Taryn Gauley Wellness

Very technical, but long story short, head forward posture affects not only neck and shoulder pain but can cause headaches and changes to breathing patterns!

While my return date is still to be confirmed as I wait for certain items to become available, here is a decent outline for some of the changes to massage therapy as a profession.

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COVID 19 & Massage Therapy Update - May 28, 2020

First of all I would like to thank all my valued clients for their patience and support over the last two months. These have been confusing times and I would like to clarify as much as I can about the announcement made yesterday and how it pertains to my own Massage Therapy practice.

On Wednesday, May 27th the Ontario Government and the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health have provided a new directive for Regulated Health Professionals that allow for a gradual restart of services to be carried out with adherence to guidance from each health profession’s regulatory college. The directive includes Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) under the guidance of our College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO). I want to clarify that this announcement was a general statement which means not all Regulated Health Professionals will be opening at the same time or at the same rate (or at all, for now).

At this time our College, the CMTO, is not expecting RMTs to return to practice if they do not feel it is appropriate or safe to do so. The CMTO also encourages limiting the number of in-person visits by prioritizing clients with essential care needs. Treatment is considered essential when: the client’s overall health or function would considerably decline if treatment were not provided (i.e. lead to hospitalization or other serious health consequences). Our first priority as Massage Therapists is to the health and safety of ourselves, our families and our clients and to ensure that the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. In my own personal practice, although there are benefits to massage therapy treatments, most of my treatments are for wellness and/or maintenance and therefore are not an essential healthcare treatment at this time due to the risks still present for COVID-19.

Our State of Emergency has also been extended in Ontario to June 9th and social distancing is still in effect which I will be continuing to follow. I will update my clients further when I can foresee a potential date to begin reopening my own practice but now is not that time. We have just begun to receive direction on practices and procedure guidelines that will need to be put in place before I can open safely. These include, but are not limited to, the pre-screening of clients before every treatment, increased frequency of handwashing & cleaning practices, increased signage, documentation and record keeping of practices, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks for myself and clients and additional health & safety training.

Please remain patient as implementation of these guidelines and the obtaining of sufficient PPE due to shortages can be a lengthy process. As I have stated before the health & safety of myself, my family and all of my clients is my top priority. I will only return to practice when I feel it safe to do so and will keep everyone posted.

Thank you again for all of your support during this time. I hope everyone remains safe & healthy!

Sincerely,

Taryn Gauley RMT

This is one of my trade secret areas! Upper back, neck and top of shoulder pain can be all be linked to an overworked, short serratus anterior pulling unevenly on the scapula.

Interesting point! While flat feet can have a variety of causes, strengthening the glutes would be a great starting point!

GLUTE MUSCLES
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The glutes are the master control muscle for every joint below them including the ankle/foot. This crucial complex of hip stabilizers ensures we have proper balance and stability each time our foot hits the ground.
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Have flat feet? Check your glutes. good chance they aren’t doing their job of controlling the leg which allows for the knee, ankle and foot to collapse inward. Instead of covering up the problem with orthotics which only lead to further dysfunction, solve the problem by getting the glutes back online.
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This not only corrects foot position but re-aligns your entire lower body posture - prevents injury and increases strength, power and your ability to run optimally.
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Most people lose the glutes because of the stiffness that develops from too much time spent in the sitting position. Escape the chair, reclaim your glutes and you will solve the mystery of why you have flat feet.
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Credit:

The bottom of the foot is a continuation of the posterior chain (Superficial Back Line = SBL) defined by Thomas Myers, check Anatomy Trains for more information! Every Physical Therapist, Physiotherapist or Osteopath should know about Anatomy Trains as it is very important to understand how our fascial system and connections work if you treat a human body!

Then you will understand: If you suffer from chronical headaches start checking your feet, as the fascial problem can start in your plantar fascia (SBL) already!

The body doesn't know what specific muscles do. It only goes by movements, activating muscle fibres that correspond to the movement that the brain is asking if it

As you can see from the diagrams, the calf blends into the Achilles which wraps around the heel and becomes the plantar fascia

The foot is therefore an important part of the posterior chain that is not often looked at in training or rehab. What is your foot doing when you deadlift, squat, hinge, walk, stand on one leg? The bottom of the foot all the way to the toes should be able to root to the ground to create stability and harness the power of the posterior chain

Take your shoes off when you train or move, you will begin to appreciate the huge power leaks and inefficiencies that happen when our feet are offline and not doing what they're supposed to.

I have definitely felt this pressure during both my initial post surgical time off as well as now with self isolation protocols.
Be easy on yourself and focus on what is important to you. Sometimes just resting is the best thing.

A trauma psychologist weighs in on the risks of 'motivational' pressure during quarantine "As a trauma psychologist, I am utterly utterly horrified, enraged, and bewildered about how people can believe and spread this phrase in good conscience."

LOW BACK PAIN
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[REHAB EXERCISES - SELF TREATMENT]
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On the picture you can see several rehab exercises which should be done as a daily training routine if you suffer from low back pain!
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One of the reasons the feet are so important!