Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooLyme Disease
Whole body
What It Is
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks (NHS, 2025). It is found in Europe and North America (MedlinePlus, 2026). Ticks are tiny spider-like creatures that feed on the blood of animals and humans, and an infected tick can pass the bacteria on as it feeds. You are more likely to come across ticks if you spend time in woods or areas with long grass, but they are also sometimes found in urban parks and gardens. In the UK, ticks are found all over the country, and high-risk places include grassy and wooded areas in southern England and the Scottish Highlands (NHS, 2025). In North America, the ticks that spread Lyme disease are blacklegged (deer) ticks (MedlinePlus, 2024). It is important that you take common sense measures when spending time in areas where ticks live.
Lyme disease is usually easier to treat if it is diagnosed early. Most people with Lyme disease get better after antibiotic treatment, although for some people this can take months (NHS, 2025).
Ticks are very small and can be almost impossible to see, which is why they are so difficult to spot (MedlinePlus, 2026). Ticks do not jump or fly; they attach to the skin of animals or humans that brush past them (NHS, 2025). To get the disease, you have to be bitten by an infected tick. In most cases, the tick has to be attached to your skin for more than 24 hours to pass on the bacteria (MedlinePlus, 2024), so removing it quickly helps to prevent infection (NHS, 2025).
How Lyme Disease Affects the Body
The bacteria enter through the skin at the bite. Some people develop more severe symptoms months or years later, and this is more likely if treatment is delayed. These can include pain and swelling in the joints, nerve problems such as pain or numbness, heart problems, and trouble with memory or concentration (NHS, 2025).
How to Remove a Tick
Not a diagnosis — for more information, contact me or another trusted healthcare provider.
Symptoms
How It Feels
Signs & Symptoms
Treatment
Self-Care & Treatment
Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner
Tips
- Seek medical attention if you think you may have been bitten by a tick and you develop a rash or feel unwell (see above). Your family doctor or nurse practitioner can arrange tests and treatment.
- When walking in grassy or wooded areas, cover your skin with long trousers and sleeves, and tuck your trousers into your socks (NHS, 2025; MedlinePlus, 2026).
- Stay on clear paths whenever possible, and wear light-coloured clothing so ticks are easier to see and brush off (NHS, 2025).
- Use insect repellent on your clothes and skin. Products containing DEET are best (NHS, 2025).
- Regularly check your clothes and skin for ticks, and check your children and pets, after being outdoors (NHS, 2025). Tick bites are not always painful, so you may not notice one unless you see it (NHS, 2025).
Treatment
My Approach
Lyme disease is an infection, and the antibiotics your medical team prescribes are what treat it. If you have a rash or flu-like symptoms after a tick bite, see your family doctor or nurse practitioner first (see When to Get Medical Help). Once you've started treatment and can manage your normal daily tasks, I can help with lingering aches, stiffness and tiredness, alongside your medical team.
I ask what your medical team has told you, then assess how your joints move, where you're sore, and your strength and stamina. If you've had nerve symptoms such as pain or numbness, I also check sensation and strength.
Easing Aches and Stiffness
- Gentle massage for aching muscles and joints, avoiding any joint that is hot and swollen
- Warm applications and gentle movement for stiff joints
- Lighter pressure and only mild warm or cool applications where feeling is reduced; at home, always test water temperature with your hand first
- Working around the rash and any healing bite
Rebuilding Strength and Stamina
What to Expect
Typical Course
What I Focus On
Please read
When to See a Doctor First
When to Get Medical Help
Ask for an urgent appointment with your family doctor or nurse practitioner (you can also call Health811 at 811) if you have been bitten by a tick, or have been somewhere infected ticks could be in the past 3 months, and you have flu-like symptoms or a round or oval rash. Tell them if you have recently been in forests or grassy areas (NHS, 2025).
Sources
References
- NHS (2025) Lyme disease. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lyme-disease/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2018) Lyme disease (NG95): recommendations. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng95/chapter/Recommendations (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
- MedlinePlus (2026) Lyme disease. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001319.htm (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
- MedlinePlus (2024) Lyme disease. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/lymedisease.html (Accessed: 7 October 2026).