This advanced therapeutic bodywork is both effective and life changing. It corrects structural imbalance and focuses on the fascial system. The fascia also referred to as connective tissue is literally everywhere in the body. It surrounds all bones, muscles, organs, and it is said to hold the emotions as well. It is also thought of as a web in the body and therefore connects all systems and also compartmentalizes organs for protection from trauma and slows the spread of disease.
Often with repetitive use or trauma the three dimensional web is no longer aligned in the maximal linear way found in all of nature. Think of a spider web and what happens if you pull a single strand of a perfectly spun geometric pattern. It becomes less than what nature intended and less functional. Holes or bunched up areas appear. Another common analogy is the snag in a sweater visual. Pull the snag and the sweater bunches up, but stretch the sweater around the snag and the sweater is restored to its original integrity. The same thing happens to fascia when it is compromised by trauma, repetitive movement or positional strain many experience on the job, in recreation or even in habitual activities as simple as how we sit when driving or watching TV. The bunching up of fascia whether due to scar tissue or just restriction patterns causes compression on nerves causing pain and can decrease function if the compression is on blood vessels, lymph, organs and muscles.
It is not chiropractic, there is never a forced manipulation. I have worked with chiropractors for two decades and they all agree; adjustments are easier and hold longer if this soft tissue therapy is done first. Often, I have been asked by my client's doctors what it is that I do. The improvement and changes they see are so dramatic it peaks interest in what Integrated Manual Therapy (IMT) is.
My expertise is Myofascial Release (MFR) and I was trained in the J.F. Barnes technique. I also use Craniosacral Therapy (CST), Trigger Point, Healing Touch, and many massage modalities to customize each therapy. Every therapy session is unique.
Each session begins with a basic structural assessment to determine a starting point for your customized therapy. The goal is to correct structural and soft tissue dysfunction, thus improving function overall. The connection between our thoughts and how they are related to our physical pain and structural presentation is fascinating. Think of a past injury or time when pain was acute. Even after the pain is gone; guarding patterns ensue. For example, still limping after a sprained ankle has stopped hurting; because the dysfunction became a new normal subconsciously. This is why Neuromuscular Reducation (NMR) is used to retrain your brain to accept the beneficial changes. Change the structure and shift the energy pattern and a new reality emerges.
So it really is, More than massage...
Actual photo of fascia.