The whiplash occurs when the victim’s body (head/neck) continues to be in motion when the rest of it has come to an abrupt stop.

In the simplist of whiplashes: rear impact MVAs, the torso is pushed back into the seat as the vehicle lurches forward. The torso itself is prevented from moving in a posterior direction by the seat whereas the head continues to be whipped backwards if the headrest is no properly positioned. As the vehicle come to a rest, the head is then whipped forward like an elastic band pulled to long. This combined motion can cause injury to both the anterior and posterior muscles of the neck.

However, most whiplashes are not as simple as a rear-impact. In most cases whiplashes occur on non-direct angles. This causes the head/neck and even the torso to be whipped in several directions, affecting many muscles at different angles.

The symptom picture of a typical whiplash involves one or many of the following signs: swelling (edema), pain, muscle guarding, muscles spasms, tenderness, stiffness, joint discomfort, limited range of motion, and neuropathies.

Massage Therapy should be considered from the very beginning post-accident. Muscles will often go into a muscle guarding stage to prevent the body from further injury. This muscle guarding increases the degree of pain and suffering a patient will experience following a whiplash. It often helps to have the muscles lightly massaged to release some of the muscle guarding.

Decreasing the muscle spasm, and adhesions/scar tissue from the injured soft tissues is the next priority for those suffering whiplash injuries. Manually stretching and kneading the muscles and joints will improve range of motion and decrease the level of preceived pain. It is important to follow through with manual soft tissue work (massage) throughout the healing/recovery process for a speedier recovery.

Trigger-points from hypertonic muscles (muscles with more tone) needs to be eliminated. These points of pain in muscles will often cause both primary and secondary forms of pain for patients. This pain can take forms of direct pain like muscle spasms, or indirect pain such as headaches and dizziness.

Remedial exercises (home care) is an important aspect for recovery/healing.

Though Massage Therapy is important in cases of whiplash, it should not be considered as the only modality to be used for accidents. It should be received in conjunction with other therapies for full effectiveness. Physiotherapy and Chiropractic care, along with Massage Therapy, and when used in a team approach, can decrease the time in which an injury heals.

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What we do know from Multiple Sclerosis (MS) suffers is that there is a demyelination of the body’s nerves. This myelin, or blanket tissue that wraps around nerves, is what is responsible for insulating the transmission of nerve signals. The loss of this myelin due to inflammation and scar tissue buildup will often result in decreased nerve transmission/communication. This can lead to, but not limited to, the following combination of symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Muscle Weakness
• Spasmatic Musles
• Tremors
• Decreased or altered Proprioception
• Altered Posture due to any of the above symptoms
• Compensatory changes in unaffected muscles
• Altered body movements as an altered gait (walk)
• Mood Swings
• Paresthesia (altered sensory feeling)
• Vertigo
• Slurred Speech
• Altered Vision
• Bladder and/or Bowel Dysfunction

How can Massage Therapy Help? It can help with providing support to the relievement of symptoms of MS. The main Massage Therapy treatment goals for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) are:

1. Decrease and avoid the involuntary spasticity of affected muscles
2. Maintain proper body posture and alignment
3. Maintain proper joint health
4. Maintain range of motion of the body limbs and joints
5. Maintain and improve tissue health
6. Decrease fatigue by decreasing emotional stress levels

The purpose of Massage Therapy is not to be a cure to multiple sclerosis (MS) but to help with the coping of the disease, and to maintain the health of the soft tissues of the body. Treatment is recommended with at least one-hour treatments on a weekly basis. This would be beneficial as it can help maintain the sense of well-being, and help maintain the health of the body.

I highly recommend that if you, or anyone you may know, has multiple sclerosis, to seek out a Registered Massage Therapist and start a treatment plan.

Gary Chung, RMT
PhysioMED Don Mills

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Technically, as a client/patient, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, however, anything that we prescribe to you is highly recommended for your health.

It is our belief that your health-care doesn’t end when our hands are no longer in contact with your body. Your prescribed home-care is there to complement your continuing care. Massage Therapy is given to release the tension and tightness in many muscles and joints – and overall your body has a systemic benefit to massage. To keep these benefits we encourage the use of stretching or muscle strengthening. By not following recommended remedial exercises, often the body, overtime, will revert back to the pre-treatment state. Performing the exercises will help keep the pain and complaint away.

Self-care such as icing and heating is extremely important if prescribed by your therapist. Sometimes with the act of massage therapy, the soft tissues of the body are mildly traumatized. To prevent any post-pain or unease as the result of your massage, please follow your self-care.

We always want to work with you. So if you have any questions, feel free to direct your queries to your health practitioner.

Gary Chung, RMT

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Ankylosing Spondylitis, or AS for short, affects mainly the joints between vertebrae (vertebral column) causing bouts of inflammatory attacks that may lead to eventual fusion of all the vertebral bones. AS may also attack joints of the limbs such as the fingers.

There is no direct cause for AS but at present it is believed there may be a genetic link. Males are more likely to have more severe signs and symptoms. AS usually shows it’s earliest signs in early adulthood and progress into mid-life.

The disease usually initiates in the lower back/hip joints and continues up to the bones of the neck. Continuing attacks of inflammation results in fibrosing of ligaments and the erosion of bones. This leads to the body laying down new bone tissue to replace damaged and traumatized tissue, ultimately causing a fusion of the joint. This may or may not eventually result in a flexed (slouching) posture as the bones fuse into a forward facing curvature. Overtime breathing may become more difficult as the rib cage is more restrictive to movement, and muscles of the back may become wasted from the lack of use.

How Can Massage Therapy Help?

Massage Therapy can be incorporated into a maintenance program for dealing with AS. The main goals of any massage therapy treatment is the same for treating AS. Decreasing/preventing/managing the associated pain by compensating muscles and the lack of joint movement is the primary goal. Increasing or maintaining active and passive range of motion (ROM) is a secondary goal.

Massage is particularly done on the muscles that line the vertebral column as bones become fused. Muscles in the buttocks and hips also get a lot of attention as the muscles at the sacrum (hip/tailbone) are the first to be affected. Surrounding muscles (thighs) are also treated as these structures adjust to changes in posture and gait.

In combination with physiotherapy, massage therapy is extremely effective in controlling the effects of AS. Home exercises such as back extensions, pelvic tilts, and shoulder pull-backs may slow the digression of AS. Swimming is also a great physical activity.

Please speak to one of our great health care practitioners if you have any questions.

Gary Chung, RMT
PhysioMED Don Mills

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What’s a massage therapist?
My aestician does massage, why are you different?
My friend took a few weekend courses, they’re working as at a salon doing massages too, how come you’re different?
Do I really have to fill out all this intake paperwork? All I want is a massage.
Can I get on the massage bed already, why are you wasting my time with testing and home-care exercises and self-care?

Firstly, a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) is a fully educated and trained health care practitioner. RMTs are members of your complementary health-care network that includes other professionals such as Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, and Dental Hygienists. We, like our colleagues, are bound to the Regulated Health Professions Act which states that we are part of a health-care regime that can not only improve your health, but, if done incorrectly, can cause physical harm. As such, we are regulated under the Government and are properly trained, licensed, and hold liability for your care.

Masseuses or Masseurs (it is illegal for body-workers to use the term massage therapist or registered massage therapist) are not bound to any Government or governing body. Though they may be licensed by cities and/or by-laws, the service to which they provide is not under the same scrutiny and/or oversight that RMTs are. As such, the health of your body is not protected from any harm and liability. Any injury that you receive from such services is a customer-beware situation.

A leading difference of a RMT is the level of education we receive. Like our health-care colleagues, we receive extensive education and training to practise. RMTs can have anywhere between 2-3 years of education, learning the basics of massage theory to the more advanced subjects of human anatomy, physiology, neurology, and pathology (study of human illness/disease). Furthermore, RMTs require a minimum of 2200 hours of hands-on training that is overseen by practising RMTs. However, by graduation, most potential RMTs will have practised over 2500 hours.

RMTs are trained in a variety of settings with a variety of conditions; Infant care/massage, Pre-/Post-Partum, Sports Rehab, General and Catastrophic Injury, Palliative, Disease. RMTs are also set apart by the knowledge of the pathologies (diseases) and how to treat without further injury. A good amount of education deals with what can and cannot be done with a client/patient if a condition is present. Can a joint be mobilized in a certain direction, can heat be applied without causing tissue damage, will a certain technique cause bruising or pain? These are all questions that enter a RMTs head with every treatment.

Body Workers (Masseuses and Masseurs) tend to only have a few weekend courses or learn massage in a spa setting from untrained individuals. They unlikely have any knowledge of disease, illness, and injury except maybe the common knowledge that the average person has. There are no minimum number of hours of hand-on training.

Why is there so much paperwork? Simply put, you are putting your health-care into the hands of health-care professional. RMTs ask you to fill out these sometimes long intake forms because we want to fully understand your overall health status. This will make our care more thorough and helps prevent any possible adverse negative reactions. Medications, present diseases, and past injuries can all effect care.

Body Workers don’t ask these questions. With every service done by them, there is a potential that bit of health history that wasn’t asked will harm you.

What’s up with the consultations and testing? We RMTs not only want to be sure that you are having a positive treatment while on the massage table, but we want to ensure that you are receiving top-quality health care from beginning to end. We want to ensure that the benefits don’t just occur in the clinic but carry-on to your daily life.

We encourage you to seek a Registered Massage Therapist the next time you consider your health. At PhysioMed: Don Mills, we’re more than happy to work with you to give you the utmost care.

Gary Chung, RMT
PhysioMed Don Mills
204 – 6 Maginn Mews (Shops at Don Mills)
North York, ON
(416) 445-2075

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The Benefits of Baby Massage

• Bonding – massage helps build a bond between parent and child, and provides a sense of security in the relationship.
• Muscles and Joints – baby massage leads to improved muscle tissue development, leading to healthier joints, muscles, and greater co-ordination of muscular movement.
• Emotional – a baby who receives massage will have a more confident, and well-balanced childhood as they would have recieved the bonding and security, and will likely experience fewer emotional and psychological difficulties with separation.
• Digestive – a massaged abdomen will lessen colic, constipation and diarrhea.
• Nervous System – as with adults, massage calms the mind and body, this will lead to decreased irritability and tantrums. Massage before bedtime will also lead to a more peaceful rest for baby, which in turns leads to a better restful sleep for parents.
• Skin – improved circulation of the skin and underlying tissues will improve both the texture and condition of the skin.
• Immune System – massaged babies have improved immune function.

Ideas For Baby Massage

• Setup a regular routine and schedule for massage such as after bath-time but before bed-time.
• Choose an appropriate time when your baby is not highly active such as quiet time.
• Do not rush the massage, it should be a calming enjoyable experience for both baby and parent.
• Avoid massage just before or after meals as the digestive system will be active.
• Make the environment safe, do the massage on the floor or in the center of a bed.
• Make the environment comfortable, have the room temperature set to be comfortable for the baby to be naked (have a towel for body parts that are exposed), and make sure the room lighting is comfortable.
• Only use a lubricant that is safe to ingest as babies like to touch and taste. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is highly recommended as it’s safe and healthy, however, vegetable and corn oil is just as suitable.

For more information, or instruction on how to perform massage to your smallest treasure, contact our registered massage therapists at Physiomed Don Mills.

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The direct cause of torticollis is unknown but it has been linked with direct trauma to the neck muscles such as whiplash. Other causes can include viral infections to the nervous system, hyperthyroidism, medications, and tumors.

Secondary spasms can occur within the surrounding musculature including the eyes, jaw, shoulder, and face.

Registered Massage Therapy can assist with the symptoms of torticollis by directly engaging the spasmatic muscles involved. Through various techniques the massage therapist can relax and stretch the affected muscles so that they are in the more ideal position. The key is to trick the muscle into relaxing by imposing alternating light pressure stroking and bowing of the muscle.

The benefits of massage therapy is not only the temporary restoration of a more balanced posture but more importantly the decrease level in pain.

Additional care that assist with this condition include acupuncture, physiotherapy, and chiropractic care, which are all available at PhysioMED – Don Mills.

For whatever treatment you may be considering, give us a call and we can create a treatment plan and treatment goals suited to you.

Gary Chung, RMT

PHYSIOMED: Don Mills

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Women will undergo a variety of side effects, some more pleasant then others. Most women can expect to experience some stiffness and muscle tension as the uterus expands to accommodate the growing baby. Massage therapy can relieve common side effects of pregnancy whether it is back aches, headaches, edema, sciatic pain or other pregnancy related problems.

Massage can help relieve edema or swelling by helping to stimulate circulation throughout the body. Massaging the legs can also help reduce leg cramps and is beneficial for relaxation which decreases anxiety during pregnancy. Pregnancy massage is highly recommended because it addresses the common discomforts associated with the skeletal and circulatory changes brought on by hormone shifts during pregnancy.

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The decision of whether to use a light, moderate, or deep pressure is based on a number of factors. The primary factor in deciding the type of pressure is chiefly the feel and response of the client’s soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments). The client’s response to their pain tolerance also plays a large role into whether a lighter or deeper pressure should or should not be used. Lastly, if there are no contraindications or precautions to the client, the massage therapist will consider the client’s request for lighter or deeper pressure.

Lighter pressure massage therapy that involves a lot of surface skin stroking and light engagement of the surface muscles is typically used for relaxation or if a contraindication (such as inflammation/swelling) is present that can cause further injury. Because the client wishes to decrease their stress levels and wants the best physiological solution to pain, this massage is sometimes better than a deep massage that can cause pain and stress.

Deeper pressure massages are typically used to engage the deepest layers of muscle or to engage highly restrictive muscle fibres such as tight or tense muscles. Though this type of pressure can be extremely relaxing and enjoyable to some, it can also cause periods of unease as trigger points and restrictive adhesions are activated and engaged.

Moderate pressure massages use just enough pressure to engage the soft tissues to allow release. A combination of lighter and deeper techniques (just below pain tolerance) often works best for the majority of clients. This method of massage is favored by most clients as it has relaxing elements but also provides the therapy that is required.

Never be afraid to ask your massage therapist what may or may not be most suitable to you and your current situation. Be aware that your preference to pressure will never be the same as a friend’s or colleagues’. Your idea of deep pressure won’t be the same as another. Also, not every body part will have the same sensory feeling, so light pressure in one area may feel like deep pressure in another area. Finally, just like clients, one therapist’s touch differs significantly from another therapists’, and one’s idea of deep pressure may vary greatly from another.

Speak to your therapist and never be afraid to discuss what’s best for you.

Gary Chung, RMT

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Pain, swelling, tenderness, and the difficulty in walking are all symptoms of having planter fasciitis. It happens to be the most common cause of foot pain in athletes. The common cause is overuse due to running on hard surfaces or prolonged standing, poor technique, over-training, and any activity that requires excessive use of the calf muscles such as dancing and jumping.

Pre-disposing factors may include excessive weight-gain, pregnancy, improper footwear, overused tight calf muscles, and poor foot bio-mechanics.

Medical intervention for plantar-fasciitis may include corticosteroid injections and even surgery. However, this should be considered only after all other treatments have been exhausted.

For direct hands-on treatment, Massage Therapy is an option that you may want to consider. In many cases, alleviating the tension may actually reduce the occurrence and the number of acute attacks of planter fasciitis. Massage Therapy with the assistance of cold hydrotherapy can help reduce inflammation and swelling in the affected area during an acute attack. With more chronic cases of plantar fasciitis, Massage Therapy is used to remove local muscle tension and tightness in the affected and compensating muscles. Trigger points, fascial restrictions, and lack of blood circulation can all be helped with Massage Therapy. By directly lengthening and relaxing the muscles involved in the calf and foot, the likelihood of attacks due to tight immobile muscles will be decreased.

Home care is essential for helping plantar fasciitis. Stretching of the calves and the use of regular ice after activities can go a long way in preventing plantar-fasciitis. Orthotics and orthopaedics, such as orthotic insoles, shoes, and stalkings may also be considered as stop-measures to prevent regular attacks.

Call us or visit us at www.donmillshealthcare.com to book an assessment and appointment to treat your plantar fasciitis with Massage Therapy, Chiropractic Physiotherapy, Acupuncture and Orthopaedics today.

Gary Chung, RMT, BSc.
Registered Massage Therapist
Certified Reflexologist

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