I am a Registered Massage Therapist in Calgary, Alberta. Please check back frequently for new content and follow my articles on Massage Therapy, as well as guest written articles on health and well-being.

If you would like to book a massage please use my online booking by clicking the "Schedule Me" button on the right of the page, email or call 403-800-8263 for availability.

Prevent. Recover. Improve.

Many surgeries and injuries leave scars. Whether the scar was caused by a surgical instrument, a burn, cut, etc… Scars may be discoloured and made of tough, rubbery, inflexible tissue that may feel sensitive to the touch years after the surgery is performed or injury has healed. Scar tissue, like skin, is made up of collagen. Instead of this collagen protein being a loose random weave-type pattern like normal skin, the collagen forms a tight cross-link pattern similar to tendons.

How do I know it's a scar?
Scars can easily be recognized because they can become hard and inflexible, create visual bands of fibres on the surface of skin, the tissue can shorten or tighten, which can limit range of motion and cause compensational issues. Scars do not usually contain hair follicles or sweat glands, therefore they are prone to drying out and may reopen if not properly managed.

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Deep tissue massage is becoming a more and more popular type of massage, so it is important for those that have never received one, or may have had a bad experience, to know the difference between a good deep tissue massage, a bad deep tissue massage, and why when an RMT asks how the pressure feels, why it's important to be upfront and honest.

Before your first Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage utilizes more advanced techniques, and usually more direct pressure using thumbs, knuckles, forearms or elbows. I would not consider it a relaxing experience, but you can ask the therapist to mix in some other types of massage. If you have a lot of back problems, they can intersperse deeper techniques with more soothing, relaxing techniques. This may help prevent the area being treated from getting tender too quickly, and adds more enjoyment to your massage.

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If you have taken a look at one of my business cards in the past year, you've probably noticed the above words as my slogan. Recently I've had a few clients inquire what exactly it is that they mean.

Prevent.

One of my major aims for all my clients, but especially for my more active clients, is to prevent injury and dysfunction. Whether the threat of injury comes from sport, work, or hobby, it is important to ensure effective precautions are taken to avoid the downtime caused by an injury.
Injuries are any damage to your body, the most common injuries we think about result in inflammation; sprains, strains, bruises, cuts, etc… but injury covers many other forms of harm, including injury to your mental health. Learning (and practicing) stress reduction and relaxation techniques is also vital to your wellbeing.

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