Techniques
With so many modalities offered in the massage community and buzz words being used it is no wonder why many consumers are confused with what they really need and what they may be getting. The media doesn't help with this and a prime example of this is with cupping. During the summer Olympics Michael Phelps was seen with his red dots all over his back and shoulders from his cupping sessions. The demand for cupping went up but is this what people really needed or did they just think they did because now it made main stream media? My point is when you go for a massage you should not pick off of a fancy menu with 10 different options. Why? Because you may need more than one type and also a full body deep tissue may not be what your whole body needs and could end up making you feel worse.
There is a lot that goes into making the right session for you and making sure you get what you need so your body can heal. When I am working on someone I am looking for why the body is doing this? What is causing the muscle or muscles to be tight? Looking for what muscles are providing stability due to a compensation and what needs to be rebalanced after that muscle(s) are released so the body doesn't lock it back down again. If you just release all the tight muscles and don't rebalance the body will freak out and lock it back down because it detects it is not stable. Your brain will provide compensation patterns so your body can keep functioning and moving but it won't be functioning at its best and eventually will scream at you to help it. This is where pain and injuries start to arise.
At Roots of Vitality, Kelly will address all of these areas and provide you with an explanation of what she found and how she will fix it so you can get rid of your problem for good. Lets take a look at some of the modalities utilized.
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So what are the modalities used in my sessions? I pull from a variety of modalities and training from my 12 years in the medical field including Neural Integration, Emotional Release, Myofascial Release, Structural Joint Balancing, Neural Kinetic Therapy, Reiki, Deep Tissue, Orthopedics, Medical Massage, Sports, Barefoot Rehab Training, Original Strength and Cupping.
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Neural Integration- Each of us has a built-in threshold. Over time we get closer to that threshold thru stress, injuries, viruses, toxins, poor food choices, lack of sleep and more. Eventually the brain has a choice, let you keep going until you burn out or lower your threshold so you can keep going but you function less optimally. At this point most people start experiencing symptoms.
Myofascial Release- MFR looks for areas of tension within the connective tissue and uses static pressure and timing to release and unwind the fascia. It can be done anywhere on the body and the fascia is connected throughout the whole body. It is like a big spider web running through the body. As the fascia tightens the liquid inside of it hardens and causes adhesions. The tighter the area and longer the fascia stays restricted it starts to pull into other areas of the body which can be seen in rotations and contralateral patterns such as walking.
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Structural Joint Balancing- SJB is an assessment and a corrective technique. It assesses the body for compensations and areas that are unbalanced in all planes of movement. This is extremely important because we function in multi planes (movement directions). If you only look at how someone feels lying on a table what happens when they stand up or start walking. This technique looks at it all and gets people out of pain and moving better for good! People report feeling and being more stable, improved range of motion, increased performance in sports and work outs, diminished pain, injury recover, relief from headaches and backaches, vertigo, TMJ, carpel tunnel, incontinence and more!
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Zone Technique- Zone Technique is a healing method designed to balance your brain and spine so that your body can restore itself to maximum health. The human brain has six centers that form in the embryonic stage of development and are responsible for maintaining your health.
We can think of our bodies as an electrical machine, with six brain centers representing the positive pole, while specific points on the spinal cord represent the negative pole. Each zone regulates and influences your overall health. All diseased conditions, aches and pains and other discomforts experienced by the body can be attributed to one or more of the zones.
In order to locate the zone that is out of balance, there are six points on the back of your head which I palpate with slight pressure to locate the zone that is out of balance with the bodily systems it controls. Once I've identified the zone, stimulation of points along the spine sends the healing energy up the spinal cord to the brain to create balance. The brain center sends out signals to the imbalanced system to promote healing. How cool is that? I've often said that it's too bad our bodies don't have a "check engine" light on the dash. Well, son of a gun, they DO. I'll find that check engine light and turn it off, by addressing the Zone it's indicating.
Zone 1 Glandular
Zone 2 Eliminative
Zone 3 Nervous System
Zone 4 Digestive
Zone 5 Muscular
Zone 6 Circulation
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Reiki- Reiki translates to universal life force energy and refers to the energy that is in all of us. It rebalances your energy field and helps to break up energy blockages and restore harmony throughout your mind, body and spirit.
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Original Strength Training- OS takes us back to our developmental stages and focuses on reconnecting the cross-crawl contra lateral movements to reprogram our brain and body to function the way it is supposed to. Anyone can do this, and it is super fun!
McLouhglin Scar Tissue Release: A series of 8 steps that breaks up fibrotic tissue and restores tissue back to its fullest potential. Scars can produce pain, numbness, tightness in the area and surrounding as well as affect range of motion. MSTR releases those bound up tissue fibers and restores normal blood and lymph flow to the area.
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Manual Muscle Testing: MMT is a functional assessment to determine if your muscles are firing correctly. It is a great way to figure out which muscles are overworking, and which ones are underworking and often clears up pain patterns that have been there for years.
I use this as well for assessing scars due to the fact that scars can become neurologically overactive!