At Banff Physical Therapy & Massage we offer deep tissue and therapeutic massage, sports massage, relaxation massage, lymphatic drainage, pre-natal massage, TMJ massage and cupping. Our therapists know about injury and can consult with the rest of the team regarding treatment to fast track your recovery.
Massage therapy is the manual mobilization of soft tissue (muscles and tendons) to decrease pain, muscle soreness, muscle spasm and to improve general mobility. It increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscle tissue, improving excretion of waste from the muscle tissue. Massage has a significant effect on the natural healing process of the body and maintaining tissue health.
Conditions that can benefit from massage include: Whiplash, headaches, sport injuries, work related injuries, overuse/repetitive strain, neck and back pain, swelling, TMJ pain, arthritic pain, post fracture, post surgery, respiratory conditions and stress/anxiety.
All of our massage therapists are registered in Alberta. This means they have completed a minimum of 2-year/2,200 hour Massage Therapy program.
Whether you have an injury or need to care for your body suffering from overuse at work or from your sport, therapeutic massage will help you.This type of massage will assist the healing specific to your injury/trauma, pathology or muscular dysfunction. We will customize a treatment for you, adjusting pressure to your needs and working each muscle group, according to your pathology. In this case, our massage therapists are frequently working in team with our physiotherapists.
This type of massage enhances athletic performance and decreases recovery time from soft tissue injury. This treatment is used for prevention of injury and maintenance of the muscle tissue between events or during off-season training. It aides in tissue nutrition, flushing toxins, stimulating the nervous system and more. Weather you are a recreational or a high level athlete, you will benefit from a sport massage.
Lymphatic drainage is a gentle, rhythmical massage treatment performed to stimulate the circulation of lymph fluid around the body. This helps to rapidly speed up the removal of wastes and toxins from a sluggish lymphatic system. Our therapists also use lymphatic drainage with our patients to reduce swelling after an injury and during pregnancy.
This type of massage is for expectant moms. We have a belly pillow to allow the expectant mother to lie down prone during the massage. This provides support and avoids pressure on the baby. Belly cushions can be used in the first two trimesters, or until comfort allows. Once the belly pillow becomes less comfortable, our massage therapists use a side-lying position. Prenatal massage will help reduce excess swelling in your legs and feet, alleviates stress, reduces muscular discomforts, lower-back pain, upper-back pain, headaches, leg cramps, sciatica, stiffness, tension and knots, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, edema of the lower extremities, neck pain, inter scapular pain, sacroiliac, hip joint pain and more.
Cupping is an ancient form of alternative medicine (mentioned in the oldest medical book in the world, 1550 B.C.) in which a therapist puts cups on the skin to create suction. Our therapists use silicone or glass cups.
Benefits of cupping therapy: The suction and negative pressure provided by cupping loosens the myofascial system, encourages blood flow, and depress the nervous system. Cupping is used to relieve back and neck pains, stiff muscles, anxiety, fatigue and migraines.
The temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) is your jaw joint. TMJ injuries and pain can have many different origins including direct injury to the teeth or jaw, misalignment of the teeth or jaw, teeth grinding, poor posture, stress, arthritis, and overuse. This can present itself with different signs and symptoms; pain in the joint and local musculature, clicking and popping in the jaw, ear pain and popping sounds in ears, headaches, stiff or sore jaw muscles, pain with chewing, and neck pain.
TMJ massage is one of the best treatments for all jaw pathologies. Our therapists will work on the outside jaw muscles as well as the inside jaw muscles wearing gloves. This treatment is effective, non-invasive and a good first option before trying oral appliances and surgeries. With TMJ conditions, the therapists often work in team with our physiotherapists.