Registered Massage Therapist
This would be a great choice for Chronic pain in any soft tissue structures such as Muscle, Tendon, Ligament and Fascia, when someone suffers from poor posture, overuse of a body part and strains/spasm/numbness/Headaches and other types of discomfort. An RMT would be able to loosen the tension brought on by shortened positions and eradicate trigger points in the muscle to free ability for healthy function again. The therapist will give stretches and advice for correcting bad habits that may contribute to repeated injury. They are the soft tissue experts.
Physiotherapy
This would be a great choice for an Acute flareup of an injury brought on from an over expectation of movement that wasn’t able to allow for that range due to tightness. This modality has the ability to use electrical equipment to bring down microscopic inflammation fast that could be present and to encourage movement and recover through strength training.
Chiropractor
This would be someone you may see for Joint pain, restricted movement in your activities and for returning to proper skeletal positioning. A patient may feel like there is pain or boney block in their range of motion or upon deep inhalation. The ligaments that cross the joints that are essentially holding the bones in place while allowing for proper movement need to remain strong and taut. This type of modality is used more now for ART style treatment (deep muscle stripping with movement) and less dependent on quick spinal manipulations that result in progressive laxity in the joint space due to over-adjustments leaving ligaments loose.
When do I know to use Ice and when do I know to use Heat?
When to use Ice
If there are any of the 4 signs of Inflammation present: Heat, Swelling, Redness and Pain, then it is warranted that you apply ice to the area for up to 10 min only. Leaving Ice on longer than 10 minutes will begin to produce inflammation in the tissues which is counter productive. Remove the ice and let tissues come back to normal temperature and then re-apply. Icing will break the pain cycle, relieve the inflammation and help in speeding up your healing time.
When to use Heat
When you are experiencing soreness from overuse, strain or restriction in tight muscles, then loosening that up with heat is a wonderful way to unravel tension. This heat source can be either through a heat pack or a hot bath, allowing for blood flow into what is already a deprived area. When muscle has been allowed to be tight and uncomfortable for a while, there is compression of the blood vessels and nerves leading to areas of dysfunction. Muscle and tissues need oxygen and nutrients which are found in the blood.