointment times call (780) 679-2500.
45 minutes – $65
60 minutes – $80
90 minutes – $120
What To Expect At Your First Appointment
- If this is your first visit to our clinic you will be asked to fill out a short health history form.
- If you have already had a chiropractic exam your massage therapist will consult the doctor on your case.
- The massage therapist will direct you to a change room to undress in private for your treatment. Next you will enter the treatment room and get under the sheet on the table. The therapist will only uncover the area to be worked on. Therefore you can take off as much or as little of your clothing as you are comfortable with.
- Your therapist will knock and enter the treatment room once you are ready.
- During the massage it is important to give your therapist feedback. Good communication ensures you will receive appropriate pressure. Massage does not need to hurt to be effective. You should be able to breathe and relax during the treatment.
- At the end of the session the therapist will leave the room, allowing you to go back into the change room to redress. The therapist will then re-enter the room to change the linens.
What to do after your Massage Therapy session:
- Drink water – an extra glass or two will help continue the flushing process started by the treatment
- Stretch – muscles loosened by the treatment will stay that way longer if they are stretched frequently, even hourly, over the rest of the day
- Rest and relax – allow the treatment to take full effect
- Ice or heat – you may feel some soreness or stiffness in the first 24-48 hours after treatment. This should dissipate but you may apply ice to tender areas or take a hot bath or shower to alleviate stiffness.
Effects of Massage Therapy on the body
Massage is known to:
- Cause changes in the blood. The oxygen capacity of the blood can increase 10-15% after massage.
- Affect muscles throughout the body. Massage can help loosen contracted, shortened muscles and can stimulate weak, flaccid muscles. This muscle “balancing” can help posture and promote more efficient movement
- Affect the nervous system. Massage balances the nervous system by soothing or stimulating it, depending on which effect is needed by the individual at the time of the massage.
- Enhance skin condition. Massage directly improves the function of the sebaceous (oil) and sweat glands, which keep the skin lubricated, clean, cooled.
- Affect internal organs. By indirectly or directly stimulating nerves that supply internal organs, blood vessels of these organs dilate and allow greater blood supply to them.
Massage Therapy and Athletic Performance
For athletes in every sport massage can reduce fatigue and aid recovery from the exertion of working out or playing. Massage enables longer, more effective workouts, thus facilitating better performance and preventing injury.
Massage acts to disperse the by-products of muscle action such as lactic and carbonic acids which irritate muscles and nerve endings causing pain and fatigue. Massage can thus increase muscle recovery rates. When massage has been substituted for rest, an increase from 20 – 100% muscle recovery has been recorded.
Massage counteracts joint pain or stiffness with strokes and passive movement to release the muscle tension and free the connective tissue that can bind the joints.
Massage also aids recovery from soft tissue injuries such as sprains and strains. The growth and repair of tissue are accelerated by efficient circulation in the injured areas and appropriate stimulation of the healing tissues.
Massage Therapy and Stress
Stress causes the release of hormones that create vasoconstriction leading to reduced blood circulation. The heart works harder, breathing becomes rapid and shallow, and digestion slows. Nearly every body process is degraded. Stress can cause migraines, hypertension, depression, ulcers, etc. Researchers have estimated that 80% of disease is stress related. Soothing and relaxing massage therapy can help by counteracting stress effects.
Massage therapy is a form of drugless therapy that can relieve headaches, insomnia, digestive disorders including constipation and spastic colon, arthritis, asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, sinusitis, and minor aches and pains and many other conditions.
Massage Therapy and Pregnancy
During pregnancy a woman’s body undergoes many changes, some of them stressful and uncomfortable. Massage is a perfect way to reduce stress and promote general well-being.
- Massage combats fatigue and helps the mother feel more energetic.
- Massage eases the load on mom’s heart and helps keep her blood pressure in check.
- Massage can help relieve depression or anxiety caused by hormonal changes.
- Massage relieves many of the normal discomforts during pregnancy, such as backaches, a stiff neck, leg cramps, headaches and sore, swollen ankles and feet.
- Massage helps the mother sleep more easily and deeply. A relaxed mother will have a happier, healthier pregnancy and possibly an easier childbirth.
Research on Massage Therapy
Research on the effects of massage therapy has been ongoing for more than 120 years. A surge in research over the past 20 years has resulted in more than 2,500 published studies.
Among research findings:
- Massage increases activity level of the body’s natural “killer cells”, boosting the immune system.
- Office workers massaged regularly were more alert, performed better and were less stressed than those who weren’t massaged.
- Massage therapy decreased the effects of anxiety, tension, depression, pain, and itching in burn patients.
- Abdominal surgery patients recovered more quickly after massage.
- Premature infants who were massaged gained more weight and fared better than those who weren’t.
- Autistic children showed less erratic behavior after massage therapy.
“Massage therapy is beneficial for almost all diseases. Eighty percent of disease is stress-related, and massage reduces stress.”
~ Sandra McLanahan, M.D., family practitioner, Buckingham, Va.
Summary of Massage Therapy Physical Benefits
- Helps relieve stress and aids relaxation
- Helps relieve muscle tension and stiffness
- Fosters faster healing of strained muscles and sprained ligaments; reduces pain and swelling; reduces formation of excessive scar tissue
- Reduces muscle spasms
- Provides greater joint flexibility and range of motion
- Enhances athletic performance
- Promotes deeper and easier breathing
- Improves circulation of blood and movement of lymph fluids
- Reduces blood pressure
- Helps relieve tension-related headaches and effects of eye-strain
- Enhances the health and nourishment of skin
- Improves posture
- Strengthens the immune system
Summary of Massage Therapy Psychological Benefits
- Fosters peace of mind
- Promotes a relaxed state of mental alertness
- Helps relieve mental stress
- Improves ability to monitor stress signals and respond appropriately
- Enhances capacity for calm thinking and creativity
- Satisfies needs for caring and nurturing touch
- Fosters a feeling of well-being
- Reduces levels of anxiety
- Increases awareness of mind-body connection
Call now for a no-obligation consultation.