Meet Nicole
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As a Dental Hygienist, Nicole keeps people smiling. She's still smiling after 36 years in her physically demanding career thanks to massage therapy.
Nicole, who has been a Registered Dental Hygienist for over 36 years, has been seeing an RMT on a regular basis almost just as long, in part due to the repetitive strain that her job places on her body.
As a Dental Hygienist, she has to be hunched over in uncomfortable positions for significant periods of time and use intricate tools repetitively. This has led to repetitive strain injuries affecting her wrist, shoulder, neck, back and hips. Massage therapy has helped her to be able to continue in her career.
“Massage therapy helps my body to heal, and restore its equilibrium,” she said.
After Nicole fractured her right elbow in 2017, she was concerned about her recovery, and particularly about her ability to continue working. She ended up with atrophy and weakness in her right arm from lack of use, and she turned to massage therapy for help.
“Massage therapy was one of the modalities that enabled me to return to work after my 6 week recovery which is phenomenal considering it was my dominant side,” Nicole explained.
Nicole has turned to massage therapy after many accidents and injuries. After a minor car accident several years ago, massage therapy made a significant difference in her recovery.
“I was able to continue working, albeit in pain from the whiplash, and [massage therapy] accelerated my recovery,” Nicole said. “Over time, I was able to reduce my need for anti-inflammatories.”
She views massage therapy as a way to help her body improve or maintain its strength, maintain mobility and decrease strength. She recognized long ago the importance of massage therapy for her overall health and wellness.
“I learned long ago that continuing with therapeutic massage therapy was necessary to prolong my career, and I view it as a proactive way for a healthier lifestyle,” she explained.
Nicole also has arthritis, and finds massage therapy to be a great way to manage both her musculoskeletal pain and arthritic condition. She finds the individualized attention from from her RMT to be particularly helpful.
Nicole added, “Massage therapy helps me maintain my mobility. The massage therapist provides insight on specific exercises, stretches or other recommendations for different problem areas.”
Not only does massage therapy keep Nicole working and earning an income, but it also helps her continue to participate in activities she loves.
Whether it’s playing with her grandkids, gardening, carpentry, painting, or tackling various projects around the house massage therapy helps Nicole stay active. She sees her RMT about every two weeks and plans to continue as long as possible.