Carl Berry, RMT, CHT
There are approximately 650 muscles in the human body which account for up to half of the overall weight of the body. Muscles give the body shape and form. Muscles move it and support it. Muscles contain and protect most of the blood vessels, and provide the bulk of the raw material for a complex system of chemical interactions allowing it to function and persist through time. Muscles contract and relax automatically, all day, every day, moving fluids vital to the maintenance of life.
Understanding this upon considering a career in health care led me to examine a great deal more closely, what was and remains to be perhaps the most understated medical field. Massage Therapy specializes in the treatment of the muscles and connective tissues of the body. The implications of this, considering how much of the body is composed of muscles and connective tissue are vast and yet the Massage Therapy field as a whole remains surprisingly unacknowledged as a formally legitimate medical profession. I found this to be highly intriguing and so I decided to look into the matter more deeply.
What I came to realize, following the completion of my schooling and the beginning of my practice, is that the field as a whole is really only just on the cusp of change as the scientific community continues to re-examine its implications in the restoration and maintenance of health, as well as its role in the medical community. For myself, as a Registered Massage Therapist, this means being a part of something very exciting and intellectually captivating, while at the same time being part of a medical field devoted to compassionate, attentive, patient-centered health care. For my patients, as well as for myself, this means a better quality of life.
Education and Professional Development
As a graduate of the Advanced 2200 hour Massage Therapy Diploma program of the Professional Institute of Massage Therapy, I am well versed in Gross Anatomy, Systems Anatomy and Neurobiology, Physiology, Pathophysiology, Pathology, Kinesiology, Nutrition, Orthopedic Assessment and analysis, Remedial Exercise, and Hydrotherapy.
I am formally trained in all of the classic Swedish Massage Techniques as well as Myofascial Release, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Joint Play, Low Velocity Mobilization Techniques and Fascilitated Stretching, including proprioceptive neuromuscular fascilitation (PNF stretching).
I have also taken specialized training in Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), Myofascial Cupping (Vacuum Therapy), as well as Integrated Massage Therapy and Sports Massage Therapy.
I began my career working in a multi-disciplinary clinical setting for several years, during which time I developed my skills and practice management, gaining valuable experience treating a wide variety of different conditions as well as working with a very diverse patient base.
Having the desire for more involvement in the management of my practice as well as the desire to work in a more independent atmosphere led me to make the move to On Track Massage Therapy in the Saskatoon Fieldhouse, where I met and worked alongside my current partners with whom I proudly opened New Leaf Kinetic Arts, our own clinic located in the heart of downtown Saskatoon.
I am registered through the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS).
I am formally trained in all of the classic Swedish Massage Techniques as well as Myofascial Release, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Joint Play, Low Velocity Mobilization Techniques and Fascilitated Stretching, including proprioceptive neuromuscular fascilitation (PNF stretching).
I have also taken specialized training in Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM), Myofascial Cupping (Vacuum Therapy), as well as Integrated Massage Therapy and Sports Massage Therapy.
I began my career working in a multi-disciplinary clinical setting for several years, during which time I developed my skills and practice management, gaining valuable experience treating a wide variety of different conditions as well as working with a very diverse patient base.
Having the desire for more involvement in the management of my practice as well as the desire to work in a more independent atmosphere led me to make the move to On Track Massage Therapy in the Saskatoon Fieldhouse, where I met and worked alongside my current partners with whom I proudly opened New Leaf Kinetic Arts, our own clinic located in the heart of downtown Saskatoon.
I am registered through the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS).
Clinical Approach
As the majority of my continuing education has been focused on refining and deepening my knowledge of anatomy though continued study in the University of Saskatchewan cadaver labs, my approach to treatment is as a result, based largely upon an anatomical perspective.
Because the majority of musculoskeletal system is symmetrical, and because that symmetry normally maintains an equal distribution of the tension and load placed upon the bones and joints of the body, dysfunction and pain can generally be said to occur as a result of muscular asymmetry and the compensatory postural asymmetry which follows.
For example, if the muscles on the right side of your neck become tighter and thus shorter than those on the left side of your neck, greater tension and load will be placed upon one side of the spine, forcing the joints to stop moving properly. When this happens, the problem only worsens with time as the muscles spasm to protect the joints by stopping their movement all together. The difficulty with this, however, is that as some muscles spasm, the movement of other muscles is restricted leading to the eventual dysfunction of the joints which they are designed to support and move. As a result, soon the problem that began at the neck has led to problems at the shoulder and lower back and even the elbow and wrist.
From a treatment perspective, what this means is that it is not enough to simply reduce pain. If the muscular and postural symmetry is not restored, the process causing the pain will not be halted. The adhesions, contractures, spasms and fibrosis may be removed or resolved, relieving pain and restoring strength and length, but if the issue is not approached in such a way as to cause postural change toward the restoration of symmetry, the problem will continue to return, perhaps even for years.
Because the majority of musculoskeletal system is symmetrical, and because that symmetry normally maintains an equal distribution of the tension and load placed upon the bones and joints of the body, dysfunction and pain can generally be said to occur as a result of muscular asymmetry and the compensatory postural asymmetry which follows.
For example, if the muscles on the right side of your neck become tighter and thus shorter than those on the left side of your neck, greater tension and load will be placed upon one side of the spine, forcing the joints to stop moving properly. When this happens, the problem only worsens with time as the muscles spasm to protect the joints by stopping their movement all together. The difficulty with this, however, is that as some muscles spasm, the movement of other muscles is restricted leading to the eventual dysfunction of the joints which they are designed to support and move. As a result, soon the problem that began at the neck has led to problems at the shoulder and lower back and even the elbow and wrist.
From a treatment perspective, what this means is that it is not enough to simply reduce pain. If the muscular and postural symmetry is not restored, the process causing the pain will not be halted. The adhesions, contractures, spasms and fibrosis may be removed or resolved, relieving pain and restoring strength and length, but if the issue is not approached in such a way as to cause postural change toward the restoration of symmetry, the problem will continue to return, perhaps even for years.
