Being a second-generation member (and builder) of the Canadian Sport Massage Therapists’ Association (CSMTA), my peers and I are acutely aware of the foundation work done by the early founders of the organization: Aurel Hamran, Keri Dicki-Clark, Geraldine Barrett, Marylou Lombardi, Karen Porter, Ed Ratz, Grace Chan, Tim Janzen, Georgio Trimarchi, Tilman von der Linde and John D’Aguanno.

Growing healthcare costs, paired with the ongoing opioid crisis have prompted stakeholders at all levels of healthcare to re-evaluate how treatment is provided for people with pain. Regulatory agencies, clinicians, and patients have come together to provide a framework for improved patient experience and outcomes.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, one in 66 children in Canada is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

A new study found that offspring born to mice that exercised during pregnancy were less likely to gain weight after consuming a high-fat diet later in life. Although previous studies have shown that exercise by obese females benefits their offspring, this is the first research to demonstrate that the same is true when non-obese females exercise.

Five seconds is enough to assess the status of a hockey player's groin. For the first time, a simple field test, called the five-second squeeze test, has been used on icehockey players to see if it can indicate current hip/groin function and hip muscle strength. According to the new study from Lund University in Sweden, there is a clear correlation between pain levels during the five second squeeze test and impaired sporting function as well as diminished hip muscle strength.

Neural glitches in the sleep-deprived brain can intensify and prolong the agony of sickness and injury, research finds.

At work, it's healthier and more productive just to be yourself, according to a new study from Rice University, Texas A&M University, the University of Memphis, Xavier University, Portland State University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Common postures and how they affect the lower back(For more details on types of postures and the impairments they present with, see: Janda & Jull 1987; Kendall et al. 2005; Magee 2014.)

When you ask most massage therapists if they offer postpartum massage therapy, they usually answer quickly in the affirmative. Most of us are aware of the obvious presentations that follow giving birth such as extreme fatigue, back pain, edema, emotional fluctuations, etc.

We often see clients spend their days sitting behind desks at their nine-to-five office jobs or standing for prolonged periods working in manufacturing or retail.

Charting is an everyday aspect of your practice – and a requirement for a regulated health profession. In my reviews of practitioner records, there has been great variability in charting comprehensiveness and style.

I’m sure many you have had to make a call to the tech support number of your local ISP, software vendor, cell phone provider or the like, to ask for help with a device setup or application configuration.

The relationship between massage therapists and insurance companies is historically tenuous. Insurers have positioned themselves as guardians of health care spending for their customers and appear critical of the efficacy of massage therapists and the value of dollars spent, sometimes denying claims, questioning outcomes, and crediting only “short-term pain relief.”

A little-known research group inside the prime minister's own department has been looking at whether public servants should be offered electronic fitness-tracking devices to help reduce their health insurance premiums.

We have assembled a small collection of the more important recent events of 2018 that may have an impact on your practice in 2019.

Chronic understaffing, long wait times and chaotic case management at Ontario's workers compensation board are putting vulnerable accident victims at risk, compromising the integrity of the provincial compensation system, and jeopardizing financial accountability, according to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board's own employees.

More companies report cancelling plans for office parties this holiday season. It's not surprising, given news reports that one in three office workers has done something they regret at a holiday party.

Your personal identity may fall at the mercy of sophisticated hackers on many websites, but when it comes to health data breaches, hospitals, doctors offices and even insurance companies are oftentimes the culprits.

We often hear about clients receiving threatening correspondence from legal entities about misusing copyrighted material on their website or social media platforms. These letters typically demand that they immediately stop using the copyrighted material and pay the owner a hefty fine amounting to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Practitioners have even received letters for using copyrighted material in their printed intake forms.

It’s no small feat to build a stable practice over time. A successful practitioner eventually develops enough professional relationships to serve a small practice population. But sole practice has its drawbacks – isolation can contribute to limited engagement, learning from others and professional self-reflection, suppressing a practitioner’s growth.

Massage therapists strive to help their clients live healthy lives. So it’s only natural that this concern extends to creating a healthy environment, too.

MCLEAN, VA—Binary Fountain has released the findings of its second annual "Healthcare Consumer Insight & Digital Engagement" survey.

As of March 1st, P.E.I. became the fifth province in Canada to be regulated. Now, there are questions swirling around HST exemption.

Globally, Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the main reasons why many people take sick leave from work or can’t get out and exercise. In fact, LBP is believed to affect the lives of one in seven to one in four Australians at any time.

When I was 16 or 17, I attended an outdoor leadership camp on Bark Lake near Madawaska, Ontario. Each night we chose electives to participate in, with the options ranging from tie-dye t-shirt making to amateur astronomy, to a shiatsu workshop.

We posted – you clicked. Below you'll find what Canadian Massage Therapists were reading in 2018. 

Massagetablesnow.com has surveyed nearly 1,200 licensed massage therapists to learn about their career satisfaction. Numerous research studies have examined massage from a clinical perspective; however, few have analyzed the viewpoint of massage therapists.

College education continues to provide a clear gateway to employment as about 86 per cent of Ontario's most recently surveyed college graduates found employment within six months of graduation, new statistics show.

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CTMO) has released practice guidelines for Registered Massage Therapists in Ontario. 

You can be a new graduate of a massage therapy program, or a seasoned veteran in the industry – but unfortunately, inappropriate behaviour from clients can be an inevitable reality for massage therapists. Crude remarks, inappropriate touching, or sexually explicit jokes are only a few examples of what can happen in a treatment room between a therapist and their patient.

CALGARY—A University of Calgary researcher says new concussion guidelines in the United States could change care for all children with mild traumatic brain injuries.

Cupping therapy has been used in massage for decades. It is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that was used for many diseases or skin conditions, and is now known for its use in western massage therapy or physiotherapy.

The media is steadily drawing increased attention to the misconduct of health professionals. In a March 25th article in the Toronto Star, journalist Theresa Boyle reflects on a complaint against a particular physician, saying: “It’s cases like this that have placed Ontario’s oversight system for health professionals under the microscope.

Have you ever had a conversation with your staff about why they turn up to work? If so, you’ve probably noticed that employees bring different motivations to work each day. Some are just going through the motions and are completely indifferent about their work.

Communicating food benefits to children that they can relate to may get them to eat healthier.

More than half of American adults consume excess added sugars, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Individualized nutrition not only causes hospital patients to consume more protein and calories, but also improves clinical treatment outcomes.

People often say they can get by on five or fewer hours of sleep, that snoring is harmless, and that having a drink helps you to fall asleep.

Overall physical activity starts to decline already around the age of school entry. While the proportion of physically inactive individuals rises with age there still are groups of people who manage to increase their physical activity level in adulthood and old age.

We have all felt it. After lunchtime, you're lethargic, tired, and constantly checking the clock waiting for the day to be over.

One in five women and one in eight men are now losing sleep due to the time they spend on their mobile phones, according to new QUT-led research that has found a jump in 'technoference' over the past 13 years.

Mobile health apps are a booming market targeted at both patients and health professionals. Medicines-related apps help patients track their prescriptions and remember to take their pills. They also provide drug information to help clinicians prescribe and administer medications.

Happy March 20th! Encourage your clients to share why massage makes them happy today. 

Growing older and a high-fat diet enriched with omega 6 fatty acids are major contributors to health risks ranging from diabetes to heart failure. How these two factors regulate the immune response is not well-understood.

If you want lose weight, research shows, the single best predictor of success is monitoring and recording calorie and fat intake throughout the day -- to "write it when you bite it."

Exercise helps to prevent the degradation of cartilage caused by osteoarthritis, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London.

A six-week transition period did not help wearers adjust to "maximal" running shoes, indicating that increased impact forces and loading rates caused by the shoe design do not change over time, a new study from Oregon State University -- Cascades has found.

Knee injuries in adolescent females, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, are increasing in frequency.

As the main point of contact with the ground, the foot plays a vital role in how humans move.

In a new study conducted in rats, researchers found a four-week period of rest was nearly as effective as an experimental drug at reducing discomfort and regaining function after an injury from repeated moderate-strain activity. 

A woman in Scotland can feel virtually no pain due to a mutation in a previously-unidentified gene, according to a research paper co-led by UCL.

A research group at Hiroshima University observed a potential new target for chronic pain treatment. Further research using this receptor could lead to new, more effective drugs to use in pain-relieving treatment for chronic pain.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a mental condition caused by a traumatic event. People with PTSD may experience intrusive memories, negative thoughts, anxiety and chronic pain. The condition is typically treated with a combination of psychotherapy, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications.

In an ongoing study exploring walking for health across the adult lifespan, University of Massachusetts Amherst kinesiology researchers found that walking cadence is a reliable measure of exercise intensity and set simple steps-per-minute guidelines for moderate and vigorous intensity.

The old adage "use it or lose it" tells us: if you stop using your muscles, they'll shrink. Until recently, scientists thought this meant that nuclei -- the cell control centers that build and maintain muscle fibers -- are also lost to sloth.

In mid-December 2018, Andrew Lewarne, Executive Director of the Registered Massage Therapists' Association of Ontario (RMTAO) met with Greenshield Canada (GSC) representatives David Willows – Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer, and Ned Pojskic, Leader of Pharmacy & Health Provider Relations. Lewarne requested the meeting regarding a provocative Autumn 2018 news post on the Greenshield Canada website, Elephant in the (Waiting) Room.

How fitting that dictionary.com’s “Word of the Year” is “misinformation.”

A decade ago, in preparation for dramatic changes in submitting auto insurance claims, I reviewed the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and recall thinking how limited the list of conditions is in relation to soft-tissue dysfunction.

Technology has revolutionized how we live, play and work. We don't think twice about using an app to make a restaurant reservation, tracking a parcel's expected delivery date on-line or chatting with an on-line agent to answer questions about a product we want to purchase.

Toronto (Troy Media) – Canadians suffer when important mental health services are unavailable or wait times are too long.

Over the past few months, patients and healthcare providers alike have been encouraged to make pledges to improve compassionate quality care in Ontario as part of an inaugural movement called, Change Day Ontario.

We recently held our first annual conference call with members of our editorial advisory board and it was a very productive discussion of issues and trends affecting health care and the massage therapy profession.

Many Canadians can hardly wait for the day that the recreational use of marijuana becomes legal. As a medical doctor, I'm far less enthusiastic. I worry about two things: the experimental nature of marijuana in medical practice and the public health consequences of legalized marijuana.

It's no secret: Ontario is getting older. The number of seniors in our province has been steadily increasing and over the next twenty years, will double. Including factors like increased use of health services and evolving technology, this will result in a substantial increase in demand across the health system. Those services will cost money.

The Trudeau government is set on legalizing marijuana by the summer of next year. While they will enjoy the political payoff of appearing progressive on this matter, all of the associated problems and the logistics of legalizing pot will fall on the shoulders of the provincial governments.

The impending legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Canada – which is expected to take effect by next summer – is causing anxiety among many in the health-care profession, and for good reason.

As a massage therapist, I appreciate and benefit from the relationship between our professional association and our regulatory body.

Can acupressure achieve a sustained reduction in menstrual pain? Is an app-based self-care program particularly attractive to young women? These questions addressed in a new study by researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the results of which have been published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology*.

Hand & Stone Massage Spa Canada Corporation continues its growth with the opening of it's 27th location in Halton Region in Milton.

EmoBridge has introduced what it claims is the world's first smart wristband for accurately tracking and analyzing daily stress levels and sleep patterns to help people live a more well-balanced, peaceful life.

iMag contains a 100 per cent naturally occurring form of magnesium chloride. Its zero stability constant makes it the most bioavailable form of the magnesium ion for humans.

Vitality Depot has launched Pain Gone, a clinically tested pen-like device that patients can use for pain management.

Length Tension Testing provides clear and comprehensive descriptions and photos for assessing flexibility and length tension in the muscles of the lower quadrant.

Brain Stars: Glia Illuminating CranioSacral Therapy by Tad Wanveer, LMBT, CST-D, has simplified the complexity of the function of glial cells within the craniosacral system. Upledger Institute International is excited to announce the release of this highly informative book.

LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services has launched JOINTstat, a diagnostic blood test for rheumatoid arthritis. The JOINTstat blood test is the first test of its kind available in Canada that aids in the early detection and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. When caught and treated early, rheumatoid arthritis outcomes can be greatly improved.

Massage therapists have a new convenient option for processing client payments. Amazon is taking direct aim at mobile payment systems such as Square by introducing the Amazon Local Register, a credit-card processing device and mobile app designed to help small business owners accept payments through their smartphones and tablets. The move places the largest U.S. e-commerce retailer in competition with Square and other established mobile payment processing systems such as PayPal Here and Intuit's GoPayment.

Massage Warehouse, providers of high quality, cost-effective massage products, announces the release of its paraben-free line of Massage FX lotions and creams. Parabens, preservatives that are quickly absorbed through the skin, have been shown to mimic the activity of estrogen in the body’s cells. Some researchers suggest that methylparaben, which is widely used in cosmetics and skin creams, may increase risk of breast cancer, or accelerate the growth of these tumors.

Dr. Chris Oswald had been practicing chiropractic in the Toronto area for 16 years when he reached a point of frustration and decided to change the game.