Amber Chenier, RMT
2 Hemlo Drive, Marathon Centre Mall P0T 2E0 Marathon, ON, Canada

Good morning! This is a reminder to please do the following at all future appointments. These rules have been implemented since the beginning, however, not always followed by the public. This is especially true with arriving as close to your appointment as possible to avoid overlap of clients, since my office space is small. This allows me enough time to clean, sanitize, disinfect and changeover the treatment room. This also goes for wearing your mask throughout your treatme...nt. You are not allowed to remove or lower your mask while laying facedown on the treatment table. You MUST wear your mask properly, covering your nose and mouth, throughout your entire stay in my office. Also, at the moment, I am unable to accept new clients as my current caseload is completely full. If you are interested in being placed on a waiting list, feel free to contact with me your name and your preferred method of contact. For returning clients, if you would like an appointment, please contact me through email, as my office is locked and not available to the public for casually walking in/out. Thank you for understanding. Be well and healthy. -Amber [email protected]

As I have spent the last week preparing my office for a safe and successful return to practice, there are a few changes that I have decided to make, alongside previously stated adjustments. - I will be taking fewer clients per day due to the mandatory time increase between treatments. - Due to Covid-19 re-opening regulations, I have extra costs associated with mandatory personal protective equipment and supplies. Consequently, there will be a $5.00 increase per trea...tment. - For the time being, there will be no 60-minute treatment. - During this time, there will be no online booking. I require a brief email, phone call or text message with a description of your clinical needs and state of health. I will prioritize appointments and set the frequency of treatment based on those current clinical needs and your state of health. - You are required to remain in your vehicle until no more than 2 minutes before your scheduled treatment. The office door will remain locked until the treatment space is ready for your visit. - You are required to fill out a Pre Treatment Covid Screening form online, which can be found at the bottom of the appointment confirmation email. - You will be required to wear a mask throughout your visit. - At this time, cash will not be accepted. Debit tap and e-transfer are the only accepted methods of payments. - Hand sanitization is required upon entering and exiting the office as well as the treatment space. - There will be no access to seating in the waiting area at this time. I look forward to seeing you again! Thank you for your continued patience and understanding while I prepare for reopening and navigate through all the new procedures and requirements. I am currently still waiting for necessary supplies, which leaves my official date of return imminent. Have a wonderful weekend! :) Amber Chenier

Please take the time to thoroughly read through my entire previous announcement. I do not have an official opening date until everything is set in order. That might take days to weeks. I will not be making appointments until I have an official date. ... For the meantime, I am creating a wait list and will analyze it and attempt to schedule clients in order of demonstrated clinical need. You can contact me so that I can put your name on the list, but I cannot schedule an appointment at this time. Thank you for understanding. -Amber

Please take the time to thoroughly read through my entire previous announcement. I do not have an official opening date until everything is set in order. That might take days to weeks. I will not be making appointments until I have an official date. ... For the meantime, I am creating a wait list and will analyze it and attempt to schedule clients in order of demonstrated clinical need. You can contact me so that I can put your name on the list, but I cannot schedule an appointment at this time. Thank you for understanding. -Amber

In regards to recent updates, the Ontario Government has given permission to all health care providers to begin providing services once again. This includes Registered Massage Therapists. Thank you for your patience over the last few months. I have missed you all and look forward to resuming practice in the near future. However, your health and safety is and always has been my number one priority. I must carefully continue to take all necessary steps and procedures in order t...Continue reading

To my clients and the community of Marathon, I wanted to take a moment to check in. My office remains closed as of March 16, 2020. In the meantime, my line of communication is open, so please do not hesitate to contact me to ask questions or to simply have a conversation. Thank you to all the frontline workers within our community. Your work is truly valued and appreciated. ... Thank you to the Wilson Memorial General Hospital Staff and Marathon Family Health Team for going to work every day while working exceptionally long hours. Thank you for taking time away from your family and loved ones, so that our community remains healthy and safe. Thank you for preparing well in advance for unprecedented times. We appreciate all the valuable information given to the community throughout these weeks as it serves to keep us in the loop and ultimately eases community stress and fear. We are blessed to have local doctors onsite and hardworking Nurses. Thank you to Gus and Arlene at Sirards Your Independent Grocer who work day in and day out to keep our shelves stocked with food. Thank you to all the grocery store workers who continue to work for the community. Thank you to everyone at IDA Pharmacy for keeping the community stocked with essential medication. Thank you to our local OPP officers, Superior North EMS and Marathon Fire Department for responding to emergencies and keeping our families safe. Thank you to the Town of Marathon for continuously monitoring situations within our community and following federal and provincial recommendations and regulations. Thank you for keeping community safety at the forefront of every decision made. To those who: volunteer to deliver food, go outside every Sunday to make noise for our healthcare workers, partake in birthday parades, take time to bagpipe every Sunday to keep Peninsula Manor members hearts filled with joy and happiness... I thank you! We thank you! We truly value the commitment from our frontline workers and simply cannot put into words how much appreciation we have in our hearts for you and the work you do.

Don’t forget to keep your body moving and your blood pumping and circulating throughout the day. Thank you Michele for demonstrating exercises we can all do at home with supplies around the house. Improvise! Get creative! Have fun! Take this time at home to explore ways to stay active that cost $0.

Neck & shoulder tension? Here’s a friendly reminder to stretch and check in with your posture

TINGLING AND NUMBNESS DOWN THE LEG ~ AT HOME RELEIF. A very common occurrence I work on with my clients. You might want to look back on this video in the future. Easy at home stretches to do if you’re feeling any symptoms of sciatica (tingling and/or numbness originating at the lower back/hips and down the leg). ... Remember not to use a massage ball on the gluteal muscles if you’re feeling any tingling and numbness. Chances are the piriformis muscle is already compressing on the sciatic nerve, so using a ball to massage it will further aggravate it. A modified pigeon pose stretch with a slight spinal twist will help to decrease gluteal muscle tension, along with a stretch for the hip flexors Furniture pieces (or a yoga block) are always your friend . Use them whenever you can to remain in a stretch until you feel relief. I miss you guys!

Self-massage techniques for the hips. Piper put on a show for you guys at the end If you’re feeling sciatic pain (tingling and numbness down the leg), I do not recommend using a massage ball on the gluteal muscles. Often times, the piriformis muscle can be tight causing compression of the sciatic nerve. If you use a massage ball, you risk potentially aggravating sciatica. ... Watch the next video for a demonstration of stretches for sciatic pain

Lower back self-massage techniques and stretches

Shoulder and upper back self-massage technique - modification up against a wall!

Neck and shoulder self-massage and some dog therapy. I will do back, hips, legs and feet another day :)

I would also like to remind clients that the cancellation policy will be dismissed until further notice. I will continue working my regular hours, unless given other reasons not to. Or if I am no longer able to purchase cleaning and sanitizing products from my distributors if I run out. For your peace of mind, please refer to my previous post and your emails as a reminder of the practices set in place to keep the office clean. ... My office is not a open space for the public where people are allowed to come and go. I lock my doors when treating clients and when I’m alone. There’s a maximum of 7 people entering my office on a daily basis. If you feel the need to cancel your appointment due to illness or any other reason, please do so. I will be screening clients prior to treatment and have the right to refuse clients. Thank you for understanding.

This is a friendly reminder to all clients to PLEASE cancel appointments if you are sick. That means if you are experiencing minor sniffles, shortness of breath, fever or cough. I have the right to refuse any client if I suspect you are coming into the office sick or if you've been traveling recently. Please respect my office and my clients as we all try to work together to minimize the spreading of any viruses. ... I would also like to remind you of my office hygiene protocols and how I actively work on keeping my space clean and clear of viruses, which is why I expect it in return. I change sheets for each client. I wash and sanitize ALL spaces and areas that have been in contact with clients during their treatment (lotion bottle, table, side table, doorknobs and chair). I wash the floor in between clients where they walk barefoot to get onto the table. I also wash my hands before and after each treatment. I wash all sheets and headrest covers EVERY night. These protocols have been in place since day one and are not being put into place only now due to recent circumstances. So please do your best to wash and sanitize your hands every chance you get and stay home if you're sick!

This article is worth reading as I address this often with clients. There is no one magic pill and/or one therapy that will decrease pain or help you in recovery. It’s a combination of techniques and modalities and it’s your responsibility to explore what work best for you. Become an advocate for your own health and find which modalities works for you. Massage alone will never ever be the magic key to long term sustainability in pain management, but a combination of modaliti...es on your end can be. Those modalities may include but are not limited to: resting when needed, strength training, mobility exercises, making sleep a priority, mind body connection techniques, manual manipulations and healthy eating. It’s up to you to find balance and incorporate techniques that will benefit you LONGTERM. Another thing to add is that there’s a therapist out there for you and you must explore all options to find a therapist that suites your needs.

Chest pain or discomfort is the most common sign of heart attack. However, almost half of heart attacks don’t include the classic heart attack symptoms, such ...as chest pain. This is especially true for women who are more likely to have a silent heart attack or show unusual symptoms. For this reason, it’s important to be aware of other symptoms of heart attack, such as shortness of breath, sweating, upper body pain or pressure, dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting, nausea, or extreme fatigue. To help you remember some of the most common symptoms of heart attack in women, consider using the following acronym: H.E.P.P.P. (which stands for Hot, Exhausted, Pain, Pale, Puke). Also keep in mind that women may experience symptoms for a few weeks before a heart attack. The symptoms can be constant or come and go, and they can also disrupt sleep. If women are experiencing any of these symptoms, whether they are mild or severe, they should seek help immediately. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/heart/emergency-signs