about nancy harris, rmt
Whether you want to decrease stress, pain, recover from injury or maintain your health, Nancy will work with you towards achieving your goals and provide you with appropriate home-care to help strengthen, restore muscle balance, and prevent future injury.
After experiencing the benefits of Massage Therapy for her own injuries and having an administrative role alongside a team of RMTs, Nancy developed a passion for Massage Therapy and pursued her career as a health care practitioner. She is a graduate of Okanagan Valley College of Massage Therapy.
Since her diagnosis with stage 3 breast cancer in 2009, Nancy has wanted to give back to her community and contribute towards making a positive difference in peoples’ health care. Given her experience with cancer treatment, she brings a high-level of empathy to the treatment room and as a therapist, Nancy is a strong advocate for patient-centered care. She understands the complexities of illness and injury and strives to provide a safe space for her patients.
Nancy utilizes a variety of treatment modalities including myofascial release, trigger point therapy, neuromuscular therapy, muscle stripping, joint mobilizations, facilitated stretching and Swedish massage.
what's the hype about hygge?
Pronounced "hue-guh," this Danish concept cannot be translated to one single word but encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life.
This national obsession with all things cozy is credited as one of the reasons why Denmark is always at the top of the list of the world's happiest countries.
hyg·ge \ ˈhyü-gə
noun
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a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).
"why not follow the Danish example and bring more hygge into your daily life?"
Nancy's mother and grandparents moved to Canada from Denmark in 1954. Nancy has always felt a strong kinship with her Danish roots. Their history, culture and open-minded view on life - "It's the Dane in me that I like most about myself."
With life's daily stressors, it's important to take time for yourself. Escape, one hour at a time!
about massage therapy
Massage therapy, one of the earliest tools practiced to relieve pain in most cultures throughout history, is used to promote relaxation, maintain general wellness, and help manage or recover from various injuries and conditions.
Massage Therapy includes many techniques. The most common form of massage therapy in Western countries is Swedish or classical massage. Other styles include sports massage and clinical massage aimed at specific goals such as releasing muscle spasms and recovering from soft tissue injuries.
Some of the physical benefits of massage therapy include:
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reduced muscle tension
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improved circulation
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stimulation of the lymphatic system
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relaxation and reduction of stress hormones
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increased joint mobility and flexibility
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improved recovery of soft tissue injuries
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reduced anxiety and depression
Some conditions treated and managed with massage therapy include:
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subacute/chronic muscle pain
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delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
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headaches & migraines
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stress, anxiety and depression
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soft tissue injuries
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insomnia
massage for physical & mental health
swedish massage
Swedish massage techniques are the most common soft tissue manipulations employed through massage therapy. It is designed to relax the body and release muscle tension.
Swedish massage may also be beneficial for increasing the level of oxygen in the blood, decreasing muscle toxins, improving circulation and flexibility, pain management, stress reduction, and injury rehabilitation.
depression & massage therapy
Research has found evidence supporting that massage therapy can provide mental health benefits and, although it may not cure clinical depression, it may help ease feelings of depression and relieve the physical symptoms associated with it.
Touch releases hormones in your body that create a sense of emotional connection. Massage may help calm your mind, improve your mood and sleep, as well as ease physical aches and pains often associated with depression.
massage effects study
A study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that Swedish massage resulted in decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. Volunteers also had increases in the number of white blood cells that are part of the immune system, and a boost in the immune cells that may help fight colds and the flu.
some massage therapy modalities
trigger point release
Trigger points are hyperirritable spots in a taut band of skeletal muscle which produce pain locally and/or in a referred pattern. Trigger point therapy is a bodywork technique that involves the application of pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction. It may also be called myofascial (myo meaning muscle, fascial meaning connective tissue) trigger point therapy.
Trigger point therapy is sometimes regarded as one of a group of treatment approaches called neuromuscular therapy or NMT.
neuromuscular therapy
Neuromuscular Therapy is a form of soft tissue manipulation to treat underlying causes of chronic pain by addressing trigger points, circulation, nerve compression, and postural and biomechanical issues that are often caused by repetitive movement injuries.
Digital pressure and friction are used to release areas of strain in a muscle.
myofascial release
Myofascial release is a manipulative treatment that attempts to release tension in the fascia due to trauma, posture, or inflammation. Connective tissues called fascia surround the muscles, bones, nerves, and organs of the body. Points of restriction in the fascia can place a great deal of pressure on nerves and muscles causing chronic pain.
Practitioners of myofascial release employ long stretching strokes meant to balance tissue and muscle mechanics and improve joint range of motion in order to relieve pain.
pnf stretching
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (or PNF) is an advanced type of flexibility therapy. PNF is built on a series of exercises that focus on stretching; first contracting then relaxing, stiff or painful muscles in the body.
PNF is very effective when it comes to improving flexibility, strength and range of motion in a damaged or stiff muscle. It's often used to treat lower back, neck and shoulder pain associated with poor posture.
muscle stripping
Stripping strokes are one of the many massage techniques that therapists use everyday. This technique involves the application of slow, deep, gliding pressure along the length of the muscle fibers. Stripping strokes release and elongate tightened muscle and fascia, flush the muscles with fresh blood, and erase trigger points. Stripping strokes are performed using the elbow, forearm, knuckles and thumb. The elbow and forearm are used for larger muscles; knuckles and thumbs are used for detail work and smaller muscles.
joint mobilizations
Joint mobilization, performed by a massage therapist, is a gentle and safe alternative to joint manipulation, performed by a chiropractor. Joint mobilization is done when a bone, or individual vertebrae, is moved in order to release painful tension, stiffness, chronic pain, and in some cases to improve the range of motion of a joint. Joint mobilizations consist of joint play, traction and gliding mobilizations.