Our fabulous RMT Gabrielle De Winter joined us in January of this year. An instructor at the West Coast College of Massage Therapy, she has pursued further training in jaw pain, also known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction. In this short question and answer blog, Gabrielle answers the questions she most frequently gets as an RMT.
Gabrielle’s Most Frequently Asked Questions
Do you get free massages?
Only from my husband! Most RMTs are independent contractors that don’t have built in extended medical benefits through their union (in fact we don’t have a union) or through their workplace. Some RMTs will work out exchanges with other RMTs they know. Mostly, we will need to book in with a practitioner to get a massage, just like everyone else.
Do your hands get sore?
Sometimes! But if you’re in an appointment with me as your therapist, I’m more concerned about how your body is feeling and not thinking of my own.
Can massage help migraines and headaches?
Yes! Tension headaches are typically muscular in origin and respond well to massage. I have a particular interest in treating tension headaches with massage. I did a study in school where we found tension-like headaches can be reduced significantly with massage.
Migraine headaches are a little trickier - sometimes massage can help calm down the nervous system. Migraines are usually multi-faceted and if you haven’t tried massage, it may be worth a go.
If you come in for massage related to headaches, I’ll ask you a lot of questions around your activities, if you’ve seen your dentist or optometrist lately, if you have balance issues… From there, we will figure out the best course of action with massage therapy.
Is massage painful?
It doesn’t have to be! I want to work within your comfort level and what’s safe and effective.
What if I fall asleep and snore?
If I notice that you’re falling asleep, I’ll ask if you’re okay with me working on you while you’re asleep. If that’s fine, great! If not, I’ll make sure you stay awake while I’m working on you.
But this happens all the time! We are engaging with the autonomic system and if the goal is relaxation, people definitely sometimes fall asleep.
Is it okay to ask for more or less pressure?
Absolutely! We will discuss this on our first visit - what kind of pressure you’re comfortable with. While we are in the treatment, if you decide the pressure level needs to change, we can adjust as we go.
Are my muscles tight?
Muscles can be “tight” but we can use better words to help us better describe what is happening. What feels “tight” is often a muscle which has been shortened, lengthened, or aggravated.
What most patients think of as “tight” is a shortened muscle. Muscles cross joint(s) that they act on which as a result can limit their range of motion if they are shorter than usual. In order for me to see if a muscle is short, I would perform a muscle length test, which involves bringing the insertions points of a muscle away from each other so I can see if a shortened muscle is decreasing a joint(s) range or movement.
Muscles could also be felt as “tight” if they are in a lengthened position. Much like a rubber band stretched out. This happens often to desk workers who sit for long periods of times with their shoulders rotated forward. In order for their shoulders to be forward, the muscles that bring the shoulders back will lengthen to allow that opposite position of the shoulder blades to happen. Some of the muscles between the shoulder blades, namely the rhomboids and the middle fibres of trapezius in this desk worker scenario tend to become lengthened and weak overtime.
Muscles can be aggravated or carry extra tone for a number of reasons. Common reasons are injury, overuse or poor posture. When a muscle gets aggravated, it may react by feeling tight, stiff, or sore. A few ways to avoid having constantly aggravated muscles include regular stretching, strength training, and of course a massage with your favourite RMT.
Are you looking for a massage? You can book with Gabrielle online, by emailing us or giving us a call at (778) 630-8800.