In Australia, remedial massage therapists are not AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) registered. A health fund compliant remedial massage therapist is registered and overseen by a professional association that requires professional standards, professional development and manages grievances with therapists.

Deep tissue massage can be an effective intervention for muscular pain, stiffness and musculoskeletal conditions such as sciatica, tension headache, neck pain and low back spasm. When choosing a massage therapist it is important to choose one who has a formal qualification such as a diploma or advanced diploma of remedial massage and is a member of a professional association such as ANTA or Massage and Myotherapy Australia.

If you have muscular pain, tension or stress – remedial massage can be very helpful. A qualified remedial massage therapist is trained to perform a comprehensive assessment locating the cause of pain. Remedial Massage is a qualification more than a style – it is a standard of knowledge around anatomy, musculoskeletal conditions and technical methods. Each therapist will have their own style and areas of expertise.

Some forms of sciatica such as piriformis syndrome or sciatica with muscle spasm respond well to remedial massage. A qualified remedial massage therapist will determine where the neural restrictions occur and work on areas that will improve nerve mobility decreasing symptoms. Muscle spasm caused by sciatica can be significantly reduced by remedial massage.

There is no evidence to suggest that remedial massage causes illness. It is conceivable that the body releases endorphins in response to intense remedial massage – these may cause light headedness and decrease blood pressure.

There is no correlation between massage and diarrhea. Diarrhea is caused by bacterium or food fluid/enzyme composition. If you are getting massage for constipation or IBS, it is conceivable that gut motility may improve from manual stimulation of the bowel – which may lead to changes in discharge.

A qualified remedial massage therapist has the skills to determine which vertebral levels are causing nerve restriction. If the nerve restriction is caused by muscle tension massage can be effective in reducing or eliminating the shooting pain.

Yes — remedial massage can be very effective for lower back pain. While there are many possible causes, this type of pain often leads to muscle spasms in the lower back and buttocks. Remedial massage helps ease those spasms, reducing discomfort and improving movement. It’s particularly beneficial for pain linked to muscular tension, as well as spasms triggered by irritation of the vertebrae, nerves, or ligaments.

A qualified remedial massage therapist can be very effective at decreasing plantar fasciopathy – especially if they are evidence based and can show you the best exercises to strengthen the plantar fascia tendon. Significant pain relief can be attained for plantar fasciitis by reducing calf tension with deep tissue massage and improving the swelling in the plantar fascia tendon with exercise.

Remedial Massage is a hands on therapeutic modality dealing with the assessment and treatment of injuries and musculoskeletal conditions. Remedial Massage is a system of measurement and analysis more than a style (as every therapist has their own massage approach).

Remedial Massage treatments affect the nervous system, muscles (and fascia), ligaments and tendons. Remedial massage is used to treat a variety of physical problems, including headaches, back pain, muscle tension, and poor posture. It is a gentle, yet effective way, to improve your overall health and well-being.

Knead massage Brisbane only uses experienced and qualified, health fund compliant remedial massage therapists.

Remedial Massage has many documented benefits including:

• Effective headache management
• Improved range of motion
• Pain relief
• Circulatory benefits
• A reduction in stress
• Sleep improvements

Remedial Massage is a hands on therapeutic modality dealing with the assessment and treatment of injuries and musculoskeletal conditions. Remedial Massage is a system of measurement and analysis more than a style (as every therapist has their own massage approach).

Remedial Massage treatments affect the nervous system, muscles (and fascia), ligaments and tendons. Remedial massage is used to treat a variety of physical problems, including headaches, back pain, muscle tension, and poor posture. It is a gentle, yet effective way, to improve your overall health and well-being.

Knead massage Brisbane only uses experienced and qualified, health fund compliant remedial massage therapists.

If you have pain from any of the following conditions Remedial Massage is useful:

• Neck pain
• Tension headache
• Pregnancy related tension
• Sciatica
• Low back pain
• Asthma (improved control of accessory breathing muscles)
• Arm pain
• Hamstring tension
• Plantar fasciitis
• Jaw pain
• Shoulder pain
• A variety of knee pains

By their nature, deep tissue massages are likely to cause discomfort – as you are applying deep physical pressure to an irritable or tight structure. In order for the brain to release the chemicals that cause the tight tissue to relax, the tissue has to feel discomfort or a small to medium amount of pain. An expert remedial massage therapist is able to communicate with you and observe you to understand what you find tolerable or even relieving.

An expert deep tissue massage is useful when you are suffering with muscle spasm, restricted movement, muscle tension, chronic muscle pain, postural pain (office work or bending the neck or back a lot), or when you are recovering from an injury.

Deep tissue massage is especially useful for chronically overworked areas of the body such as the neck and shoulders, low back or legs.

Conditions that may respond well to deep tissue massage include:

• Tension headache,Cervicogenic Headache and Migraine
• Crick neck, Wry neck, Neck stiffness
• Low Back Pain, Sciatica
• CalfStrain, Calf Tear
• Runners Knee, Jumpers Knee, patellar tendinopathy
• Plantar fasciitis

Sports massage is a branch of Remedial Massage that deals with the needs of an athlete before and after performance. The goal of a sports treatment is to improve performance through optimised tissue function and reduce injury risk and detect injury before it becomes problematic.

A qualified remedial massage therapist performing sports massage can systematically assess an individual and locate the cause of pain and dysfunction – before it becomes an injury.  Qualified therapists can be effective for the management of:

• Groin strain
• Hamstring tension
• Achilles tendinopathy
• Shin splints
• various forms of sciatica
• Tight hip flexors
• Hip bursitis/tendinopathy (Greater trochanteric pain syndrome)
• Rotator cuff tendinopathy and tears
• Calf pain
• Neck pain
• Neck and shoulder tension

The goal of Remedial Massage is to identify the cause of dysfunction or pain – and then encourage the nervous system to correct or down regulate pain (massage ultimately manipulates neurochemicals that relax overactive muscles or reduces inflammatory chemicals). Remedial massage affects muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, nerves and fascia. Usually we will see:

• an improvement in mobility
• lessened pain
• less tension
• reduction in stress

Many techniques may be used during a treatment – it depends on the type injury or pain.

Most commonly the techniques will be hands on massage type techniques such as:

• Trigger Point therapy: for relaxing trigger point pain and decreasing tight muscle tone.
• Direct Myofascial Release: for improving flexibility and mobility
• Muscle Energy Technique (MET): an activated stretch which involves the nervous system actively in the relaxation process.
• Joint mobilisation
• Nerve mobility exercises
• Dry Needling
• Myofascial inversion cupping (cuppingrelaxes taught tension through a neurochemical response to stretch)
• Corrective exercise – empowering you to take your pain away

A health fund compliant Remedial Massage treatment should start with a focussed systematic assessment and may require participation by you.

Certain types of sciatica, such as piriformis syndrome or sciatica accompanied by muscle spasms, often respond well to remedial massage. A qualified remedial massage therapist can identify where nerve restrictions are occurring and apply targeted techniques to improve nerve mobility, helping to reduce symptoms. Remedial massage can also significantly ease muscle spasms caused by sciatica, providing relief and improving comfort.

A Deep Tissue Massage performed by a qualified Remedial Massage in the early “acute” stages of muscle spasm can be a very effective way to reduce back pain.

The two most common causes of muscle spasm in low back disorders are considered mechanical issues:

• ligament strain (a tissue that connect one bone to another [usually vertebrae to vertebrae in back pain])
• or facet joint mal tracking from an unexpected position.

For both of these causes muscles will spasm in response to pain generating signals from the irritable ligament or joint.

The most common factors that lead to mechanical back pain include:

• Stiff hips – when people forward ben without enough hip movement, they must bend through the back. The spine is designed to share this load with the hips, which are the midpoint hinge of our skeleton.
• repetitive movements
• New activities in the habitually sedentary
• postural considerations (such as daily sitting)
• unstable spinal segments (often attributed to weak core strength – many causes including high body mass, pregnancy, sedentary lifestyle, recovery from injury)
• Unstable spinal segments caused by stretched spinal ligaments (most commonly associated with pregnancy)
• Overloading (lifting beyond capacity)
• Spending greater than 2 hours per day in a vehicle (vibration and excessive sitting without muscular activation to absorb force)
• Extreme leg length discrepancy (approx. 5cm difference)
• Age related change to vertebral joints, pelvis and the hips (arthritic change, modic change [oedema in the bone] and spinal stenosis)

Not all back pain is mechanical pain and should be assessed by a qualified professional such as a Myotherapist or Remedial Massage Therapist.

Lower back pain can have many different causes, and often it’s linked to tight muscles or spasms in the lower back and buttocks. Remedial massage is highly effective at easing these spasms, as well as releasing tension in the hamstrings and quadriceps that may contribute to discomfort. Your therapist can also assess and treat tight psoas muscles — a common but often overlooked factor in lower back pain.

Many forms of neck pain have a muscular origin or the cause of pain creates muscle spasm.

Remedial Massage for neck pain can often have an obvious and lasting effect on neck pain and tension – improving movement quality and range.

A qualified remedial massage therapist can assess the cause of neck pain and reduce discomfort and improve range of motion.  A remedial massage therapist reduces muscle tension and spasm using techniques such as:

• Triggerpoint therapy – locating tight angry muscle fibres and applying pressure to deactivate the triggerpoint or knot (this is a chemical process in response to the pressure).
• Myofascial release can be an easy way to improve movement and reduce pain and headache symptoms. The therapist applies a gentle but consistent sliding pressure through the muscle, which triggers nerve ending in the tissue encouraging the spine to release neurochemicals that relax muscle tone.

Many remedial massage therapists are also skilled with myofascial pressure inversion cups (cupping) and dry needling – both techniques that quickly and painlessly reduce muscle pain.

Many forms of headache originate in the upper neck.  No therapist is better qualified or experienced at stopping tension headaches than a remedial massage therapist as this is a huge amount of the problems that we see.  Usual areas of tension that cause headache include the sub occipital muscles (the base of the neck), the upper trapezius the junction of the neck and shoulder and the SCM (sternocleidomastoid) – the muscle at the front of the throat.

The benefits of pregnancy massage are well documented but the most obvious ones are:

• Decreased back pain, glute pain and calf tension
• improved sleep/decreased anxiety
• improved range of motion
• increased lymphatic flow resulting in decreased swelling
• resolution of nerve pain such as sciatica or arm symptoms

During pregnancy and the postpartum period back, neck and shoulder pain are extremely common. Multiple studies indicate a reduction in stress hormones in both the mother and child – leading to fewer premature births, higher birth weight and decreased physical discomfort in the mother.

Rubbing the plantar fascia itself is not effective at reducing plantar fasciitis symptoms for any length of time.  However releasing the muscle tension in the lower leg will usually have an immediate impact on pain reduction.

Expert plantar fasciitis massage can immediately reduce plantar fasciitis pain by reducing muscular tension in the calves which cause tension in the plantar fascia.

A remedial massage therapist can show you how to keep your calves from becoming tight again after your plantar fasciitis massage.

An expert remedial massage therapist will also show you exercises that have been scientifically validated to reduce plantar fascia pain by decreasing swelling in the plantar fascia tendon and improving the quality of the collagen that is causing the pain.

You’ve probably felt good after a massage before, however, dozens if not hundreds of studies and systematic reviews have shown significant improvements in stress measures and blood pressure reductions post massage.  A remedial massage therapist is a qualified massage therapist and is an expert at providing the treatment YOU need to feel more relaxed.  If you need to change your nervous system quickly, massage can be an excellent way to improve well-being in the short term.

Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylalgia) is a common RSI of the muscles that lift the wrist and fingers called tendinopathy (an irritation to the part of the muscle that connects it to the bone).  Remedial Massage can be useful in reducing overloaded muscles in both the forearm and in the tricep (the usual muscular causes of pain from Tennis elbow).

Tennis Elbow is caused by compression of the elbow tendons resulting in swelling.  Best practice treatment for this condition will involve some type of exercise therapy that reduces swelling in the tendon and improves the quality of the collagen that makes up the tendon.

At Knead Massage our qualified Remedial Massage Therapists will assess the cause of your elbow pain and treat pain with:

• Deep tissue massage
• Dry Needling
• Corrective exercises
• Ergonomics advice
• Kinesio tape

Many nerve restrictions (radiculopathies) will benefit from targeted massage.  Pinched nerves in the neck can often cause tingling and numbness in the arms and fingers.  Reducing muscle tone in the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), scalene muscles and upper traps can improve the mobility of a restricted nerve and decrease symptoms of tingling and numbness.

Remedial Massage can be a useful intervention to decrease shoulder pain and improve movement quality to many types of shoulder condition.  Postural dysfunction from computer and phone use can cause a habitual forward head position and slouch in the upper body, which can restrict the quality of the shoulder movement significantly.  Sporting irritations from sports such as cricket, weightlifting and boxing can also create tensions in shoulder stabilisers that cause pain.  Even rotator cuff irritations which require corrective exercises to improve such as supraspinatus tendinopathy can benefit from remedial massage work.

At Knead Massage our Clinical Myotherapists are experts at reducing jaw pain and treating TMJ pain also known as TMD.  Our Myotherapists have a special 75 minute initial appointment for TMJ (so they can accurately assess all the causes of your pain and treat both the neck and jaw), effectively reducing pain and tension in the jaw, but also removing headaches and stiffness in the neck.  Our treatments for TMJ are effective because we treat both the neck and jaw. Treating only the jaw may give temporary relief, but usually results in symptoms returning quickly.

Arthritis is a term for many inflammatory conditions that affect the joints.  Remedial massage can improve joint movement and reduce pain by improving muscle tone and decreasing spasm in the muscle, which often decreases joint pain.  For most arthritic pain a combination of exercise and muscle treatments such as massage is shown to improve quality of life.  Both interventions help reduce inflammatory chemicals that cause pain and lead to joint dysfunction.

Many types of painful hip respond well to remedial massage and muscular therapies.  Conditions such as osteoarthritis, priformis syndrome and early acetabular impingement all benefit from the improved range of motion associated with decreaserd muscle tone which is a con sequence of expert massage.

At Knead Massage Brisbane all of our therapists are qualified and able to provide health fund rebates with all Australian health funds.  A health fund compliant massage therapist has a minimum 12 month diploma and is a member of a professional association that requires professional development annually.  Our therapists range from Diploma qualifications (12-24 months) through to degree qualified clinical myotherapists (3+ years full time study).

All of our therapists are Remedial qualified or higher and able to provide health fund rebates with all Australian health funds.  You can use hicaps to make a claim in the clinic or we can provide a receipt with the provider number and you can claim directly with your health fund. If you wish to claim in clinic please bring in your health fund card or have a digital copy on your phone.

A remedial massage with cupping can be an effective way to reduce muscle pain and spasm.  The cups are placed on the muscle and a small vacuum pressure is applied, this triggers stretch receptors in the muscle which encourage the spine to release neuro-chemicals that decrease muscle tension and spasm.  The effect is relatively short lived, so applying deep tissue massage techniques immediately after results in a lasting, low pain muscle intervention.

Remedial massage therapists are an excellent choice for restricted movement, sudden onset pain, feelings of tightness in muscles and a range of headaches such as tension headache.  A physiotherapist is an excellent choice for chronic conditions that require a rehabilitation program.  A Myotherapist sits somewhere in between – providing both symptom reduction through hands on therapy, but also evidence based exercise to reduce chronic pain states.

All Remedial Massage therapists will use deep tissue techniques in their treatments. Some therapists who are not qualified may advertise themselves as Deep Tissue Therapists so it is always best to check.

You would book a Deep tissue massage if you had general tension and that tension had not been around long. Maybe you work out regularly and just need your muscles and knots worked on. Deep tissue is more general and you may get a full body deep tissue.

A Remedial treatment will be more focused on the area of pain, the therapist will not just use deep techniques, they may incorporate cupping, needling, pnf or muscle energy techniques which are gentle but very effective. Remedial therapy can help with radiating pain as well as tension. If you have sharp or radiating pain book Remedial treatments. Remedial with rarely be a full body treatment.

When making the decision between Remedial Massage and Myotherapy you need to consider a few things to make the best choice for your situation.

How long have you had the issue and has massage had an impact in the past?

If you have a chronic issue, so something that has been around for six months or longer and you have had massage but the issue has returned we would suggest Myotherapy. You either need a more detailed assessment and targeted treatment, or some corrective exercise or both.

Are you suffering radiating pain?

Radiating pain means nerves are impacted and whilst Remedial Massage therapists understand the nervous system a Myotherapist gets specifically trained in nerve pathways and in techniques to work with nerve pain.

Are you looking for symptom relief or do you want to get to the core of the issue and change it?

If you have a condition for a while then in reality a single session of massage or even myotherapy is probably not going to correct the problem. Are you prepared to have a practitioner suggest a treatment plan that will include more than one session and corrective exercise that you will need to do? If you really want to shift the issue then a different approach is required. A single session of treatment will help, but a treatment plan involving hands on therapy and easy corrective exercise will yield better results. A Myotherapist is better qualified to provide this

Chiropractic care can be helpful for sudden pain that isn’t improving with other treatments, especially when it’s coming from the ligaments in the spine. For some people, though, the relief from chiropractic adjustments may be short-lived. Remedial massage offers a different approach — 60 to 90 minutes of dedicated, hands-on care that gives your body and nervous system time to fully relax and respond. At Knead Massage, our experienced remedial massage therapists focus on getting you the best possible results in the fewest number of sessions, so you can get back to feeling your best sooner.

An Osteopath is an excellent choice for pains that originate in the ligaments and joints.  A remedial massage therapist is an excellent choice for pain that originates in the muscle.  Psychologically the type of treatment you would choose may also be guided by the amount of time you wish to be getting treatment.  Remedial massage is usually carried out over longer time frames, such as 60 or 90 minutes, whereas most Osteopaths will be working in smaller appointment block such as10-20 minutes.

Remedial Massage is a qualification level – meaning that this therapist has training that complies with the professional standards of an Australian Massage Therapist.  Sports massage is a style of massage that is tailored to either before or after sporting events or training.  Sports massage is commonly used by the general population to indicate that they are after a massage that addresses pain or injury.  At Knead Massage all of our therapists are qualified and health fund compliant, with high levels of anatomical knowledge.  Many of our therapists work extensively with sporting populations.

Deep tissue massage is a good type of massage style to ask for if you feel like y ou have tight muscles, neck tension or wish to improve movement quality.  Swedish massage is generally a type of relaxing massage which helps nurture the spirit as well as the body.  A qualified remedial massage therapist is usually an expert at combining Swedish techniques with deep tissue techniques to create a flowing yet effective treatment for the person in front of them. 

Remedial massage therapists are an excellent choice for restricted movement, sudden onset pain, feelings of tightness in muscles, and a range of headaches such as tension headaches. A physiotherapist is an excellent choice for chronic conditions that require a rehabilitation program. A Myotherapist offers the best of both worlds — hands-on treatment to ease your symptoms, along with tailored, evidence-based exercises to support lasting relief from chronic pain.

The decision to choose remedial massage or Myotherapy depends on several factors:

• Is your condition responding to massage?
• How chronic is your condition?
• Does your condition require advanced techniques such as electro needling, corrective exercise or low level laser?
• Do you prefer hands on techniques only?

A qualified remedial massage therapist should be able to assess and prescribe exercise for conditions such as tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis – however, a myotherapist is a degree qualified clinician who is both an expert at hands on manual therapy and exercise therapies.

A chiropractor can be an excellent choice for acute pain that is not responding to other modalities and for pain that originates in the ligaments of the spine.  However, there are a percentage of people who find that chiropractic adjustments provide a relatively short term benefit.  A Remedial Massage is usually 60-90 minutes of focused time, which allows your nervous system to gradually accept tissue change from the treatment.

At Knead Massage our qualified Remedial Massage therapists take pride in delivering exceptional outcomes in the fewest possible sessions.

These are two distinct qualifications and approaches – a remedial massage therapist does not provide Myotherapy treatments, but a myotherapist may use massage techniques.

The decision to choose remedial massage or Myotherapy depends on several factors:

• Is your condition responding to massage?
• How chronic is your condition?
• Does your condition require advanced techniques such as electro needling, corrective exercise or low level laser?
• Do you prefer hands on techniques only?

A qualified remedial massage therapist should be able to assess and prescribe exercise for conditions such as tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis – however, a myotherapist is a degree qualified clinician who is both an expert at hands on manual therapy and exercise therapies.

Both remedial massage and dry needling can be very effective techniques at reducing muscle tension and many pain states.  Combining dry needling with massage can deliver a powerful reduction in muscle tone without significant pain.  At Knead massage many of our therapists are highly qualified and experienced with dry needling and also combining dry needling with massage.  To book a combination treatment request it when you book or using the online booking system select dry needling combos.

Deep tissue massage is a technique that a qualified remedial massage therapist uses.  There is very little risk of injury when deep tissue massage is performed by a suitably qualified individual such as a remedial massage therapist.

Shopping centre massage therapists have a wide range of qualification levels and offer “deep tissue massage” – the risk level of injury is significantly higher in this therapy population.

Remedial massage therapists are an excellent choice for restricted movement, sudden onset pain, feelings of tightness in muscles and a range of headaches such as tension headache.  A physiotherapist is an excellent choice for chronic conditions that require a rehabilitation program.  A myotherapist sits somewhere in between – providing both symptom reduction through hands on therapy, but also evidence based exercise to reduce chronic pain states.

Remedial Massage is a qualification level – meaning that this therapist has training that complies with the professional standards of an Australian Massage Therapist.  Sports massage is a style of massage that is tailored to either before or after sporting events or training.  Sports massage is commonly used by the general population to indicate that they are after a massage that addresses pain or injury.  At Knead Massage all of our therapists are qualified and health fund compliant, with high levels of anatomical knowledge.  Many of our therapists work extensively with sporting populations.

Remedial Massage is a qualification level – meaning that this therapist has training that complies with the professional standards of an Australian Massage Therapist.  A remedial massage therapist can work using techniques associated with Thai massage.  Thai massage is a style of massage that is generally a type of deep tissue massage with flow.

Remedial Massage is a qualification level – meaning that this therapist has training that complies with the professional standards of an Australian Massage Therapist.  “Normal” massage is a pretty subjective term, but might mean relaxing or deep tissue massage techniques. At Knead Massage all of our therapists are qualified and health fund compliant, with high levels of anatomical knowledge.  All of our therapists are expert at both therapeutic massage and more specific techniques such as sports massage, Swedish massge, triggerpoint massage, deep tissue massage, lymphatic massage, pregnancy massage.  We do not walk on people.  But that is probably not normal massage for most people.

Remedial Massage is a qualification level – meaning that this therapist has training that complies with the professional standards of an Australian Massage Therapist.  Massage therapy is a general term, but might mean relaxing or deep tissue massage techniques. At Knead Massage all of our therapists are qualified and health fund compliant, with high levels of anatomical knowledge.  All of our therapists are expert at both therapeutic massage and more specific techniques such as sports massage, Swedish massge, triggerpoint massage, deep tissue massage, lymphatic massage, pregnancy massage.

remedial massage vs myotherapy

The decision to choose remedial massage or Myotherapy depends on several factors:

• Is your condition responding to massage?
• How chronic is your condition?
• Does your condition require advanced techniques such as electro needling, corrective exercise or low level laser?
• Do you prefer hands on techniques only?

A qualified remedial massage therapist should be able to assess and prescribe exercise for conditions such as tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis – however, a myotherapist is a degree qualified clinician who is both an expert at hands on manual therapy and exercise therapies.

Remedial massage focuses often on a few specific areas of pain and discomfort and can use a variety of hands on techniques along with dry needling and cupping depending on the therapist you book with. Remedial also involves assessment to determine the muscles and structures affected and as a way of creating a treatment plan for the session.

Swedish massage will often either not involve assessment or the assessment will be more superficial. Both Remedial and Swedish will use kneading and effleurage but Swedish will often be a full body treatment and pressure will not be as firm as Remedial. Swedish does flush the lymphatics and improve circulation due to the longer flowing strokes and the purpose is to create the relaxation response in the nervous system. Choose Swedish if you are stressed, tired and generally tight and Remedial if you have pain especially if it is reoccurring.

Remedial massage is a qualification more than a style, however a Remedial Massage Therapist is a good choice if you feel like you have tight muscles, neck tension or wish to improve movement quality.  Relaxation massage is generally a type light superficial pressure massage which helps nurture the spirit as well as the body.  A qualified remedial massage therapist is usually an expert at combining relaxation techniques with deep tissue techniques to create a flowing yet effective treatment for the person in front of them.