Dylan Crake RMT & R.KIN

Massage Therapy is great. Exercise is great. You add them together and you’ve got a recipe for success.

Many of those that are seeking Massage Therapy treatment, are typically coming in for muscle “tightness” and pain. A 60 minute massage is a great way to begin to get your muscles back in tip top shape and a great way to maintain your muscle health. However, if you aren’t exercising those muscles, the discomfort is going to come back, and you may never find relief.

This is why, if you’re an RMT, it’s important to prescribe exercises at the end of treatments. And if you’re a client, it’s so important to do those exercises. These exercises don’t have to be difficulty, or long, or require equipment. All they need to do is emphasize moving your body.

A few weeks ago, I had a client come in, with what I suspect was IT band syndrome. I knew right then that a massage alone was not going to fix this problem and I let them know that. I helped release some areas that were tight and then we focused on strengthening their hips. At the end of the session, I told them how often to do those exercises, book another appointment in two weeks, and if the pain stops, feel free to cancel the appointment. In the end, I believe the massage did help their leg, but I also believe the exercises I gave are going to help so much more than just as massage.

Furthermore, because exercise and massage therapy are so connected, it is important that RMTs normalize prescribing them at the end of treatments. And, if you are given exercises by your RMT, PLEASE do them! We want to see you get better and have given them for a reason.

Keeping this blog post short and sweet this week, the main message I want to get out is: Massage Therapy and exercise are best friends. You can’t have one without the other.

So remember, if you’re given exercise homework from your RMT, DO IT!

And if there are any RMTs out there that have no idea where to start when it comes to remedial exercises, send me an email, where we can chat about common exercises to prescribe and how I choose the exercises I do.

Remember to keep moving,