Megan Congdon-McLaughlin RMT

04/06/2023

This infographic outlines the benefits of massage therapy for conditions impacting the head and neck. This includes the benefits of massage therapy to relieve headaches and concussion symptoms as well as help people with temporomandibular disorders or neck pain find relief.

Log in and access the RMTAO resource library to view references supporting this infographic and to search for other infographics.

Access the resource library: https://rmtao.com/resources/library

04/05/2023

I’d also like to add that as your therapist, we can’t decide on what YOU want for YOUR treatment. We can give you our professional opinion, but when it comes down to the areas that you wanted to have treated, that’s totally up to you!

How long does your appointment need to be?
It all depends what your goals for the treatment are.

If you have one area that needs to be worked on this most likely can be done in a 30 minute appointment. However a new injury or ongoing pain might need some assessment and might take longer.

If that one area you need worked is a little more complicated or needs work adjacent to it, 45 minutes to an hour is a great option.

60 minutes is probably our most popular choice for appointment lengths. We can get a good amount of the body treated (2-4 areas ish) in this time with any assessment that has to be done.

75 and 90 minute appointments are great when you need a lot of work on multiple areas, or just want a full body treatment to help you relax.

03/30/2023

"Contrary to what many people believe, only rarely does back pain strike while someone is lifting something heavy or performing an intensive activity. "In cases of new-onset disc herniation or sciatica, only 5% of people were doing anything considered heavy physical exertion, like lifting an air conditioner," says Dr. Rainville. Those things are rare. Most people are doing simple tasks, such as leaning over to spit in the sink when brushing their teeth. "I commonly hear things like, 'I was just reaching for a pencil,' or 'I sneezed,'" he says."

Back pain is a common problem that is usually best treated with exercise and movement, not rest....

12/08/2022

Massage therapy for palliative care patients can be very beneficial❤️

This infographic outlines the benefits of massage therapy for people in palliative care. This includes helping people in palliative care reduce their pain, decrease their fatigue and anxiety and improve their quality of life at the end of their lives.

This infographic is also available in the RMTAO Resource Library: https://rmtao.com/resources/library

References for this infographic are also available in the Resource Library.

11/21/2022

Movement can help with making sure your sacroiliac joint (SI joint) causes you less pain!

Ligaments are the main tissues that support and stabilize the sacroiliac joint. Muscles surrounding the joint influence its stability and motion. A rich and complex network of blood vessels and nerves supply the SI joint.

11/21/2022

Pain in your neck? Did you know there are 4 type of neck pain

Axial pain mostly mechanical pain usually cause by posture

Radicular pain which involves nerves and the pain will radiate

Referred pain usually characterized by deep, achy, cramping, throbbing pain

Myelopathic pain usually happens with compression of the spinal cord, pain is at the site of compression but also can happen below

Neck pain can vary by how it feels, how long it lasts, and whether it can move into other body regions. Learn about the different types of neck pain and what may cause them.

11/21/2022

Massage therapy is apart of healthcare!

Some massage therapy clinics in Ottawa call 2022 their busiest year ever, and they attribute the growing client base to more people seeking physical and mental relief following pandemic lifestyle changes.

11/15/2022

Back pain?! Try these stretches!

Stretching the soft tissues in the back, neck, and hips can help relieve back pain. See more back and neck pain stretches from Spine-health on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3vw6oWf

10/25/2022

Massage therapy awareness week! Have you see an RMT recently?!

This week, from October 23-29, help celebrate the diverse ways that massage therapy can help people get back to doing what they love!

Share your story about the positive impact that massage therapy has had on your life using the hashtags and to help spread the word about the important role RMTs play in healthcare.

10/25/2022

Massage can help professional athletes or the weekend athletes!

Whether you’re a professional athlete just like to enjoy your favourite sport on weekends, or everything in between, sports can lead to musculoskeletal pain or injury that can take you out of the game you love. Massage therapy can help treat sports-related pain and injury and get you back in the game.

This week, share how your RMT got you back to enjoying your favourite sport.

10/19/2022

Know you spine!

While spinal anatomy is designed to be incredibly strong and highly flexible, it is often a source of back pain. Here's what you should know about spinal anatomy and common causes of back pain: https://bit.ly/37rTIlE

10/17/2022

https://www.massagetherapycanada.com/concussion-is-more-than-sports-injuries-whos-at-risk-and-how-canadian-researchers-are-seeking-better-diagnostics-and-treatments/

"People with concussion used to be told to rest in a dark room until their symptoms stopped. However, we now know resting more than one or two days can slow recovery.

Instead, early reintroduction of activity, and even low-intensity exercise, can promote recovery and reduce persistent symptoms."

Concussions are becoming more common again as people return to regular activities following COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, when concussion rates

10/15/2022

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-research-continues-to-reinforce-effectiveness-of-massage-therapy-for-relief-of-chronic-pain-301542897.html

"A recently published study from the Cleveland Clinic shows that multidisciplinary, non-pharmacological integrative therapies, including massage therapy, can improve physical, mental and social health for patients with chronic, non-cancer related pain without increased use of opioid medications."

/PRNewswire/ -- Decades of research have demonstrated the efficacy of massage therapy for relief of chronic pain and show its value in reducing the need for...

06/16/2022

Did you know that 8 million Canadians suffer with some form of chronic pain. That's 1 in 5 people living in Canada! Chronic pain is defined when "the pain last longer than 3 months". The Government of Canada in 2019 came up with the Canadian Pain Task Force. The purpose of the task force was to "provide advice and information to guide Health Canada toward an improved approach to the prevention and management of chronic pain in Canada."

More can be read here to understand the impact that chronic pain has on the individual and society
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/about-health-canada/public-engagement/external-advisory-bodies/canadian-pain-task-force/report-2021.html

An action plan for pain in Canada

06/15/2022

Have some lower back pain? Keep moving!

If the pandemic made your back feel more sore than usual, moving more everyday may be important to help improve it.