FAQ

Usually during your first visit for any service you book there will be an assessment and the therapist will go over your medical history, and the goals of your treatment either for that day, or for the long term. For a massage therapy session, the therapist may then instruct you to get undressed to your level of comfortability and the get on the table between the sheets while the therapist leaves the room. Once you’re on the table the therapist will come back into the room. You will be fully covered under a blanket, and only the body part that is being treated will be undrape.

Some massage therapy techniques can be painful or discomforting due to restrictions in your body’s soft tissue. With constant communication and with the therapist monitoring your non verbal cues, the session should always be within a comfortable pain threshold. You are in charge of your session, and have every right to have the therapist stop, change or modify the what they are doing if you are uncomfortable.

A relaxation massage will be more general in contact and technique, with the main purpose of relaxing the client, and increasing circulation throughout the body. 

A therapeutic massage will address the more specific areas of pain and discomfort, with the purpose of resolving any issues in the body. 

Often times when you feel pain during certain techniques of manual manipulation it is most likely because the tissue will have a restriction either due to adhesions, trigger points, or scar tissues.  These restrictions in turn cause decreased blood flow to the area and decreased range of motion to joint, which is why you feel pain, either actively or during treatment.

All services can be beneficial at any time. Acupuncture and chiropractic treatments can both offer treatments for headaches, migraines, and soft tissue injuries.  However acupuncture can offer treatments for addiction cessation, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, weight loss, hormone rebalancing, and cosmetic face lifts.  Chiropractic adjustments work your vertebral joints, correcting subluxations (when your joints feel out of place, but not quite a dislocation).  Theses subluxations in your vertebral system can cause long-term effects on other systems because the nerves are being slightly impinged.

Massage therapy can help with many soft tissue dysfunction such as tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, TMJ dysfunction, sciatica, headaches and migraines,bursitis, strains and sprains, etc.

Pain killers and blood thinning medication is something that a massage therapist should be aware of so that the therapist can modify or exclude the techniques they are going to use in your treatment based on your medical history.  Pain killers too close to your session can alter your perception of how much pain you can tolerate, thus risking injury and bruising.  Alcohol is also something you should avoid prior to your session because massage does increase circulation and may cause intoxication.  

If you are unsure if massage therapy will be helpful for your condition you can always contact the clinic to talk to a therapist.  Many therapists will have other modalities to offer that may benefit your needs better than massage therapy.  At the very least, massage therapy helps to reduce stress, even if it is just for a short time, if that’s what you’re looking for.  However, it is very important that you advise the practitioner of any medical conditions or medications you are taking. It  may also be advisable to speak to your doctor about your intentions to start massage therapy if you have any conditions that you may cause you concern.

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle hands-on therapy with a profound effect on the body.   It is not painful, but very relaxing, in a meditative way, as the therapist’s hands gently finds its way to “blend” with the patient’s body, and once “blended”, follows and supports the body’s need to self-correct.   The therapist acts a facilitator to the body’s “inner physician”, and the body’s ability to self-correct, or self-heal.

The Craniosacral system comprises of:
1. your cranial bones (i.e. the bones in your skull)
2. the meninges (the membrane system surrounding your brain and spinal cord)
3. the sacrum (the bone at the base of your back where the spinal cord ends).

These structures create something of a hydraulic system that pumps cerebral spinal fluid throughout the body, which also creates a rhythm felt throughout the body that differs from the heart beat and breathing.  By palpating the cranial rhythm at different parts of the body it can be used as an assessment tool as well as a treatment technique.

It is not massage therapy but it is a hands on therapy developed by an osteopath, Dr. John Upledger. The membrane system plays a vital role in the system because not only does it anchor onto the bones at each end of the body, but it’s three layer membrane that encase the brain and spinal cord, allows the torso to move.

 

Most extended health benefits will have benefits covering massage therapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture. Craniosacral therapy will also be covered as long as it is performed by a registered health practitioner and is within their scope of practice ( I.e. By a massage therapist, a chiropractor, or physiotherapist). You will need to check with your insurance provider. For some insurers a doctor’s note will be required.

Unfortunately we do not have direct billing with the insurance companies, so payment up front for all services will be required and then your insurance companies will reimburse your expenses.

Each insurance plan is unique. Some have a cap amount (i.e. $500 annually), others have partial coverage with a cap, while some cover a certain amounts of sessions. You will have to check with your insurance provider to get the details on your specific plan.