Massage Therapy
Massage for Edmonton & Sherwood Park
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy is a healing technique in which our Registered Massage Therapists use manual adjustments of your body’s soft tissue to alleviate muscular tension. Our massage therapists use several massage techniques applied through the use of their hands, elbows, and forearms to treat muscular stress, tension, and pain.
The Massage Therapist Association of Alberta, the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada, and the Remedial Massage Therapists Association all recognize academic institutions that are accredited by the provincial regulatory bodies or licensed by the Province of Alberta to provide massage therapy education. All our therapists are Registered Massage Therapists that have completed a minimum of 2,200 hours of education, or two years of academic and practical/clinical education based on an approved curriculum. Many of our Registered Massage Therapists have also studied additional treatment approaches and integrate them into your treatments.
How Does a Massage Therapy Treatment Work?
Your massage therapy treatment will vary depending on your needs and desired outcomes. If this is your first visit, our Massage Therapist will complete a thorough initial intake assessment, learning about your existing medical conditions, joint and/or soft tissue pain, as well as any other areas of concern. If you’ve been to our clinic before, our Massage Therapist will review your previous health conditions and treatment outcome.
After the intake assessment, our Massage Therapist will use various treatment techniques to adjust your soft tissues and alleviate your muscular tension. These can also include cupping, craniosacral, physioKey, manual lymphatic drainage, and Access bars. We complete your treatment with homecare suggestions, including stretches and exercises, to help facilitate your own healing.
What Are the Benefits of Massage Therapy?
According to the Mayo Clinic, studies on the benefits of massage therapy demonstrate that it can be an effective treatment for reducing stress, pain and muscle tension. The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health found through research that there is a 50% reduction of anxiety after a massage (2018). While more research is needed to confirm the benefits of massage, some studies have found massage may also be helpful for:
- Anxiety
- Digestive disorders
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Insomnia (related to stress)
- Soft tissue strains or injuries
- Sports injuries
- Temporomandibular joint pain
Beyond the benefits for specific conditions, some clients enjoy massage because it often produces feelings of caring, comfort and connection.
Massage Therapy Treatment Options
Deep Tissue
Deep tissue or therapeutic massage techniques are slower, the pressure is deeper, and specifically located on areas of tension and pain. The goal is to realign the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. These techniques are effective for relieving chronic conditions, by physically breaking down bands of rigid tissue (adhesions) to relieve pain, stiffness and restore movement. Athletes with tight muscles, decreased flexibility and pain will enjoy the benefits of this therapeutic massage.
Relaxation
Relaxation massage techniques are designed to increase circulation and flexibility, while relieving muscle aches using lighter pressure. The treatment is nurturing and gentle, so the body can relax the “fight-or-flight” response that occurs due to daily stress. Our massage tables are heated, ergonomic, and hydraulic. The lights are dimmed, the music is soft, and your relaxation is our top priority.
Cupping
Our therapist applies glass or plastic cups directly on your skin, creating a vacuum seal on specific areas of the body. We reduce the pressure inside of the cup by heating the cup with fire, or suctioning out the air, which causes the skin and superficial muscle tissue to be drawn into and held in the cup. The suction created brings blood to the surface of the skin, expelling toxins, relieving pain, and softening the underlying muscle tissue. Although cupping is not painful, you’ll see circular bruises on the areas where the cups were applied, which can last for a few days.
Craniosacral Therapy
Our therapists use their hands to gently touch the joints of the skull, spine and pelvic bones to regulate the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and aid in primary respiration. This treatment improves the condition of your central nervous system, which can help you release trauma in a gentle, non-invasive way. Our clients often report feelings of deep relaxation during and after treatment, feeling lighter overall.
Physiokey
The Physiokey is a non-invasive neuro-stimulator to treat acute and chronic pain. It uses high amplitude and high-density pulse stimulation to the skin, activating the body’s natural pain relieving and self-regulating mechanisms. The Physiokey creates a sensation similar to a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine. Unlike the TENS machine, which provides temporary relief by blocking pain signals, the Physiokey stimulates the hypothalamus in the brain. This stimulation triggers the release of neuropeptides, which are natural pain killers (endorphins), as well as neurotransmitters (serotonin), affecting pain perception, mood, and sleep regulation. It is effective in treating acute or chronic pain, nerve numbness, pain or burning, as well as recent injury or trauma.
Access Bars
There are 32 bars of energy that run through and around your head, which connect to different aspects of your life, such as healing, body, control, awareness, creativity, power, aging, sex, money, and more. These bars store the electromagnetic component of all of the thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions, and beliefs that you’ve ever had. During an Access Bars session, our practitioner gently touches these points to release the electromagnetic charge that may be limiting your life. This naturally facilitates the element of receiving, and inviting more of what we want and need into our lives.
Manual Lymph Drainage
Lymph is the fluid that circulates throughout the lymphatic system, an important part of your immune system, carrying harmful waste and toxins away from your tissues. The lymphatic system depends on contractions of the smooth muscle cells in the walls of lymph vessels and the movement of skeletal muscles to propel lymph through the vessels. Manual lymphatic drainage uses a specific amount of pressure, direction and speed, to stimulate the body’s natural lymph flow. This technique is effective to treat edema, or swelling, caused by injury or inflammation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. First, ask your Health Benefit Plan Provider the following questions:
- Does my plan cover massage therapy?
- How much coverage do I have per year?
- How much coverage do I have remaining?
- How much coverage do I have per treatment?
- Do I need to set anything up before direct billing can be approved (e.g. an online profile)?
- Will the clinic or I need to complete any forms?
- Does the therapist need to be registered with a specific association?
- Will I require a doctor’s note before my treatment?
Afterwards, Muscle Elements can process direct billing to the following Health Benefit companies:
- Alberta Blue Cross
- ASEBP
- ATRA
- Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan
- Cowan Insurance Group
- Desjardins
- Great West Life
- IA Financial Group
- Johnson
- Manulife
- Standard Life
- Johnston Group
- Sunlife Financial
- Green Shield Canada
- Equitable Life
- Medivie
If you do not see your provider listed here, please ask our reception as some companies go by different names.
*Please note – With direct billing, Muscle Elements submits a claim on your behalf and your Health Benefit Plan Provider determines its approval. If your claim is placed in a pending status, rejected, or not covered for the entire amount, you are responsible for the payment of your service at the time it is rendered.
No.
In the province of Alberta, registered massage therapists are not recognized as authorized medical practitioners for the medical expense tax credit by CRA.
For more information, please visit the CRA’s website.
The answer varies depending on your preferences and the clinic’s schedule.
If you wish to book with a specific therapist, modality, or day/time, you may need to book up to 6 weeks in advance.
The clinic’s most experienced therapists, specific modalities, and evening and weekend appointments book quickly and far in advance.
Muscle Elements typically accommodates less specific appointment requests within the same week.
Call Muscle Elements’ friendly reception staff at (780) 410-1100 or book online.
The first appointment typically takes 75 to 90 minutes, and you should arrive 15 minutes early to fill out any required paperwork, such as a health history form or authorization forms for direct billing.
During your first appointment, your therapist will assess and discuss your health and wellness goals to determine the best treatment for your unique needs. To reach these goals, your therapist will go over the frequency and length of future appointments for your treatment plan.
If you wish to achieve a wellness lifestyle, you should book at least one maintenance massage every four to six weeks regularly to get the best benefits from massage.
If your goal relates to a specific concern, your treatment plan will include massages on a shorter interval during your healing time. If your goal is relaxation, book whenever you’d like.
To allow the body to heal and integrate the changes your therapists introduce to your body, Muscle Elements does not recommend multiple massage therapy treatments on the same areas closer than four to seven days apart. However, your therapist may suggest returning sooner if different types of massages are in your treatment plan.
Massage therapy benefits people of all ages. It relieves many conditions, such as:
- Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and tendinitis
- Stress relief and associated conditions
- Headaches and migraines
- Muscle and related conditions, such as spasms, strains and sprains
- Back pain
- Repetitive strain injury
- Athletic and sports-related injuries
- Motor vehicle accident injuries
- Circulatory and respiratory problems
- Pregnancy and labour discomfort
- Post-injury and post-surgical rehabilitation
Yes, massage therapy is appropriate for individuals of all ages, including infants, children, and the elderly; however, some conditions disqualify massage therapy. Our clinic’s qualified massage therapists are trained to recognize these cases.
Some massage therapists treat a variety of diseases and disorders while others specialize in certain conditions, like fibromyalgia, or groups of people, such as athletes, performers, women during pregnancy (including labour and delivery), infants and children.
No.
Your comfort is our greatest priority because effective treatment depends on your comfort and relaxation.
At Muscle Elements, therapists have training in proper draping procedures which guarantee your privacy during treatment. The clinic’s massage therapists can provide treatment whether you elect to remove any, some, or all of your clothing.
Furthermore, therapists must obtain your consent and describe the treatments they will provide to ensure you are comfortable with them.
If you are uncomfortable with the treatment or draping, your therapist wants to know and will adjust their technique accordingly. Be sure to discuss the most effective means of treatment with your therapist.
As part of the standards set by their association, therapists must secure and maintain any verbal and written information you provide in strict confidence.
Consequently, therapists require their clients’ consent to collect their information or disclose it to their immediate health providers (circle of care).
Like many soft tissue treatments, massage therapy can cause slight discomfort, but it is not harmful and diminishes quickly. Therapists will not use any potentially painful techniques without discussing it and obtaining your permission.
Your therapist will establish your comfort scale based on your tolerance level and will modify their treatment and technique to meet your needs at any time.
We offer the following forms of payment:
- Direct billing (Please see the above question for more information)
- Cash/Debit/Visa/MasterCard
Muscle Elements respects your time with promptness and concentration on your needs during your scheduled appointment. Missed appointments prevent the clinic from accommodating other clients because the time, therapist, and room are set aside for you.
If you require any changes to your appointment, please notify Muscle Elements with as much notice as possible.
The clinic requires 24-hours notice to change, cancel, or reschedule massage therapy appointments. If 24 hours is not given, the client will be responsible to pay for the full price of the scheduled appointment.
Muscle Elements offer many different types/modalities of massage, including:
- Therapeutic
- Relaxation/Swedish
- Pre/Post natal/pregnancy
- Craniosacral Therapy
- Orthopedic
- Myofascial Release
- Cupping
- Physiokey
The therapists at Muscle Elements are dedicated professionals who continue to learn and expand their techniques through continuing education. Consequently, not every therapist can provide every type of massage. If you are searching for a specific modality, talk to the clinic’s receptionist about which therapists offer what modalities or view their biographies.
Except for a student massage therapist, the therapists at Muscle Elements are all registered with their choice of associations, including CRMTA, MTAA, NHPCA, and RMTA. If you require services from a therapist registered with a specific association, our client coordinators will be happy to assist you with your booking.
Refer a Friend
Do you know someone that would enjoy our holistic healing services? Please let us know by sending us a referral. We’d love to be able to help more wonderful clients like you!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get wonderful insights for your holistic health and wellness directly into your email inbox. We love empowering our clients!