Remedial Massage
Massage therapy and Health Care in Australia
Massage and Myotherapy has become an accepted form of healthcare and pain management in Australia. In 2015 there was a review of natural healthcare services that looked at supporting evidence for massage and Myotherapy care.
The review concluded that massage therapy had supporting evidence for the management of low back pain. There were 43 other conditions that did have evidence to suggest that massage therapy could help, but there was only small amounts of research and therefore the review didn’t make any conclusions on these topics.
In more recent years, there has been good supporting evidence that massage therapy can be helpful in the management of anxiety and depression.
In Australia, most forms of healthcare do require supporting research to be considered a valid form of care. Massage has become part of the broader healthcare system, as findings are generally positive for massage in several areas. The areas include:
· Low back pain
· Anxiety and Depression
· Sleep
· Neck Pain
· Headaches
· General Mobility and Function
Beyond this, it is important to consider how massage can be integrated into a holistic form of care for you as an individual and one areas we focus on at Montville Massage and Myotherapy is assisting to be becoming a “well” version of you.
So whilst we can offer support with pain and a sense of wellbeing, we will also look to assist and integrate into other areas of your life and your wellness plans. This can include working alongside your doctors, naturopaths, physios, psychologist or other health professionals.
Massage creating a sense of Oneness
Massage has been shown to provide positive benefits in the management of anxiety and depression. While we don’t know exactly why, one leading idea is that of embodiment or interoception. Interoception is the fancy way of describing your internal body sensations. This can include sensations such as heart beat or breathing.
Interoception is essentially the same thing as embodiment or oneness. In psychological research, this has become something of a hot topic as body awareness has been identified to assist in managing intrusive thoughts and strong emotions.
Massage is a great way to become more embodied or interoceptive. The supportive touch that occurs during a massage treatment is something that allows you to focus your attention internally.
One of the key things about massage is providing a safe, supportive space for you to reconnect with your body. It is a place to step out of the rush, or the stress, of day to day life. It is you time.
You could perhaps think of massage as a form of guided meditation, where you can find ways to connect with, and let go, of the tension in your life.
And it may help you to know that massage is becoming more and more widely recognised as a way to manage strong emotions, and find more balance and connection with your body and your life.
Modern Manual Therapy
We have a commitment to modern massage care, we are constantly developing and training ourselves to be better therapists. Massage is an ancient practice, and it has been around as long as caring touch has existed, but our understanding of care is constantly growing. We embrace the following principles at Montville Massage and Myotherapy.
Safety
We are here to provide you a safe comforting environment, in the practical sense that whilst we encourage you to enjoy the stunning views from our clinic, we want you to feel safe, secure and valued. We welcome everyone and you respect you as an individual.
We aim to inform and empower. We understand that you may have health conditions that require acknowledgement and support, but we will not be telling you anything that will encourage a sense of concern or worry about your body or health. One of the nice things about being therapists is that we cannot and will not diagnose illness or injury, however we can give guidance and advice around managing conditions and your general health.
Comfort
Massage and manual therapies should be comfortable. Pain is not an ethical therapeutic tool in our opinion and we will never do anything to deliberately hurt you. Sensitivity whilst receiving massage is common, but it should only be a sensation that you feel is healing, relaxing and relieving. Even when using modalities such as dry needling, we will never ask you to push through or ignore a pain experience.
Efficiency
We know that massage and manual care, along with exercise, movement and self care can have fantastic benefits for areas of health such as pain management, a sense of wellbeing and your capacity to function in all areas of your life. But we will never engage in trying to over treat you, or convince you that you need care that you don’t.
We focus on developing self care skills. We see massage and care as a way to check in with your body and better understand what is occurring in your own skin, to have time to calm your mind and find that sense of self that allows you to enjoy your life, and live to the fullest.
It is our belief that you are the best therapist you can ever find, and we want to teach and assist you to develop your self care practices via massage and movement and our other services.
Understanding you
We aim to learn about each client and assist you with your own individual needs. If we see you for regular treatments, this is an opportunity to offer a treatment plan for ongoing care. Nothing happens overnight, but we are there to help you with the process and journey to better health. We do this by listening to our clients, you are the expert on your own body and experiences. We combine our care approaches to look at how we can assist you to find wellness, in whatever form or goal resonates with you.