Ataraxy Health and Vitality
Massage Therapy | Medical Foot Care
Massage Therapy
Empowering You to Live a Healthy, Active, Vibrant Lifestyle
Massage Therapy in a Nutshell
Everything You Need to Know
Massage Therapy offers a holistic approach to health and wellness.
It can help alleviate chronic pain, enhance recovery, improve circulation, and increase flexibility and range of motion. Along with treating specific conditions.
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage Therapy is a form of manual therapy that involves manipulating tissues of the body, such as muscles, joints, bones, and ligaments.
Our Massage Therapist
Chelsea Murray RMT/Owner
Hi, my name is Chelsea. I graduated from the Massage Therapy Program at Okanagan College of Massage Therapy. My style of treatment involves the use of a variety of assessment tools to find the root cause of the dysfunction. I then use that knowledge to develop a course of treatment that is always patient centered.
I use a variety of techniques including sports massage, deep tissue massage, myofascial release, therapeutic exercises, and self-care exercises to treat my patients. Self-care and therapeutic exercises are a very important part of my treatments as it increases the longevity of the results in the treatment room and can increase the length between appointments.
In my spare time you will see me at the gym, eating a lot of healthy food, and taking adventures around B.C. with my dogs. Book with Chelsea HERE.
Our Student Massage Therapist
Mattea Grey
Hi, I’m Mattea! I graduated from the Okanagan Valley College of Massage Therapy (OVCMT) this summer, and I’ll be a fully registered Massage Therapist at the beginning of November. I’m passionate about helping people move and feel their best, and I believe therapeutic exercise is a powerful tool alongside hands-on treatment.
I’m also certified in Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), which can help break down scar tissue, improve mobility, and reduce pain. My goal is to create a treatment plan that’s tailored to you—so you leave each session feeling better, more informed, and confident in your body’s ability to heal. Book with Mattea HERE.
*Student massage is NON-BILLABLE to insurance and therefore discounted*
The Benefits of Massage Therapy
Massage therapy offers a wide range of benefits for both physical and mental well-being. Here are some of the key benefits:
Pain Relief: Massage therapy can effectively alleviate acute and chronic back, neck, knee pain, and other body pains. It targets areas of dysfunction in the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Massage techniques help release muscle tension and improve blood flow. It can stimulate the body’s natural pain-relieving mechanisms with the release of natural pain-relieving hormones like serotonin and dopamine.
Improved Circulation: Massage therapy promotes better blood circulation by increasing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the body. This promotes faster healing, reduces swelling and inflammation, and promotes overall cardiovascular health.
Enhanced Flexibility and Range of Motion: Regular massage therapy can help loosen tight muscles, improve flexibility, and increase range of motion in joints.
Headaches and Migraines: Massage therapy can have a positive impact in reducing headaches and migraines.
Improved Posture: Massage therapy can help correct postural imbalances by releasing tight muscles and reducing muscle tension. This helps to alleviate strain on the spine and other joints.
Improved sleep: Studies show massage can help improve sleep quality.
Improved lymphatic drainage: Massage can help stimulate the lymphatic system.
Benefits for Specific Conditions: Massage therapy has been shown to provide relief for conditions like arthritis, scoliosis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ dysfunction, and more.
Regular Massage Therapy sessions can be part of a proactive approach to maintaining health and preventing injury. Massage therapy is a proven treatment that offers a holistic approach to health and wellness that addresses both physical and emotional needs.
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Who Can Benefit from Massage Therapy?
Massage Therapy can benefit a wide range of people, regardless of age or physical condition. Here are some examples:
Everyone Can Benefit From Massage Therapy: We live in a fast-paced stress-filled world. We can all benefit from massage therapy as a means of relaxation, stress reduction, improving well-being and self-care.
Athletes: Massage therapy can help athletes improve performance, enhance recovery, and prevent injuries by promoting healing, reducing muscle tension and soreness, increasing flexibility, and improving circulation. Sports massage is especially tailored to meet the specific needs of athletes.
People Recovering from Injury: Massage Therapy can aid in the recovery process by promoting healing of soft tissue injuries, reducing pain, and improving circulation.
Office Workers: People who spend hours sitting at a desk or working on a computer regularly experience muscle pain, tension, stiffness, and postural imbalances. Massage therapy can help alleviate these issues by releasing tight muscles, improving posture, and reducing stress.
Prenatal/Postnatal Massage: Prenatal massage can provide relief from common discomforts of pregnancy such as back pain, hip pain, leg and foot pain, swelling, and sciatic nerve pain. It can also help reduce stress and promote relaxation for both the mother and baby. Massage Therapy can also help in postpartum recovery and can help alleviate depression.
Elderly Individuals: Massage therapy can be beneficial for older adults by improving muscle function, increasing circulation, reducing joint stiffness, alleviating arthritis pain, and promoting relaxation.
People with Mental Health Conditions: Massage therapy can have positive effects on mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. It has been shown to help lower stress levels and improve mood by promoting relaxation, reducing stress hormones, and increasing the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Cancer Patients: Massage therapy can complement traditional cancer treatments by reducing pain, anxiety, and fatigue, improving sleep quality, and enhancing overall quality of life.
Comprehensive Care for Complex People
Holistic Approach
Integrated Therapy
Personalized Treatment
Types of Massage Therapy – Modalities
Here are some of the most common:
There are numerous types of massage therapy, each with its own techniques, benefits, and targeted outcomes. Our Massage Therapist will apply techniques, or a combination of techniques, that are appropriate for your needs.
Deep Tissue Massage: Deep tissue massage focuses on targeting deep layers of muscle and connective tissue to release knots, chronic tension, and adhesions. It involves firm pressure and slower strokes to address specific areas of pain or discomfort.
Sports Massage: Sports massage is designed to help athletes enhance recovery, increase flexibility, reduce muscle soreness, improve performance, and prevent injuries.
Prenatal/Postnatal Massage: Prenatal massage focuses on the unique needs of pregnant women. It is helpful in relieving the many discomforts of pregnancy like lower back pain, sciatica, foot pain and swelling. Postnatal massage focuses on the unique needs of postpartum recovery. It can help women recover from the challenges often faced from childbirth.
Trigger Point Therapy: This technique involves applying pressure to specific points of knots in muscle, or “trigger points” to release tension and tightness, reduce pain, and restore muscle function.
Myofascial Release: Myofascial release focuses on releasing restrictions in the fascia, which is the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, and organs. It involves gentle stretching and sustained pressure to alleviate pain and improve mobility.
Lymphatic Drainage Massage: Lymphatic drainage massage is designed to stimulate the lymphatic system, which helps removes excess fluid from the body. This gentle, rhythmic technique can help reduce swelling, and promote healing.
Craniosacral Therapy: Craniosacral therapy focuses on releasing tension and restrictions in the craniosacral system, which includes the skull, spine, and sacrum. By restoring balance to this system, craniosacral therapists aim to alleviate pain, improve mobility, and enhance overall well-being.
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Massage Therapy
How Often Should I Receive A Treatment?
How often you receive a massage therapy session depends largely on your personal needs and goals. Here are some thoughts to consider:
As Needed: You may benefit from occasional massage therapy sessions to address specific issues, or to alleviate acute symptoms like muscle tension, pain, or stress as they arise.
Consultation with a Professional: Ultimately, the frequency of massage therapy sessions should be tailored to your needs and circumstances. Your massage therapist can help you evaluate your needs and develop a personalized treatment plan with an optimal massage therapy schedule for your specific needs and treatment objectives.
Listening to Your Body: Above all, listen to your body. It knows what you need. Pay attention to how your body responds to massage therapy and adjust the frequency of sessions accordingly.
In most cases we should probably go to massage therapy more often—weekly to monthly. No one will ever suffer from too much massage therapy. Typically, we don’t take good enough care of ourselves. Talk to your massage therapist about your needs and goals, and they will provide you with recommendations with a Personalized Treatment Plan.
Do You Have a Question?
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You Don’t Need to Live With Pain
Pain, injury, accidents, and surgery are an unfortunate part of life. You don’t have to suffer alone.
The team at Ataraxy Health & Vitality want to empower you to live a healthy, active, and vibrant life.
This includes reducing or eliminating pain and injury’s that you may be experiencing.
If you are not sure what treatment option is right for you, then we can explore your treatment options with you.
Start your journey to health & vitality today!
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