I never would have told you that I would be a massage therapist. My background is in retail and restaurant management. Even during massage therapy school – I never believed I would have my own practice (or paying clients).
I found that massage came quite naturally to me. One of the hardest struggles for a new therapist is mastering palpation (“seeing” with your hands). Once I started applying what I learned – I was hooked. I knew this was my calling.
I’ve been working on my mom my whole life – but I never really knew what I was doing. I’d find a knot and roll it around until it disappeared. She is actually the one who suggested I pursue this field in earnest. Thanks mom!
My instructors were subject matter experts – some 50+ years of experience between them. Through their mentorship, I learned techniques like:
✔️ Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) – a corrective application meant to restore range of motion and resolve compensatory patterns.
✔️ Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) – a guided resisted exercise applied to muscles to resolve chronic shortness/tightness.
✔️ Trigger Point Work – trigger points are believed to be overly tightened areas of a muscle belly that refer pain somewhere else (similarly to how hitting your elbow makes your whole forearm and hand hurt).
✔️ Myofascial release – there is an intricate network of connective tissue that permeates, suspends, and encases every muscle and organ in the body called fascia. This can become overly tightened, resulting in muscular restrictions.
✔️ Deep tissue – deeper doesn’t mean firmer! Deep tissue work literally refers to working musculature that is closer to the skeleton. This work can be uncomfortable because these tissues are not manipulated often. Through various positions and techniques I am able to work deep tissue without needing to be very firm (though I am by nature).
I am not the therapist you see to relax – I can refer you to several great colleagues who specialize in this work. If you have chronic muscular issues, I’m your guy. See you soon!