Therapeutic Myofascial Treatment

What is Therapeutic Myofascial Massage?

This treatment is based on the best of my particular techniques that I have learned over the years of my practise. It includes Myofascial techniques (originally based on Rolfing), Shiatsu and remedial approaches as well.

1. First, the body is assessed with light strokes on the spine and ribs to determine what is happening in the person’s body.
2. This will determine the best combination of techniques, right pressure and positions (i.e. prone, supine and sides) of the person to work on. A longer treatment (90 minutes) allows for a greater body of work to be applied and is generally a better outcome.
3. Long strokes and gentle stretches are also applied to calm and reset the body after working specific areas.

• You can expect to feel looser, stretched and taller after your initial treatment. Successive treatments will be focused on your current and specific needs.
• Myofascial treatment in particular, is a focused manual pressure that stretches over restricted movement in the tough membranes that wrap, connect and support your muscles, leading indirectly to reduced pain.
• Particular stretches, as in Shiatsu work the all important hips and lower back areas (lumbar-pelvic region) – critical for overall posture, as is the shoulder and neck axis.
• Long strokes are used to soothe down the body and activate the parasympathetic (nervous) system as an act of restoration.

Massage has three stages

1. The warm-up. Letting the client feel comfortable to your touch and pressure. Checking in with them that they are okay under your care.

2. The specific part of the treatment. Working their body with the right touch and manual approach that fits the client’s need and understanding of that need.

3. The integration. The client needs time to allow all of this therapeutic touch to settle in their body, before they get up from the table. Sometimes, a roll-down stretch integrates the front and the back of the body more so.Or a gentle cradling of the sacrum or occiput helps the integration of body and mind settle some more. Therapeutic massage has a beginning, a middle and and an ending that needs to be as considered as well as the other parts.

After that, a follow-up is always recommended to deepen your treatment or take your body that next step further into more release and integration.

The other part of treatment beyond the clinical space is doing your homework of exercises to improve your well-being and to manage your issue. We like our clients to know more about their bodies and especially how to take care of them and make them more fun to be in.