Silly Faces

Have you ever looked up or to the side at me while receiving a massage and noticed I had a peculiar expression?? There are 3 possibilities:
1. Breathing. I have always despised it when a massage therapist breathes on me. So if I am working on or near your head, I am directing my breather so the exhalation does not go into your face.
2. I am holding in a sneeze. Over the years I have learned how to hold in a sneeze. It works 100% of the time, but the process causes me to make a very strange face.
3. My nose tickles/itches. I obviously cannot touch my face during the massage for multiple reasons, but sometimes I simply cannot ignore that stubborn itch on my cheek or nose. Hence the silly expression.
Next time you see me making an odd expression, know there is nothing wrong, I am simply trying to make your massage the best one ever!

Yabba Dabba Do

A new running fad was brought to my attention. Some are running in bare-feet. The thought behind this is that humans were made to locomote without shoes and therefor will be efficient without. There is a lot of research out there that essentially proves this. The researchers study the runners' gait as well as where their feet strike the ground. The evidence is very interesting and even has me sold....... almost. Humans were designed to run without shoes, but humans were not designed to run marathons, triathlons, etc. It did not take 26.21875 miles to hunt down the mammoth. Also, our muscular and skin tissue was not designed to run on cement, pavement, gravel, asphalt or dirty city streets. Plus, as we develope our bodies are conditioned to run with footwear. So going bare-feet will have a tremendous maleffect on the whole body. A runner could possibly achieve a better time, in theory, but I am not sure it's worth the consequences. I asked an ultra runner their opinion on this topic. (an ultra run is a 50 mile race, so you can just imagine the kind of training this person goes thru) His thoughts were that this was just the newest craze in the runner's world and that runners need to troubleshoot their handicaps without finding an easy way out that could hamper their sport. Interesting.

Rate Increase

Some of you may be wondering why I have increased my rates by $5. It is to stay competitive in the area. Most places in DC charge well above what I do for less quality work (to be perfectly honest). I have always tried to keep my rates at a reasonable level, because I think it is more important that people can afford to get and remain well. I do have multiple discounts available, including packages. All of these are listed on my website at www.dcdeeptissuemassage.com/Pricing.

I have recently moved my office to a new location with many new amenities. This is NOT the reason for the rate increase. I just thought that with a fresh a start this would be a good time to do it. Looking in the past, I have not raised my rates in 4 years so we are due.

I appreciate your business and really do love working with you in maintaining your healthful life!

My new office will be under the name "Georgetown Wellness group".
it is at 1740 Wisconsin Ave, which is at a traffic light where S T-s into Wisconosn. I am located above a nail salon named Harmony Spa.

Every few years a shoe company comes out with a shoe that allegedly tones and strengthens your glutes and thighs while you simply walk in them. How does this work? Supposedly, by increasing the height at a specific point in the shoe. Myself, and other body professionals (chiropractors, personal trainers, PT's and kineosologists) all agree: they do more harm than good. The theory behind the shoes is that they mock a certain yoga position that is used to tone and strengthen the legs and hips. The problem is that our bodies were not meant to function and locomote for a period of time in this position. Every single person that walks thru my door that has purchased these shoes have complained of hip and low back pain that is effecting their quality of life. Not to mention a nice dent in their wallet with no results. Our bodies are a very precisely engineered machine. If you adjust the foundation it will not function properly. My advice? If you want to work on your hips and legs stick with what really works: squats, lunges, weights, walking, running, etc. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the easy way out in exercising.

Isn't it Ironic

I obviously spend a lot of time with my chosen career. I am constantly continuing my education, blogging, reading, and simply enjoying each day at work. The funny thing: My 8 week old son prefers my husband massaging his feet and not me. When I do it, he could care less. When my husband, Ryan does it, Zack smiles, squirms, and coos. Ryan can also soothe the loudest cry with his foot massages. Me? Nothing, he simply gives me this looks that I know translates into, "Mom, you're doing it all wrong. That's not how Daddy does it..." ;)

Sciatica

So many people say that they have Sciatica, but they don't. Actual sciatica refers to a herniated disc in your back that presses on the sciatic nerve. This obviously needs to be examined and diagnosed by a Dr. This condition causes pain in the low back that refers down thru the hip and into the back of the though all the way down your leg. A lot of people experience this type of pain but do not actually have nerve compression between L5 and S1. Often this painful syndrome is caused by tight hip muscles. The sciatic never comes out of the back and runs between a posterior hip muscles called the Piriformis. If this muscle is tight, it can impinge the nerve and cause the same symptoms as actual sciatic compression in the spine. Also, there are a few other hip muscles (like the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, other deep hip rotators) that when they are tight and consist of Trigger Points, the referral pain pattern will mock sciatica. This is where I come in. I can get in their (usually with my elbow) and release the Trigger Points in these muscles and manipulate the soft tissue so that you can have some relief. It is especially important to have a massage therapist work on these muscles as we will know where all of the structures and attachments are. Plus, we will be able to work on the related muscle groups to alleviate the tightness from the domino affect of everything be connected.

If you have sciatic type pain from these tight muscles, you can prevent by avoiding prolonged standing or leaning, not sitting on a thick wallet, making sure you are properly warmed up for sports events and especially walking uphill as well as stretching your hip out afterwards, proper foot support, and using cruise control on your car when appropriate.

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar Fasciitis is an umbrella term for the inflammation of the connective tissue on the plantar (bottom) surface of the foot connecting on your heel and up towards the toes. It can range from being mildy uncomfortable to excruciatingly painful. Anyone can acquire it, but mostly it occurs to athletes, people standing on their feet for long periods of time, pregnant women, and those with inadequate support. How do you know if you have it? Easy. Does the bottom of your feet hurt when you wake up in the morning? Does the pain return if you've been standing or when you get up from sitting for awhile? If you answered yes, you more than likely have plantar fasciitis. Of course you would need to see a doctor to diagnose this.

For those that have suffered from this condition know that it is quite painful and seems to take forever to heal, but there are a few things that you can do to avoid it:

• Avoid walking in barefeet (In shoe-less households try having house-shoes or wearing slippers)
• Make sure you have appropriate support in your footwear.
• Wear orthotics if necessary
• When standing for long periods, take a break and stretch and sit with your feet up.
• Have someone you live with massage your feet at the end of the day.

If you think you have plantar fasciitis, make an appt. with your doctor so that you can start to heal as quickly as possible. Your recovery might include new shoes, orthotics, stretches, exercises, massage, anti-inflammatories, and/or a special boot from your Dr. it is very important to treat this as soon as possible as it can get worse and start to effect the rest of your body. If your foundation is off, it is going to reverberate up your whole body and effect the muscles in your legs, hips and back.

Massage can tremendously help to alleviate the pain and discomfort of plantar fasciitis. During the day (and while you sleep) fluid builds up in your feet. Massage geared towards this condition will assist the body in circulating the fluids back up as well stretching the fascia, tendons and ligaments. With your feet in pain, you are most likely walking differently. This is going to effect the muscles all the way up to your back. To prevent or troubleshoot this chain reaction, a deep tissue massage is your best bet.

Yoga and Self-Care Stretching

You all know my lectures on daily stretching so I won't go into that. What you don't know is that yoga is not sufficient for self-care. I have had enough clients report this as to make me want to inform you that you need more. Yes, yoga does stretch out your body and make you more flexible and resilient. What it does not do is replace the need for you to stretch out your overworked, muscles from daily wear and tear. Yoga in of itself is a strength training workout. That is why in class the teachers warm you up and stretch you out during the session. I think yoga is a wonderful thing for your body, but it does not replace a daily stretching routine.

Common Thread

Is it your imagination, or does every single blog and newsletter article go back to you using your body correctly and applying workout principles to everyday activities? NO, it is not.

I obviously cannot stress this point enough. The body is a very intricately designed piece of machinery whose parts were made to function in a certain way. When we use them incorrectly, the parts do not work as well and will end up having some signs of wear and tear. I am clearly an advocate of prevention and good health so I try to always emphasize that you have the power and responsibility to avoid many everyday muscular injuries. One might say it is adventagous of me to keep proclaiming this, after all, don't I want people to be in pain so they will make more appts?? No; I see myself as a medical health professional so I want and strive for you to be well. I see myself as a coach. I am here for support and to help guide you in your health, and when that is not enough I can troubleshoot the problem for you so you are 3 steps ahead than where you were before.

Insurance & Massage

Insurance companies have been covering massages for quite awhile now. Some of them cover the full cost, some partial. Some need a Dr.'s a note saying that you need them and some you can just pay out of your pre-tax account. Either way, this is always good news. To some of your dismay I do not accept insurance. I will provide you with a receipt, and excel chart of your appts, and/or a write up of the work we did, anything for you to be able to get reimbursed. Why don't I just accept your insurance and be done with it? My dad is a dentist and I grew up listening to him and all of his friends gripe about the insurance companies. Problems such as cost and care control or the driving factors. I cant have someone telling me I can only provide a 15 minute massage for someone that needs a full hour etc. I went into private practice for a multitude of reasons, a top one being control issues. I love what I do for a living and I prefer to do it all on my own terms. One simply cannot do that when they are chained to an insurance company. It may be a slight pain in the rear for you, but in the end you really get the most benefit in the current scenario.