How do I know if I need a therapeutic massage?
When someone comes in with a specific ailment, such as, an injury, acute or chronic pain, this is when I provide sort of a medical therapeutic massage. I’ll concentrate on those areas and work on reducing or releasing the pain, gaining better range of motion, myoskeleton intregation and/or breaking down scar tissue so that the client may move and feel better in their everyday activities.
How often should I get therapeutic massage?
This just depends on the severity of the injury, with auto accident injuries I follow a basic protocol, for example: the first few weeks up to three times a week, and then I’ll bump it down to two times a week, then once a week, then bi weekly and so on. Chronic and Acute pain depends on how much pain you are in and how important is for you to be out of pain on a regular basis.
After we reduce the pain to a manageable level or get relief, I would suggest setting up a maintenance program to keep the soreness or pain at bay. Once we switch you to a maintenence program we’ll move to a general therapeutic massage to support good health throughout your whole body.
(Note: I have found massage is more effect if you wait two weeks after an auto accident. Make sure you do see a medical doctor or a chiropractor within those two week to get proper care. It is also best to wait 48 to 72 hrs before receiving a massage after a general injury, this gives your body a chance to heal itself.)
What techniques or modalities do you use to care for these ailments?
You know this question is probably the hardest question for me to answer, because some people are looking for a certain modality. Over the years I have integrated several techniques and modalities into my style, at times I really can’t say when one ends and one begins. My main style does lean more towards a firmer pressure, the way I view it is I can always go lighter.
I look, listen and assess the client’s body and use the variety of techniques that I believe is going to get the best results. I may use Neuro-Muscular, Myoskeletal, sports massage and stretching, trigger point, energy therapy, release point, reflexology, nlp, eft, techniques I’ve picked up from other therapist, etc. To me the importance isn’t in a certain modality, what is important is putting together an effective massage to enhance the healing process of the client’s body.
You talk about range of motion, do you use stretching in the massage?
Yes, I do use stretch techniques during the massage. By using stretching to improve or regain your full range of motion is “key” when it comes to pain relief. When the muscle cannot relax or contract fully to provide a certain body part a full range of motion (ROM) this will cause muscular and structural imbalance. By using passive and active stretching during the massage we are able to start to correct these imbalances. Providing the mix of stretching and massage is an incredible healing tool.
Even though, I just said stretching and massage is an incredible healing tool and it is, yet massage isn’t going to do everything for you, even though I have seen it happen. In addition, you have to be actively responsible for your own well-being, I will most likely give you stretches, other movement therapy and/or energy therapy that you will need to do at home on a regular basis to help obtain the balance you want in your body.
What happens when you have muscular and structural imbalances?
As I just stated you start to lose ROM, your body is design to keep your eyes on a horizontal plain, with that in mind the rest of your body will shift, twist and turn in whatever direction it needs to keep your view level, even if it means creating pain in the body :-(. The job of a therapeutic massage therapist and other structural specialist (chiropractors, osteopaths, physical therapist, and sometimes surgeons) is to figure out the best way(s) possible to bring the skeletal system back to a postural foundation so that the muscles can move freely throughout their full ROM. In other words, if a muscle has to do the job that a bone (your postural foundation) should be doing it becomes tight and inflexible, creating less movement, tightness around the nerves and joints, the nerves fire wanting the muscle to release, but if the muscle releases it will create imbalance in the body and the eyes won’t be horizontal, the nerves fire more creating pain, the body shifts more to avoid the pain and in return creates more tightness in other areas of the body. This cycle may continue until you can start to obtain a proper structural balance through massage therapy or another structural modalities.
What is relaxation massage?
The way I view it is when someone comes in for a massage and is just stressed out, has a few aches and pains, or has no aches and pains and just wants some time to unwind.
So is a relaxation massage a Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage is known as a relaxation modality, even though I do use some Swedish techniques in the massage, I will also use some therapeutic massage techniques for those with aches and pains to provide the relaxation that the client describes to me, but for the most part I wouldn’t say that the massage I provide is a Swedish Massage.
Do you provide deep tissue massage?
Yes, but I have found over the years the term “deep tissue” is pretty vague for most people. I have had some people who have come in wanting a deep tissue massage and when I get started I find out they just want a nice firm massage, and that’s ok. Because all in all, 90% of all of people I’ve massage want the maximum pressure that their body can handle within their comfort zone, they want that “feels so good” or “hurts so good” feeling. My style is to focus on getting to that point; I believe that the maximum healing is within that zone. Everyone is different and with my knowledge and sense of proper pressure that the body will respond best to plus the feedback of the client, we can create the ideal massage for you.
Is there anyway for me to know if the massage pressure is too hard?
Yes, since we want to take the pressure to the hurt so good state, there may be muscles that are sorer than others. In most cases these muscles are very tight or injured. Here is what I tell my clients about finding the right pressure when it hurts. If you feel like you need to tighten up other muscles to protect the area I’m working on then the pressure is too much and the massage may be counterproductive. Don’t go into the massage with the attitude of no pain, no gain and you’re going to tough through it, that doesn’t always make for a productive massage and I personally don’t like to go in to a massage with that direction of thinking process. Creating a good a communication relationship between you and I is important so that I know what is going on within your body. I can feel the sore and tight areas most of the time, I can usually gauge the right pressure and feel if other muscles are engaging, but there are also times when the body tricks me, since I cannot feel the pain you need to let me know the sensations you are feeling.
So then what do you mean by a “feels so good” or “hurts so good” feeling?
Feels so good or hurts so good is kind of hard to explain, since it is an experience. Have you ever had a sore upper back and then leaned back on a chair to stretch it out and applied pressure, as you apply that pressure on certain areas that hurt more than other areas and even though it hurts or is a little painful it feels good because you can feel it releasing. Well that is sort of the same sensation you’ll get with massage except you get to stay relaxed and someone else is releasing those muscles for you.
What do you mean by “to provide the relaxation the client describes to you?”
I believe the massage isn’t just about rubbing muscles, ligaments and tendons, knowing techniques, modalities and protocols. It’s also about obtaining an energetic connection with the client. I have heard from many of my clients say that the massage seems to get better or be different every time, even though it feels a lot like the same moves during each massage. Well I focus my intention towards what is going on in my client’s life and what they want to gain from the massage. For example: If a client comes in and says that their life feels out of balance and they would like to gain that balance back some how, my energetic intention is to focus on what that client has described to me as being balanced. Another day that same client may come in and tell me that they feel overly stressed out and describe how they would like to feel instead. Even though the massage may be close to the same moves for both of these massages, the energetic intention changes making the effectiveness of the massage greater. There has also been times when I have started working on a client in the direction their mind believes that they want the massage to be like, but as I start to work the body and when the body doesn’t respond, that’s when I have to stop listen to the body and proceed in that direction the body has energetically relayed to me.
How does Reflexology work?
In my practice this is pretty much how I explain it:
Yes, when you are sick I suggest not getting a massage at that time. I know that is the time when a massage sound like it would feel the best, but the body is in overload mode, it is fighting off the ailment. Like I said before massage pushes out toxins these toxins are going to overload the body even more, it’s a 50 – 50% chance your going to get worse or get better. Even if you feel like it’s worth the risk, I would rather you stay home a few more days and not spread it around, or find a lymphic drainage massage therapist in town and find out if they can help.