Client Stories
People come to massage for a variety of reasons. The most common are stress reduction and relief from pain. Read below to see how massage has helped my clients with an assortment of issues. If someone you know could benefit from massage, feel free to share this page with them.
Back surgery didn't help
Long hours standing at work
Bill, a local radio personality with a demanding work load, came to me with chronic low back pain. After two surgeries, he still had daily pain that interfered with his ability to sit at the computer and lie down comfortably. Bill had used massage before to help, but had not experienced lasting relief.
Using Deep Tissue and cross-fiber friction techniques, I released holding patterns in Bill's low back and gluteal muscles. The result was a decrease in his daily pain from a "6" to a "2." Bill reported that he was finally getting the relief he had been seeking. He continued to come for stress relief at the end of his work week.
Sue stood for 8 hours a day at her retail job. Her mid-back pain and headaches had gotten so intense that she was unable to stand for more than 20 minutes without pain. Sue was referred to me by a pain specialist when the medication he prescribed did not bring her the desired relief.
After the first massage session, Sue was excited that she could stand for 2 hours without pain. As we continued the massages, this pain-free window increased until she could stand for 8 hours with minimal discomfort. Sue reported that the massages also helped reduce stress from her marriage. As the pain decreased, Sue discovered she valued the peace of mind gained from a massage. Sue continued biweekly sessions as part of her self-care.
Work stress and low back pain
Arm pain
after surgery
Paul, a T.V. producer, had a day full of deadlines and shifting schedules. His mild low back pain became acute under the constant stress of his job. I used Deep Tissue techniques to provide relief from the pain and Swedish techniques to increase the relaxation response in his body.
We also used Active Isolated Stretching (AIS) techniques to increase his range of motion and decrease load on his joints. When Paul added the AIS stretches to his morning workout, he found he could stop a low back pain episode on his own before it became acute. He was excited to find techniques that empowered him to reduce his own pain and stress. Paul continued as a regular client because he enjoyed the stress reduction and relaxation.
Rita, a retired horse farm owner, came to me as a last resort to address her intense, incessant arm pain after surgery. She was unable to sleep, quiet her mind, or do many of her regular activities due to the intense pain. She was not sure massage would help, as any pressure to the arm increased her pain.
Using a very gentle technique, with a pressure level about the weight of a nickel, I began to release the upper layers of fascia in Rita's arm. She was thrilled when after the session, she experienced 15 minutes free from pain. After the next session, she experienced no pain for 2 hours. As we continued to work together, she experienced longer periods of relief, and she reported that she was able to sleep at night for several hours. Though the progress in relieving Rita's pain was slow, she was thrilled that she had found something that could help, when the doctors had been unable to correct the problem.