Massage Therapy for Woodstock, Ontario

About My Therapeutic Discipline

Although I could simply state that Evergreen Therapy is a massage therapy clinic, I feel that it is important to more fully explain what I do. After all, the words “Massage Therapy” can mean different things from one person to the next. So I’d like to clarify exactly what it means at Evergreen Therapy.

At Evergreen Therapy, the therapeutic discipline that I follow is that of Orthopaedic Massage. Orthopaedic massage is a form of advanced therapeutic massage designed to treat pain, injury or dysfunction of the body’s soft tissues (those tissues that are responsible for movement). It is a conceptual approach that includes various massage techniques rather than one particular massage method.

Orthopaedic Massage (OM) describes a comprehensive system, rather than a single technique, that involves therapeutic assessment, manipulation and movement of the soft tissues to reduce or eliminate pain and dysfunction. OM focuses on restoring structural balance throughout the body for both the prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal dysfunctions.

My Goal

I am committed to helping my patients understand and recover from their orthopaedic conditions, chronic pain or injury. Each of my patients plays a key role in their own healing process and will be given the tools and instruction necessary to in obtain and maintain a pain-free and unimpaired lifestyle.

Put simply, I don’t just want you to feel better for a few days - I want to find the source of your problem, and fix it.

Why Orthopaedic Massage?

OM provides a unique multidisciplinary approach in which you become an active participant in your own recovery. You and the therapist work together to identify and eliminate the symptoms and underlying physiological imbalances while managing pain with massage and home-based exercises. OM looks past the immediate physical symptoms to the origin of the pain or dysfunction. These root causes may stem from trauma-induced injuries, pathology, or from postural imbalances that aggravate the pain through daily activities.

Common orthopaedic conditions can stem from sports injuries, postural imbalances due to poor work ergonomics, chronic pain or from scar tissue that arises from surgery or traumatic injury. As your orthopaedic massage therapist, I will evaluate and treat the soft tissue dysfunctions, pain and injuries with a series of specialized techniques.

Is orthopaedic massage for me?

OM can be used to identify and correct many conditions. I have outlined many of these on the Welcome page. Of course, there are conditions which our therapy may not be able to help, and where another approach may be more appropriate. During the initial consultation with you, I will let you know quite honestly if I can help you and what you can expect from the course of treatment that I advise.

Some benefits of orthopedic massage are increased blood circulation and relaxation. Additionally, orthopaedic massage helps to dissolve adhesions, realign the soft tissue and reduce or eliminate tension; and many other benefits. Orthopaedic massage is often used to enhance the performance of athletes, dancers and individuals wishing to improve their overall health and well-being.

Postural Imbalances

Whether you drive, work at a desk or work with your hands, your activities will tend to create a posture where the head is forward and the shoulders are rolled down and forward. This posture is caused by tight pectoral and posterior cervical muscles. The opposing muscles will conversely be weak and stretched. This can create many problems such as headaches, neck and upper back pain, and a restricted range of motion.

What is involved in a treatment session?

This specialized and customized system of treatment focuses specifically on a physician- diagnosed condition, chronic pain or trauma-induced injury. The treatment program uses the techniques listed below, which will allow you to obtain immediate and long-lasting results in even challenging and complicated conditions.

The techniques:

• Functional assessment and follow up re-assessment
• General Swedish massage techniques
• Trigger point therapy
• Deep tissue techniques
• Myofascial release techniques
• Neuromuscular therapy and re-education
• Scar tissue mobilization techniques
• Stretching and strengthening
• Specific client home care protocols 

Please note that although minor pain may be experienced with some techniques, the patient’s pain tolerance is respected in the application of all techniques, and so your treatment should always remain within your level of tolerance.

Evergreen Therapy
By Appointment Only
Art Klassen, RMT
Suite 102a, 600 Princess St.
Woodstock, Ontario, N4S 4H4
(519) 536-9210