Osteopathy: Coming to Back At It

Introducing Osteopathically-Informed Massage

Imagine the possibilities when a skilled massage therapist decides to embark on a new journey by pursuing education in osteopathy. The decision of Back At It’s Massage Therapist, Katherine Cousineau, to pursue education in osteopathy is a testament to her dedication to providing the best possible care for her clients. The unique blend of massage therapy techniques and osteopathic principles brings numerous benefits, including enhanced assessment abilities, a holistic treatment approach, an expanded range of techniques, a deeper understanding of pathologies, and collaborative opportunities. By merging these two disciplines, Katherine becomes a well-rounded practitioner capable of addressing clients’ needs from multiple angles, ultimately leading to improved overall health and well-being. 

Katherine’s receipts will be for Massage Therapy (until she graduates) so that all treatments can be used for insurance and direct billing.

This treatment can only be booked at our Canmore Downtown Location HERE

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a style of hands-on treatment that uses gentle mobilizations and soft tissue release to restore mobility and fluid flow within the body. Osteopaths use their hands to treat all kinds of things, like mobility of joints, position of organs and motility of muscles and fascia. They believe that getting good blood supply and drainage to all parts of the body is of vital importance, and that if we have circulation, then we have health. 

What should I wear to an appointment?

Comfortable, stretchy clothing that allows you to move is the best. Ideally not clothing that is very structured with lots of thick seams or pockets (e.g. jeans).

I heard that it’s kind of…witchy.

It’s not. It can seem that way sometimes because we use lighter touch and treat things that seem far away from the area of concern. It’s important to understand that in our culture, we have a bias towards looking at our bodies as being a series of separate parts that interact only slightly. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We are alive, single units of completely interconnected fascia. We are not furniture! And so through that lens, it doesn’t seem so strange that an osteopath would treat a person’s foot in order to help their migraines.

Additionally, it must be understood that our culture tells us that the only way that a treatment can be therapeutic is if it’s painful. Although there is a time and a place for that kind of thing (old scar tissue, adhesions), we invite you to consider that your fascia is also a major organ of communication. It coordinates your movements and distributes force. That’s why a lighter touch can reach deeper structures, and bypasses the body’s protective reflex spasm.

What is osteopathically-informed massage, and why should I choose it?

Osteopathically-informed massage  is a blended treatment where 30% of the treatment (about 15 minutes of a 60 minute treatment) is done clothed and consists of osteopathic techniques and assessments  and the remaining portion of the treatment is a standard Swedish massage. 

Why should you try it? Because it’s incredibly effective. Because it allows Katherine to treat not only the muscles but also the bones, viscera, ligaments and deep fascia. Osteopathy is both gentle and powerful, and is beautifully respectful of the more subtle aspects of our physiology.