She opened up in the second week of November 2020, right when Code Red hit. Morrison said when the coronavirus first settled in a year ago, they were shut down while she was practicing in Brandon. They were initially pooled with hairdressers, but their association fought to have them seen in the same light as physiotherapists. This way, they did not get shut down last fall. Morrison said she is always washing anyway; there is a lot of cleaning and mask wearing. When someone is face down, they do not have to mask up, but she does at all times. There is a lengthy gap between appointment times, and clients do not wait in the office before or after. Morrison added the people themselves are great at taking responsibility for the situation.
“Everyone is very transparent, so awesome about it. If they have a kid with the sniffles, they call and cancel. Everyone here or in Brandon has been great about it.”
Massage can be used for a variety of purposes, from simple relaxation to solving a serious problem. Morrison said she does relaxation massage, but is often more involved in treating an injury or longstanding issue.
“I specialize in deep tissue massage,” she explained. “What I see mostly are injury-based problems, a lot of postural things.”
Due to its intensity in trying to solve problems, deep tissue massage can hurt. One has to remember what the term “deep” means. Morrison said she would only do as much as the patient can handle and what their needs are. The treatment might be aggressive, but she can adapt the pressure. As well, she sometimes will advise a client they do need to go deeper to fully benefit from the treatment.
Morrison said she does a lot of movement based therapy. One of these is called a RAPID NeuroFascial Reset Massage. It is a soft tissue massage that deals with the central nervous system and helps alleviate pain. Morrison said she started doing this about a year ago. They want to get the fascia, the connected tissue under the skin that attaches and separates muscles and organs, to relax. Sometimes the body is trapped in pain and dysfunction.
“This helps tell the body it is okay to move in a certain way.”
Morrison does not diagnose, but works on issues like rotator cuff injuries, back problems, stiff necks, migraines, knee injuries. Often, a problem is not strictly in the area where the pain is. Massages can ferret this out and treat what needs treating.
She said most people come to her on their own with a problem, although some are referred by a physiotherapist or chiropractor.
Morrison uses low light and music to relax patients, to put them in the right mood when the treatment begins.
Right now she is busy enough she is booking appointments a month into the future. There are a lot of clients from Boissevain, and some are coming from Killarney and as far away as Reston. Morrison added her Brandon people love it, as they stop over at Boissevain Bakery when they are done. Some patients are long term; people who have made regular massage a part of their life, whereas some just come once.
Morrison is happy with her home, office and they way her business has developed. She wants to build her relationships with other businesses in Boissevain and the other health care providers. Many have made massage a part of their health lifestyle and Morrison knows this is important.
“When you are in a chair all day, you have to complement that,” she explained. “It is not necessarily massage, but you have to counteract that. People like getting a massage and feeling good.”
by PAUL RAYNER
Recorder staff