Workplace Wellness Registered Massage Therapy is located downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Our RMT’s see people who are suffering from headaches or workplace related stress on a daily basis.

RMT’s use varying techniques to assess the possible causes of headaches. By manipulating the soft tissues and joints of the body, the therapist can find imbalances in tissue, muscle weakness and areas of tension and pain.

RMT’s also provide their clients with postural awareness tips and stretching that can help ease the pain of a headache or help prevent them from reoccurring.

The most common type of headache is a tension headache. Tight neck, jaw and shoulder muscles can cause pressure and opposing force on the head and skull and cause headaches. Other types of headaches include:

• Tension – may be the result of chronic stress, fatigue or physical dysfunction. Symptoms will include tight muscles around the shoulders and neck, a tight band around the forehead and the pain is continuous.
• Migraine – can be described as a dull ache that develops into a throbbing and pulsating pain with visual difficulties. It can be experienced with or without an aura.
• Hormone – hormones will induce a pain response indicating a problem elsewhere in the body. Women are susceptible to pre or post menopausal/menstrual headaches.
• Cluster – can be described as the most intense headache pain and comes on without any warning. People will experience 4-5 intense headaches a day.
• Sinus – increase of fluid in the nasal cavity can cause pressure and pain in the areas of the nasal canals. People will experience a constant, dull, hazy feeling in the areas of the sinus canals.

  The therapists at Workplace Wellness Registered Massage Therapy suggest Doing simple neck stretches throughout the day, in the workplace. Stretching can help to decrease muscle tension in the neck and shoulders.

• Looking over your shoulder on each side will help to loosen up muscles in the side and back of the neck.
• Bending your ear to your shoulder will decrease muscle tension on the side and front of your neck.
• Looking down to your toes will help to stretch the muscle that run along your spine and the back of your neck.

  It is recommended that you hold each stretch for 10-15 seconds and breath deeply.

The working world has become more stressed, and that is taking a toll on the health of Canadians. In the current recession, employees might be worried about job security and salary reductions or be expected to work longer hours or be accessible and connected to their jobs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Now more than ever, it is important for companies to invest in wellness strategies to help support the health of their employees. Without a healthy team, companies will face higher bottom line costs and reduced employee health.

Companies can choose to support wellness initiatives in a wide variety of ways depending on the company budget and employee concerns and interests.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/01/f-weeklycheckup-holwegner.html#ixzz1B90DwOYu

Repetitive motion injuries, which have long afflicted desktop and laptop computer users, are invading the mobile handheld world.

Earlier this year, a consumer alert was released warning users of small electronic gadgets that heavy thumb use could lead to painful swelling of the sheath around the tendons in the thumb.

The BlackBerry, which debuted in 1999, employs a full QWERTY keypad for thumb typing to automatically send and receive e-mail. About 2.5 million people currently use Blackberries, more than double from a year ago.

Musculoskeletal disorders, which include repetitive strain injuries, accounted for a third of all workplace injuries and illnesses reported in 2003.

Treatment for BlackBerry thumb may include receiving massage therapy treatments to relax the overworked muscles. Wearing a splint and applying ice to the affected area is an option as well. If the pain persists, doctors may opt to inject the thumb area with a cortisone shot.

Massage therapy safely helps to relieve short-term pain in patients with advanced cancer, a trial suggests.

In Tuesday’s issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers looked at pain and mood scores among 340 people with late stage cancer.

Participants were randomly assigned to have massage therapy by a registered massage therapist, or simple touch by someone who placed both hands on the subjects for three minutes at 10 body sites.

“This study is important because it shows massage is a safe and effective way to provide immediate relief to patients with advanced cancer.”

It’s thought that massage may help improve pain and mood through psychological effects of the therapist’s attention, as well as physical or biological effects, such as decreasing inflammation, increasing circulation and release of mood-boosting endorphins.

One in three Canadians suffers from chronic pain, which can lead to depression, relationship problems and workplace issues, suggests a new poll.

The SES Research survey found that 16 per cent of those surveyed report living in constant pain, and 20 per cent experience pain on a daily basis.

“Pain is clearly having an enormous impact upon the lives of Canadians,” said Nikita Nanos, president of SES Research, in a release. ” A full third of individuals with moderate to severe pain said that they had lost their job as a result of it and half said that they had seen a reduction in income.”