The major difference is client participation. During a traditional massage following the intake discussion, a traditional massage therapist may ask you, “ Is this pressure ok?” That may then be the only conversation as you relax and fall asleep.  My clients rarely fall asleep instead they are asked to report any sensations they may feel, while I comb through the different tissue layers seeking out any sources of stiffness or immobility. We both know when I find “the spot!”

 

My treatment technique originates from my experience working as a physical therapist assistant. In physical therapy clinics I watched my clients overcome pain, but I also learned that pain can be a challenging obstacle. Often times physical therapy treatment actually produced pain which the clients endured in order to regain balance and strength or establish new functional movement patterns.

 

I often used soft tissue mobilization in small targeted doses to improve circulation and lower pain perception in targeted tissues but...limited time was allotted in the plan of care. Often clients would report pain in another area of the body as treatment progressed. The difficulties expressed by these clients led me to focus on the myofascial system and whole body treatments and eventually to my own holistic practice as a Licensed Massage Therapist.

 

As a LMT, I provide 50-90 minute targeted treatments that incorporate many integrative massage therapy techniques in order to treat the whole human body and the complex anatomy that includes bones, joints, muscles, nerves, skin, superficial fascia, and deep fascia. Fascial techniques are holistic, and individualized.  In fact even my monthly clients rarely receive the same treatment twice as we work together to improve their mobility, and stability and decrease pain.