RMTAO Blog
Tammy's Story
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After 61-year-old retired Registered Nurse Tammy heard about the potential benefits of massage therapy for her osteoarthritis from a coworker, she never looked back! She has been receiving regular massage therapy for nearly a decade and it has helped her with a wide range of issues including osteoarthritis, the physical symptoms of anxiety, and occasional bouts of tendonitis including past issues with frozen shoulder.
Tammy believes that massage therapy has had a big impact on her overall quality of life, and helps her keep participating in her regular activities.
“Because I don’t drive, I get around by walking and taking public transit, so regular massage has been crucial for me,” Tammy said. “It keeps my arthritis in check so that I can continue to enjoy my normal activities of daily living.”
Tammy also has anxiety, and she finds that massage therapy has been very beneficial for coping with her anxiety symptoms.
“Massage therapy helps relax me so that I’m not feeling quite so uptight,” Tammy said. “I usually also get a pretty good night’s sleep the day I’ve had a massage.”
Although Tammy is no longer working, she found massage therapy very helpful to deal with the physical demands of her nursing job. She did bedside nursing, which is particularly physically demanding.
“Massage helped me with my body mechanics in bending and lifting, and since I spent a lot of time on my feet, it also helped decrease the pain in my hips, knees and feet,” Tammy said. Although she is now retired, Tammy feels that massage therapy helped her work for two years longer than she otherwise would have. She also feels that her regular massage therapy treatments have positively affected all aspects of her life.
“Without massage therapy, I’m sure my quality of life wouldn’t be as good, because I’d likely be in more pain from my arthritis, which in turn would cause increased stress and anxiety,” Tammy said.
Tammy thinks that massage therapy can have significant benefits for a variety of people, and that anyone considering massage therapy should meet with an RMT to discuss the benefits of massage therapy and to build a rapport. She is thankful that she chose to begin massage therapy all those years ago, and hopes others will have similar opportunities.
“I will be forever grateful for the massage therapists who have helped keep me healthy over the past several years,” Tammy said.