Rachel Shiu, RMT, CMLDT

Rachel has always been a very active person with a strong interest in athletics. She pursued these interests early in her life when studying kinesiology, working as a sports med trainer, and working as a personal trainer.

Rachel first discovered the value of massage therapy when it helped her recover from several sports injuries. Thus her interest peaked, and she decided to study massage at the West Coast College of Massage Therapy. She completed her full certification in the Dr. Vodder method of Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) in 1996, and became a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) in 1997. Rachel enhanced her MLD knowledge in 2000, when she had the opportunity to study at the specialized Dr. Vodder Academy in Austria - the leading institute of lymphedema research and MLD training in the world.

Over the past ten years Rachel has become an experienced and respected massage therapist. She has continued to involve athletics in her life and her work: she has been a bronze, silver, and gold medalist at the Canadian College National Badminton Championships, she participated in a badminton exhibition tour to Asia, and she received the All Canadian Athlete award from the Canadian College Athletic Association in 1999. Rachel has provided sport massage services to the Canadian Women's Wheelchair Basketball team and with the Douglas College Badminton Team.

In addition to athletics, several major influences on Rachel's career have been working within an Orthopaedic Sports Physiotherapy setting and working with palliative cancer patients.

Rachel is currently one of only four MLD therapists practicing in Vancouver. She specializes in the reduction, prevention and rehabilitation of scar tissue formation and has extensive experience with post surgical rehabilitation (knee/hip replacements, mastectomy/lumpectomy, reconstructive/plastic surgery). Rachel prefers using gentle techniques, and patient care and comfort are her priority.

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