We can’t stress enough the importance of seeing a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) for your massages! By seeing an RMT, you know you’re seeing a massage therapist governed and certified by the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC.
The role of an RMT is to help you maintain and improve your overall health and well-being. Learn about the top eight benefits of getting a massage in Vancouver.
1. Pain relief
A common reason to see a healthcare professional is for pain relief and healing. An RMT can target specific areas of pain and identify the root cause of your discomfort to treat the root source.
Common pain you may see an RMT for include:
- Arthritis
- Neck and back pain
- Wrist pain (carpal tunnel syndrome)
- Chronic tension and stress
- Circulatory conditions
- Headache or migraine pain
- Muscle sprains, strains, and spasms
- Posture pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Fibromyalgia pain
- Frozen shoulder or shoulder pain
An RMT uses massage to help you get pain relief. Massage improves your circulation to reduce inflammation (a common source of pain) and releases endorphins to help you better manage your pain while your body heals.
2. Stress reduction
An RMT can help reduce stress and your body’s negative response. RMT massages can be relaxing, giving you a break from the outside world, if even for an hour. Through massage, your RMT reduces your cortisol levels (stress) and increases serotonin and dopamine to help boost your mood.
Newbies of massage often think RMT massages have to be deep tissue, but that’s not true. If you prefer a gentle massage, you can still get incredible benefits of getting a massage, one of which is helping to relax your mind so it feels less stressed.
3. Improved circulation
Improved circulation is one of the huge benefits of getting a massage from a professional RMT massage. An RMT uses the friction between their fingers/hands and your muscles to help move blood and other fluids (such as lymphatic) through your body. Good circulation means your body is better able to get oxygen-rich blood to injuries to enable faster healing and flush out wastes and toxins more effectively, improving your overall health and wellness.
4. Enhanced flexibility and mobility
Whether you’re an athlete or have general decreased flexibility or joint mobility, RMTs can help you find relief. Through gentle or deep massage, your RMT can soften and lengthen your ligaments and clear any inflammation hindering your full range of motion. With increased flexibility, you can perform physical activities (like sports) or daily tasks with greater ease and less pain.
5. Boosted immune system
Could your immune system use a boost? Eating healthy is a great way to increase your immunity, but so can a good RMT massage. Here are several ways massage can boost your immune system:
- Ensure a properly functioning lymphatic system (to support the flow of healthy nutrients throughout your body and effectively flush out toxins and waste)
- Increase blood flow (to ensure healthy white blood cells in your immune system can travel uninhibited throughout your body.
- Increase lymphocytes (to better fight against infection and harmful substances in your body).
- Calm your mind (those with stress or mental overload often get sick more often)
- Can decrease pain (so your body can better fight off an illness)
6. Better sleep
Do you struggle to sleep or stay asleep at night and don’t want to rely on supplements (like melatonin) or other sleep medications? An RMT massage can help you get a better, more restful sleep.
Whether you can’t stress because your mind doesn’t shut off or because you have insomnia or another sleep disorder, getting regular massages can help you rest. Massages can be quite relaxing, and some even take a short nap during their massage.
Sleeping better often results from a combination of lifestyle changes, including massages, drinking plenty of water, eating healthy, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol. Adding meditation or other calming activities (like reading a book or going for a gentle walk) can also help you sleep better at night.
7. Reduced anxiety and depression
It’s important to preface that an RMT massage won’t cure your anxiety or depression but can be a helpful step in helping you better manage your emotional health and wellness.
An RMT massage can be helpful to those suffering from anxiety or depression and their side effects (back pain, joint pain, muscle aches, headaches, and tiredness). The calming nature of an RMT massage is a great way to calm your mind and help you better deal with anxiety and depression triggers and side effects. The endorphins massage releases help contribute to better emotional health.
8. Improved posture
Poor posture can contribute to pain throughout your body (including neck, back, and hips). Correcting your posture and strengthening your core can help you sit taller and avoid the painful side effects of a slouchy posture.
Your RMT can massage your muscles to help realign your body and posture naturally. They can also provide tips to help you focus on your posture and avoid falling back into bad habits. This may include taking regular breaks from your desk work and doing stretches at your desk to keep your body from getting stiff, contributing to your poor posture.
Where to find a RMT in Vancouver
Finding a regular RMT in Vancouver can be difficult because massages have become more popular in recent years. But, the RMTs and body workers at Oceana Massage have openings right now!
Our award-winning registered massage therapists deliver remedial treatment so clients can better manage their pace of life. We can help you heal faster from injury, improve your emotional health, and support your wellness goals.
Meet our RMT team and book your next RMT Massage at Oceana today.