Massage Therapy Awareness Week 2020
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Massage Therapy Awareness Week is October 25-31, 2020, and this year to celebrate the RMTAO will be focusing on how Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) helped get their patients through the COVID-19 pandemic.
We will be highlighting the importance of massage therapy for peoples’ wellbeing by sharing stories of people who struggled during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and were greatly helped by massage therapy once RMTs were able to return to work. We will also be sharing the self-care recommendation videos that RMTs were able to create for their patients during the initial stages of the pandemic, that are valuable exercises that people can still do in their homes for self-care between appointments.
RMTs are an important part of health care teams, and massage therapy can help people recover from an illness or injury, manage the physical symptoms of mental health issues, remain active, mobile and pain free, and improve their quality of life.
The videos we will highlight are things people can do from home to aid in their own health and recovery. They also address musculoskeletal issues that may have cropped up for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic caused by things like working from home in a less-than-ideal setup, increased stress, or altering a well-established workout routine.
The patients we will be highlighting sought massage therapy for a variety of reasons but they all had the goal of being better able to participate in their regular activities, whether that’s working a 12 hour shift on their feet or playing with their grandchildren. These patients also all experienced difficulty during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and experienced significant improvement once RMTs returned to work.
“Now more than ever, the importance of RMTs as part of the health care teams of Ontarians is evident,” said Michael Feraday, Executive Director and CEO of the RMTAO. “Everyone struggled to an extent without the healthcare they needed during the early stages of the pandemic, and this week we’re highlighting the ways RMTs have been able to help their patients through this challenging time by helping them find some pain relief, helping them deal with mounting stress, or helping them continue to be able to participate in their regular activities.”
Research shows that massage therapy is a great option for pain relief, both for chronic and acute conditions. RMTs are regulated health professionals, and they are able to adapt their treatments for individuals of all ages and conditions. RMTs have been able to work under new guidelines to make their treatments as safe as possible during the pandemic, and work with their patients to ensure that they get the treatment that’s right for them.
This Massage Therapy Awareness Week we will be highlighting patients who have been particularly helped by massage therapy and sharing self-care videos from our members on our social media channels, inviting our audience to #AskYourRMT how they can help. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter, and share our Massage Therapy Awareness Week posts with your networks to spread the word about the diverse benefits of massage therapy.
To learn more about massage therapy in Ontario, visit www.rmtao.com.