What to expect from your first remedial massage appointment at Simple Wellness

If you have never had a treatment with us before and are wondering what it is all about, let’s explore things step by step here and hopefully answer some of your questions to allow you to feel more confident in making your booking, and at ease with the process once you arrive.

PAPERWORK

If you have made your booking online, you will have received a confirmation email & text with a link for you to complete our new patient form. This information is necessary for us to be able to proceed with your treatment. The more information you can provide on this form, the more we are able to take into consideration your holistic health and tailor your treatment accordingly. We currently offer 30 min, 50 min, 60 min and 80 min appointments. Prices can vary depending on the therapist. See “Treatments & Bookings” page on our website for current prices.

If you have not been able to access this form to complete online, when you come in for your appointment you will be given a paper form to complete with your contact details. This form will also allow you to choose whether you consent to other methods used in the clinic such as dry needling, cupping & taping. These will generally not form part of your Remedial Massage treatment, however if you are referred to or choose to see one of our Myotherapists these may be techniques our Myos find beneficial for you.

CONSULTATION
Once the paperwork is complete you will be taken through to the treatment room by your therapist. You can take a seat on the chair provided, and your therapist will sit with you and begin the consultation.
If we have your completed online form, we will reference this to begin asking you questions regarding your reasons for coming in for a treatment. 
Here we will discuss what you would like to address in the treatment, explain any symptoms you are experiencing and let us know what your treatment goals are.

We will ask you questions specific to your symptoms to gain more information to devise a treatment plan for you for the session. This may include performing some passive or active physical assessment tests to ascertain how you're moving and if there is any restriction in your range of movement and other conditions we can test for. We will explain what the treatment will entail, which areas of your body we will be focusing on, how much to undress for the treatment, and how the draping will work. We will ask for your informed consent about our plan for your care and if there is anything you would like to add or omit before consenting to the treatment. Keeping in mind that we will be prioritising your main concerns first.

We will give you clear instructions on how to get safely on and off the table and how to change positions. Once the consultation is complete, we will leave the room for a couple of minutes to enable you to remove the clothing required and place yourself on the treatment table, covering any exposed areas with the towel provided. 

We will knock on the door, ensure you are ready and under the towel on the table and we will come back into the room to commence the treatment.

TREATMENT
We are here to ensure that you are as comfortable as you can be while receiving your Remedial Massage. Please always communicate with us if something doesn’t feel right, or if you’d like to change position on the table before starting or at any time during the session.

Sometimes a change of position is needed to access different muscle groups or to perform certain techniques. We suggest moving and changing positions carefully and mindfully so you can settle into the new position easily, letting us know if you are needing support to do so. 

We will maintain adequate draping throughout your entire treatment, we usually only need to reveal the part of the body we are targeting then we cover you back up before moving on. If at any stage you feel comfortable or cold you may request to be covered back up or add extra layers of coverage. 

For some treatments you may not need to remove any clothing, and for some you may wish to have the minimal amount of clothes so that we are able to make direct contact with your skin. Again you are in control of how comfortable you feel with your level of undress. We can work through clothes in certain circumstances. You will however always be asked to keep underwear on at all times.

During the treatment, you will be asked for pressure feedback. This is to ensure that you are able to comfortably tolerate the amount of pressure being used on your body. Every therapist is different and has variable pressure and techniques that might feel new to your body. You are the one who is always in control. You are free to let us know at any time if you would like to change the pressure for different muscle groups.

Firm pressure doesn’t necessarily equate to better outcomes for you. There are many techniques that your therapist can use to help you achieve great results, and they may not all feel deep or firm at the time. We are well trained and experienced in our field, and no matter what we do or don’t do in your treatment, we can’t predict for sure how your body will respond. It’s our first job to ensure that we do not cause you any harm and then to assist your body to heal and repair itself. We are not the healers, your body is the healer. We will support your wellbeing and help facilitate the recovery process. 

We will often give you some suggestions to further support your wellbeing and recovery at home. These may come in the form of exercises, stretches, and homecare advice that we believe will continue the work we have begun in your Remedial Massage treatment.

CONCLUSION
At the conclusion of your Remedial Massage, we will leave the room again giving you a few moments to get up and re-dress. We will then come back into the room once you are ready and reassess how you are feeling after your treatment. You may be required to repeat an assessment test as you performed before treatment to see if there is any immediate improvement in your range of motion. Please tell us if you are feeling at all unwell, dizzy or lightheaded once you arise from your treatment - this isn’t unusual as you move from laying down to standing up, and usually resolves quickly. We advise that you sit for a few moments before standing up, take your time to reground yourself before leaving the clinic. 

We will join you in the reception area to complete the payment and any private health insurance claims you may be eligible for. We have a HICAPS terminal for your convenience, so you can claim your treatment on the spot and simply pay the gap payment. Contact your health fund if you are unsure whether you can claim for Remedial Massage. This is usually an extras cover, and individual health funds vary as to how much they will cover for your Massage. 

You will be offered to rebook your next Remedial Massage appointment again before you leave, locking in the time, date and the therapist of your choice. As we are a busy clinic this is a great option to ensure you have your next appointment booked before you leave so you don’t forget, or miss out on following up with your preferred therapist. However if you prefer to book yourself in online at a later time, we have a very user friendly booking system that you can access anytime and choose what we have available. Keep in mind that we might not always be able to accommodate you on short notice, so booking ahead is highly recommended.

I hope this has given you more of an understanding of how we work and what your typical Remedial Massage treatment at our clinic may consist of. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about your specific needs and conditions. 

Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or give us a call on 03 8204 0970. 

Be well.

Jacqui Mulholland 
Remedial Massage Therapist