Massage Therapy Services
There are many values to Massage Therapy, including but not limited to: an increase in the bodies immune system functions, improvement of concentration, energy, circulation, quality of sleep; and decreasing anxiety, fatigue, flow of stress hormones, and frequency of headaches.
Massage Therapy is a technique of structured application of pressure and movement of the bodies soft tissue. Massage may include, and is not limited to, various techniques such as kneading, gliding, percussion, compression, vibration, friction, effleurage (firm or light stroking movements without dragging the skin), petrissage (lifting or picking up muscles and rolling the folds of skin).
Due to the increased rate of circulation and Lymphatic flow, it is extremely important to be well hydrated with clean water for 24 hours before AND after a massage session.
Modalities
Therapeutic/Swedish Massage
Neuromuscular Therapy
Myofascial Therapy
Thai Massage
Reflexology
Massage Cupping
What is Therapeutic/Swedish Massage?
Modern Western massage began to develop in the early 19th century with contributing practitioners such as Pehr Henrik Ling, a Swedish physiologist and gymnastics intructor. Ling was interested in understanding the effects of passive and active movements with soft tissue manipulations. Ling devised 6 main techniques that comprise Swedish Massage as we know it today. They are: Effleurage, Petrissage, Friction, Vibration, Tapotement, and Joint Movements.
What are the general effects of Swedish Massage?
Effleurage increases circulation, lymph flow and relaxation by targeting the parasympathetic nervous system. Petrissage relaxes muscles and decreases adhesions. Superficial friction stimulates, warms, and increases blood flow to the local area, while deep friction separates muscle fibers and breaks up adhesions and scar tissue. Vibration stimulates muscles and nerves. Tapotement can increase circulation, cause vasoconstriction of capillaries in the local area, and is useful for expulsion of mucus. Joint Movements stimulate the production of synovial fluid to protect joints and increase range of motion.
What is Nueromuscular Therapy (NMT)?
NMT is an advanced technique of soft tissue manipulation involving both the nervous and muscular systems. The practitioners' understanding of the nervous system and its direct effect in producing chronic pain allows a therapeutic approach to identify, isolate, and treat the "noxious" tissues.
What factors affect a person's nervous system?
Overuse, Trauma, Sleep/Rest Habits, Psycho-emotional, Nutrition, Exercise, Chemical, Postural Stress, and Disease
How can NMT help my pain go away?
The goals of NMT are to identify, isolate, and restore tissue irregularities related to chronic pain by increasing blood flow and circulation. While reducing hypertonicity, spasm, and eliminating trigger points, excessive nerve stimulation is eliminated and the neuromuscular system is normalized. The affected muscles' range of motion is restored and adhesions or fascial binding is released. In addition, the client and practitioner evaluate and identify perpetuating factors which cause the chronic pain patterns.
What is Myofascial Therapy?
The word "myofascial" means muscle and its connective tissue, fascia. Fascia is fibrous tissue beneath the skin and surrounds organs, bones, and muscles- which helps with shape and support. Fascia adapts to movements and postural changes, playing a key role to determine muscular length and function. During a Myofascial session, the therapist will work slowly and directly on the muscle tissues without use of oils or lubrication. The first stage is to eliminate fascial binding restrictions with a release, and then restore the areas to a normal resting length through lengthening or stretching.
How will Myofascial Therapy help relieve my pain?
Pain occurs when fascia is restricted and becomes rigid, dehydrated, and affixed when stress occurs. When this ongoing dysfunction continues, people attain tiring postures that bring on pain, fatigue, and the fascia begins to fail on a cellular level which influences the immune system. A Myofascial Therapy session will target areas of hyperirritability, follow referred pain patterns, and work with muscle groups that lead to imbalances.
What is Thai Massage?
Nuad Bo-Rarn, ancient massage of Thailand, Northern style, consists of acupressure on energy "Sen" lines and points with a large variety of stretching movements. The stretches increase flexibility and range of motion to allow a release of deep and superficial tension to help the body's natural energy flow. The client plays a passive role in the stretching movements which has gained Thai Massage the label of "Lazy Yoga."
What to expect during a Thai Massage session?
Thai Massage is always performed over the clothes, with the exception of socks. The sessions proceed feet to head with the client lying face up, face down, side lying, or seated. Sessions will be performed on a mat on the floor, however a Thai massage can also be done on a massage table. The emphasis of "Northern style" first is stretching, second is pressure.
What are some benefits of Thai Massage?
Deep relaxation, releases points of tension and stress to allow a natural flow of energy, increases flexibility, range of motion, and postural integrity, improves circulation, promotes inner peace through breathing and meditation.
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is the practice of applying pressure to specific points on the hands and feet that correlate to specific organs of the body. Our hands and feet act like maps to our internal bodies and when pressure is applied properly, our nerve endings bring signals up the zones, through our organs, and to our brains.
What are some benefits of Reflexology?
Reduces pain, anxiety, phantom limb pain, blood pressure and cholesterol. Increases blood flow, post operative recovery, eases second and third term pregnancy, and complements cancer care. Reflexology is not just a relaxing foot and/or hand massage, it is a session of FULL body relaxation.
What is Massage Cupping?
Cupping employs negative pressure and suction to release rigid soft tissue and adhesions, bring stagnant blood flow to the skins surface, and drain excess fluid and toxins.
What are some of the benefits of Cupping?
Painless lifting action engages the parasympathetic nervous system for deep relaxation. Stagnation (lack of blood flow) is pulled out of the tissues and brought up to skin level. Pores expand and discharge some of the wastes and toxins; the rest is then more accessible to the body’s circulatory and lymphatic systems to be properly flushed out. Cupping brings fresh, revitalized blood to stagnant areas, increases vasodilation, metabolism, and rate of recovery from pain.
What is Toxicity?
Toxins exist everywhere- our bodies cell waste (CO2, lactic acid, stress, etc), our food (preservatives, pesticides, antibiotics, etc.), and our environment (electronics, chemicals, contagious viruses, etc.). Health problems occur when we absorb these toxins that become stagnant because our bodies have not yet evolved to keep up with the rate at which to rid our systems.
What are the discolorations that can occur during and after treatments?
Stagnant waste products makes it harder for oxygen to be carried to cells. The suction from Cupping pulls the stagnant and toxic fluids from deep within the tissues to the skins surface. The color, amount, shape, and speed of what emerges varies according to the individual and can appear from a dark purple-black to a light pink or shade of red. Discolorations, raised bumps, and clear fluids drawn to the surface are toxins and old non-circulating blood being removed from deep within the tissues. The marks are not painful and accumulate less and less with regular treatments.
