Massage Therapy / Therapeutic Massage

There are many benefits of massage therapy

Massage therapy consists primarily of hands-on manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, specifically, the muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and joints for the purpose of optimizing health.

Massage therapy treatment has a therapeutic effect on the body and optimizes health and well-being by acting on the muscular, nervous and circulatory systems. Physical function can be developed, maintained and improved; and physical dysfunction and pain and the effects of stress can be relieved or prevented through the use of Massage Therapy.

Reflexology Treatments

Reflexology is based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet that correspond to every part of the body.

What are the benefits of Reflexology?

Reflexology applies acupressure to the soles of the feet to relax, reduce tension, improve circulation, and restore physical balance to the entire body promoting a general feeling of wellness.

Reflexology* can be used on its own or in conjunction with a massage therapy treatment that is 60 minutes or longer.

*Please note that Reflexology is currently only available with Tanyss Burt.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years in various countries all over the world to improve and maintain health. It is the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that Qi flows through the body in Channels or Meridians.

Acupuncture is the insertion of needles or finger pressure to restore proper Qi functioning to eliminate discomfort and regulate physiological functioning. The modern understanding of acupuncture is that a cascade of cellular activity happens the moment a needle is inserted.  The result is increased circulation to the area, calming of the nervous system, and stimulation of nerve endings to have specific effects.

Chinese Herbal Medicine

A thorough assessment is conducted to determine the root of your condition and create an individual herbal prescription. Herbal formulas are tailored to your needs and are fully customizable to minimize adverse effects. Herbal medicine comes in many forms to fit your preference: tinctures, tablets, capsules, powder, or raw.

*Herbs are not included in appointment prices

Combination Acupuncture and Massage Therapy

This is a unique treatment combining Contemporary Medical/Neurofunctional Acupuncture with Massage Therapy to complement the benefits of each other.

Acupuncture is known to have a modulating effect on abnormal nervous system activity that is associated with movement disorders, sports injuries, musculoskeletal pain, chronic pain and others. High stress can also cause this dysregulation.

The modulating effects include decreased pain, inflammation, and improved relaxation / parasympathetic (or vagus) tone which aids in so many conditions! For chronic pain and injury it can move the rehabilitation to the next level. A common side benefit clients love is that sleep is often enhanced post treatment.

On the musculo-skeletal side, it has significant impact in restoring function and alleviating pain. Needling during treatment helps relieve muscle hypertonicity and trigger points. It also decreases sensitivity so that deep manual treatment is tolerable and more effective. With most injuries, movement impairment syndromes or biomechanical imbalances, there is motor inhibition of specific muscles.

Acupuncture needling activates these muscles that have not been “firing” properly and helps to regain function. Another use includes muscle activation to improve performance in sport and normal day to day activities. Home care exercises may be prescribed to reinforce the effects of the acupuncture.

Biomechanical / Sports Therapy

This style of treatment is more like a check-up than a traditional massage. Billy first checks on joint alignment and mobility, then stability muscles, then the big movers. He uses muscle tests to see which joints and muscles need some help, applies treatment techniques and then re-tests the muscles and joints to make sure the intervention has been effective.

Often the muscle that is ‘complaining’ is not the only one that needs treatment in order to get relief. In the order of what-affects-what, he finds that muscles are basically at the bottom: They are affected by each other and by higher-order things, such as joint stability, the nervous system, body chemistry, etc. As a great therapist once said “where you think it is, it aint”

Billy believes in the principle of the minimum effective dose – It’s best to achieve the desired results with as little aggressive work as possible.

He finds that most of the time tight muscles are able to partially or even completely relax once their associated joints are moving well and the stability muscles are able to hold strong.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

Therapeutic Ultrasound is one of the most widely used passive modalities for the treatment of soft tissue injury, joint dysfunction and pain.

Therapeutic Ultrasound is the use of sound waves to penetrate the body eliciting therapeutic benefit in specific target tissues.

These ultrasound waves are produced in the transducer head of the ultrasound machine where electrical energy is transmitted to a special quartz or synthetic crystal. When stimulated by the electricity the crystal vibrates at an extremely high frequency, which are called “ultrasonic vibrations.” These ultrasonic vibrations emit ultrasound waves from the transducer head that are transmitted into the body via coupling media.