Common Questions

Why does my neck or back hurt ?

    Muscles can hurt for many reasons including overuse, trauma , various diseases and imbalances. The body can be thought of as a small suspension bridge with the spine being the major vertical support and the muscles being the cables that keep it up right.  Now imagine that one cable is tighter( shorter ) than the others. This will pull the bridge out of shape which can manifest in the body as posture problems.  Short term tightness the body can tolerate without any problems  however  over time the bridge can distort and in order to keep on performing its functions the body has to recruit muscles and move in ways which aren't suited for constant use and then they themselves can be hurt which makes things even worse.

    A classic example is low back pain. Often (but not always) this pain is accompanied be very tight muscles in the front of the legs (quads) which literally pull the front of hips down. This rotation compresses the small of the back compressing the tissue in the back of the pelvis which can put pressure on the nerves and connective tissue. For people that present with these findings I spend a good part of the session on the front of the legs and give the person some stretches to do at home. If we can get the quads to stop pulling that often decreases the pressure on the low back leading to a decrease of symptoms.

    Neck pain & shoulder pain can have similar causes which is why physical therapists and massage therapist often give stretches as part of the clients homework.

    The above is for illustration only, your doctor is the only one that can make a diagnosis for your specific condition.

What are you really good at?

I think I'm best with neck , shoulders and hands. I worked almost exclusively with whiplash clients when I started out.

What techniques do you know ?

    Here's a short summary of the types of massage in my toolbox:

Swedish:

    This is what you see in all the movies, it's a circulatory based model where all the strokes help return fluids back to the heart. It's good for reducing swelling and overall relaxation. Strokes move from the extremities toward the heart.

Neuromuscular:

    Some people also call this deep tissue. The intent is to address concerns of individual muscles using much shorter strokes than either integrative or swedish employ. Often but not always the pressure may be stronger depending on the body part.

Range of motion/ Active and passive stretching:

    Limbs that can't move well just lead to further problems. The body can for a while, use other muscles & limbs but  that can lead to further injury. Range of motion involves moving the limb slowly in a an attempt to increase the quality of movement while stretching seeks to increase the total movement.

Do you take insurance ?

Insurance companies usually take a long time to pay so in general, I will not bill insurance for you. I will supply receipts and notes to help you seek reimbursement. Note that due to the extra overhead, insurance customers are not eligible for package deals or other discounts/rewards

If accident related I also suggest you sit down for an initial consultation with a lawyer early on. Rarely does it go smoothly. 

Insurance checklist:(prior to scheduling)
Verify that massage is covered
Doctors prescription (including dx codes)
Notify me in the notes section of appt.

If you decide after the fact to seek reimbursement all I will be able to furnish is receipts and the chances of being reimbursed are slim.

Do you do couples massages ?

Great question ! I'm happy to work on couples one at a time but if you want a true couple massages I'd recommend a place with multiple therapists.

Tipping

Some people feel uncomfortable about not being able to tip. Tips are appreciated but optional and don't affect the quality of your next session at all. 

I work weird hours and you dont seem a time that works for me

Not a problem, just send me an email of what times work for you and we'll find a way to get you scheduled.