Below you will find some commonly asked questions regarding massage therapy. If your specific question is not below please contact me.

1) What can I do to get the most from my manual therapy session?

Make sure you are comfortable. Ask for what you need. While I’m attuned to recognize signals of discomfort, you’re the only one who really knows what you’re feeling. PLEASE ask for adjustments to body positioning, massage pressure, room temperature, lighting level, music volume, draping, etc. to make you feel more comfortable. Your guidance is ALWAYS appreciated, and is very important to the outcome of your session. Once you are comfortable, relax and be open to the healing possibilities.

2) How long should my session be?

A 1-hour session is fine if your goal is general relaxation OR concentrated therapy for specific areas. However, if attention is needed for one or two concentrated areas, there probably won’t be enough time remaining to cover the entire body.

A 90 minute session is a better choice if you like BOTH concentrated and general work, head to toe.

3) How often should I get a massage?

Massage is a great treat for special occasions (GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE AVAILABLE!) or a welcomed relief for troublesome aches. However, the benefits of massage are cumulative, if supported by regular maintenance treatments. Optimally, “regular maintenance” translates to biweekly or monthly sessions. I offer both 4 and 6 session series packages at substantial savings to help make massage a simple and affordable way to stay healthy. In the case of specific problems or dysfunction, more frequent visits are recommended, until an appropriate outcome is achieved.

4) Does manual therapy hurt?

The “no pain, no gain” mentality is not really appropriate for manual therapy. There’s a fine line between therapeutic discomfort when a “knot” is “worked out”, and just plain pain when the muscles tense to protect themselves. You know the difference. Working within your comfort zone can achieve great results.

5) Will manual therapy “fix” whatever is bothering me?

Healing is a process with many components. There’s no quick fix – not even with massage. Manual therapy complements other traditional and non-traditional healing methods. As a high percentage of diseases are stress-related, and massage is an excellent stress remedy, manual therapy may significantly relieve symptoms and speed recovery for many conditions. And, since manual therapy is non-invasive, it is safe in almost all cases.

Among the various conditions that people find relief from through manual therapy are…
Arthritis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Fibromalgia
Headaches
Low back pain
Repetitive use injuries
Strains and sprains
TMJ Disorders
Whiplash

6) What should I wear?

Most orthopedic and sports massage sessions involve active participation and entail some assisted stretching, side-lying positions or abdominal work. You may feel more comfortable wearing a 2 piece bathing suit for women or shorts for men.

For a head to toe relaxation massage you will be asked to disrobe to your level of comfort. Undressing takes place in private, and a sheet is provided for draping. Only the part of the body being massaged will be un-draped, ensuring that your modesty is respected at all times.

7) What if I’m sick?

If you are sick or are recently recovering from an illness, your body is fighting to restore your immune system. Depending on where you are on the road to recovery, massage may be too much for your body to handle. As it depends entirely on the individual – please call if you are unsure and please stay home if you are infectious.

8) Which is appropriate for me, Functional Fitness or Corrective Exercise Therapy?

The dividing line is PAIN. If you are currently experiencing pain with movement or are significantly limited in your range of motion because of pain (or the fear of pain) then Corrective Exercise Therapy is the right place for you to begin your journey back to an active lifestyle.

If you move well, don’t experience regular pain with movement and want a sport/performance oriented training program then Functional Fitness is right for you.

9) I’ve never lifted weights before, can I still train?

Absolutely. No experience is required to start training. All movements and programs are scaled to meet you exactly where you are in your fitness level. It’s all about progression. It’s incredibly rewarding to witness someone’s first box jump or power clean. It’s why we coach.  Start training with an open mind and your potential will be limitless.

10) I’m injured, can I still train?

YES! Keep training. Or start a new program. We can work around your injury and begin to address the movement compensations you developed, or had before injury. Seriously, this is a genuine opportunity to fix what’s broken. If you want or expect that recovering from injury means that you will be even more fit and capable then before injury then this is where you want to be.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions that have not been addressed here.