Therapeutic/Medical Massage
Every ache, pain and injury involves several systems of the body, including the muscular system, the fascial system, the cranial and the nervous systems. It may also include the integumentary (skin, as in the case of scar tissue work) and the lymphatic system. Each of these systems requires an entire body of education, experience and technique, including how and to what degree pressure is applied.
What is Therapeutic/Medical Massage? How does it differ from Deep Relaxation Massage?
Therapeutic/Medical Massage is a session that is focused on supporting the body in healing, functioning at its highest level and physical discomforts that impedes daily living, such as pain, restricted range of motion and ease of movement. Sessions can be focused on aches, pains, injuries (knees, neck, shoulder, back, etc), or other ailments such as arthritis, whiplash, headaches/migraines, digestive issues and Heart Health (see add-ons) as well as on Essential Tremor or other tremor disorders. Each session is created specifically for your needs and goals.
Relaxation Massage has a heavier focus on the nervous system to give your body and mind the deep rest it needs to renew and heal itself. For more information see ‘Deep Relaxation Massage’.
What’s your general approach?
When you arrive, we will spend a good amount of time chatting before each session to exchange information, get updates, review goals, and to guide the content of the session. I often take into consideration the entire picture of how you have been effected by the issue that brought you here: stress levels, emotional states, sleep disturbances, brain function, sense of focus and clarity, etc. as I make my determination as to how to move forward.
An injury or pain is sometimes just that, purely a physical inconvenience. At other times, it’s an interruption, getting in the way of the things we love, such as picking up our children, going for a walk or run. And then it can prevent us from doing what we need to do, such as driving, picking up shopping bags, sleeping, working etc. Whichever category you fall in, you can find yourself feeling sad at your loss, irritated or bad-tempered due to constraints, tired due to sleep disturbance, judgmental due to feeling inadequate or incompetent. In turn this can affect our behavior, sense of self-worth, and relationships. This is the cascading effect of pain/injury you want to avoid or extract yourself from.
I have found that working on the muscular and the nervous system goes hand in hand (pun intended), and is the most effective approach. This work is done at a slow, conscious, focused pace that has the effect of decreasing pain and discomfort while resetting the nervous system, allowing you to experience a deep level of relaxation that helps your system (including mood, behavior, etc) return to health. My Therapeutic work is always focused rather than generalized and it is always goal-driven towards your intended outcome.
For additional support you are welcome to book a one-time or ongoing Therapy/Counseling session with Monique or a Coaching/Mentoring for Men session with Blane.
How often will I need to come in?
Therapeutic/Medical massage is goal oriented so the number and frequency of sessions depends both on your goals and results. Together we can assess if your level of health, pain/discomfort has reached your goal or if continued sessions would be helpful.
As a general guide, if you are working towards making a change in your level of pain, range of motion, etc. I suggest doing consecutive sessions (the number again depends on your goal and results (you can take one session at a time), with no more than a week in between. The body has a memory, and within this timeframe it remembers the changes and what it has learned so the next session becomes a continuation of the previous session and progress is speeded up. Waiting longer than a week, and it’s more like starting afresh.
What kind of techniques and pressure is used?
Notice that my menu of services doesn’t offer a particular technique such as ‘Deep Tissue’, ‘Swedish’, ‘Myofascial’, etc. This is because even though I have extensive training and experience in those techniques (and many more), I find the crux of effective outcomes in assessing the body, injury and response and using my skills as a toolbox, using the technique, approach, depth, vector, etc. that is most beneficial.
With an injury or pain it is very important to use a combination of the right approach and pressure. It is never a case of ‘the deeper the better’, (which can cause more harm than good), and always a case of tuning in to what works… a goal-driven rather than pressure-driven approach.
Examples: Headache and migraine work requires a combination of firm pressure to address muscle tension and the light touch of Craniosacral to decrease pressure, optimize cranial movement and create space. Whiplash, which is an injury to the fascia, requires carefully applied myofascial work that is sensitive to the degree of injury. Joints effected by arthritis require a gentle circulatory approach. Deep Tissue can be an effective modality (one of many) to disrupt muscle holding patterns, but ‘deep’ is an individual experience rather than a global norm, so being focused and attuned to your response is extremely important.
Which area of the body is worked on?
These sessions focus entirely on the area that is in discomfort and the areas that are compensating or in holding patterns due to the discomfort.
How long should my session be?
I offer one to three hour sessions. I love doing long sessions but there are a number of reasons to choose which length to book.
A hour goes by in the blink of an eye! If this is your first massage, or your first massage with me and want to check if it’s a good match, or you have financial/time constraints, booking an hour may be perfect for you.
Longer is almost always better. Longer sessions allow for more detailed work or more areas of the body to be included in the session. Longer sessions allow you to more deeply relax which is important in resetting your nervous system.
Think of the really long sessions, 2.5 or 3 hours, as comprehensive experiences that feel like a mini-vacation!
What level of undress is suggested?
If you are comfortable better results can be achieved, so undress to your comfort level, particularly those with trauma/assault histories.
Considerations:
For those coming in for sciatica or hip issues: leaving underwear on allows me to use pressure techniques while taking underwear off allows for a wider range of techniques. In all cases it allows me to connect the upper and lower (north & south) parts of your body, where there is always a waist band creating a landmark disconnecting the two.
Which medical issues, injuries/aches/pains do I work with?
Please feel free to contact me to ask if my sessions might be helpful for any condition not listed below or with any questions at all.
Cancer, spina bifida, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), etc.
Sprains, strains, knee pain, frozen shoulder, repetitive strain injuries, tendinitis, rotator cuff injuries, carpal tunnel and other overuse injuries, stiff neck, tight shoulders/back, generalized pain.
Sciatica sessions focus on the low back, hips, glutes and legs. They can be the entire focus of the session or part of a more complete bodywork session if a longer session is booked.
Headaches/Migraine sessions are for those who have a one-time or infrequent headache/migraine as well as those who suffer on a consistent basis. I use an upper body protocol I’ve developed with a combination of massage and craniosacral work that addresses both the muscular and nervous system. This session should be a minimum of 90-minutes, it is exclusively an upper body session, focusing the work on the head, face, neck, shoulders and back. The goal of these sessions for those who suffer with headaches or migraines on a regular basis is three-fold: decrease the frequency, decrease the pain, decrease the length.
Whiplash sessions uses a lighter approach that includes Myofascial work and fascial cupping. Deep tissue work is highly likely to increase inflammation and is not a good technique to address whiplash. Whiplash often goes undiagnosed. Car accident? Tossed from a horse or bike? Even a trip and fall can cause a painful case of whiplash. A deep tissue massage is far from what you need to heal at this time! My whiplash protocol is specifically designed to treat the whiplash with a focused but gentle touch to allow your body to heal, decrease your pain and increase your range of motion. Please select Whiplash as your free Add-On.
Areas effected by arthritis need circulatory work.
Digestive issues. This work focuses on the stomach, ribs and back and can be the complete focus of the session or incorporated into a session. Unlike Mayan abdominal massage which can be quite painful, my work is a gentle approach that slowly hones in on any problem areas and discomfort. Working on this area of the body can stimulate the digestive system, aid healthy colon in movement, alleviate constipation, gas or other discomforts. The stomach is also an area where stress can be held and abdominal massage can be an important part of a stress reduction program. Please select Abdominal Massage as your free Add-On.
Healthy Heart sessions focus on relieving stress, holding and protective patterns. It's also a great session if you want to work on opening your emotional heart. A Healthy Heart Massage for women includes a regular massage with work on the sternum, clavicular area, ribs.. For men this session would include the entire chest. Please select Healthy Heart as your free Add-On.
Scar Tissue/Post-Surgery work is focused on diminishing scars and adhesions, creating ease of movement, and easing holding and compensation patterns that occur when there is pain or as a result of a surgery.
Essential Tremor and other Tremor Disorders. These sessions focus primarily on the nervous system.