Here at PainPRO, we often get questions from individuals who are confused about where to go when injured, in an accident, or in pain.
What to do First
In the Canadian medical system, medical doctors (MDs) act as the gatekeepers controlling the flow of patients to necessary medical services. They should almost always be your first stop. Any life-threatening or severe issue should be taken straight to the emergency room. In other situations, a visit to your local MD or walk-in clinic will be appropriate.
Once you are seen by an MD, their focus is looking for red flags (warning signs that indicate more serious underlying medical conditions). When your MD is certain that there are no red flags they will, if necessary, refer you to where you should go next.
In this phase you should not passively sit there and see what happens. This is your chance to ask questions about different options!
Every treatment has pros and cons, and you should always ask about them all. Ask your doctor whether Massage Therapy is right for you.
For individuals on an insurance claim, such as ICBC, WCB, etc., referral from a MD for Massage Therapy is not always needed, but is certainly always recommended. We strongly suggest that you see an MD as early as you can.
Individuals often ask about the timeline for receiving Massage Therapy after an accident or injury.
While the answer is very case-specific, generally the sooner the better.
Having an educated RMT provide therapeutic massage post surgery can provide a range of benefits. The injury doesn’t necessarily need to be fully healed before work can be done, but seeing your Doctor will give you a better idea about how best to treat your pain.
MD’s may rightly say that it is too soon for Massage Therapy, but this is where you would ask if Massage Therapy would be right for other areas of your body right now. If you have a broken wrist in a cast, Massage Therapy would certainly be contraindicated for the wrist. The elbow or shoulder on the same side however, are areas likely indicated for Massage Therapy.
It is important to remember that Massage Therapists can do much more than apply deep tissue massage.
With any acute painful condition, pressure is reduced to the point where minimal pain is produced, and techniques can be used on surrounding areas to provide a therapeutic effect while not risking any further aggravation. We, as RMTs, know that we can’t fix everything, but we do provide evidence-informed treatments that are safe and non-invasive.
Compensatory issues and non-functional healing are two components that RMTs can start treating almost immediately after any injury or accident. I will cover these components in detail in future blogs. Listed below are techniques that will likely be incorporated in the acute phase of an injury.
Techniques applied directly to injury:
Swedish Massage
Manual Lymph Drainage
Techniques applied to surrounding compensatory issues:
Fascial Mobilizations
Joint Mobilizations
If you have any questions regarding this article, feel free to leave a message! We’d love to answer any questions or concerns, especially if you’re dealing with pain and don’t know where your next step should be.
You can also give us a call at 604-683-7246 and ask to be put in touch with the author.
If you’re ready to take the next step and book a massage, you can book online with any of our amazing RMT’s.
This article was written and submitted by Arnold Warkentin, RMT
Feel free to voice any comments, questions or concerns by commenting on our article,
OR contact us at contact@painproclinics.com
