Month: November 2018

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Massage Therapy Chose Me

I didn’t imagine when I was a kid that I would own and run a thriving massage therapy practice. I believed I was destined to work in business. In fact, for over ten years, I was employed as an office manager and bookkeeper for a small company located in Silver Spring, Maryland. But massage therapy chose me.

My days ran one into another as I put in over fifty hours a week in the office. Tack on a hellish commute both ways and I lived in perpetual exhaustion. I knew I had to make a change in my life and leap off the hamster wheel.

My hands spoke for me

One particularly stressful day when our office was busier than usual, I gave a co-worker a neck and shoulder massage. She declared she felt fantastic afterward. “You should become a massage therapist!”

I reflected on her words, letting them settle into my heart. It wasn’t the first time someone mentioned to me that I was gifted in this way. I decided to jump way outside my comfort zone and, at age forty-five, changed careers.

First position

My first paid massage therapist position was at a day spa in Elkridge. Over the year I spent there, I witnessed first-hand healing.

I soon had a full client load of wonderful people who booked to see me week after week or month after month. They and I noticed how their bodies and stress levels really changed!  It felt like I was delivering miracle healing through my hands and I feel deeply in love with my craft.

Miracles everywhere

It didn’t take me long to figure I could start and operate my own healing business.  Using my prior business and administrative skills, I created Miracles Massage.

I love my business and my work.  Making real connections with my clients and being a conduit of healing is everything to me.

I enjoy listening to any of my client’s stories about their families, careers, and their happy or challenging times. Part of my holistic approach is to deeply connect with my clients, letting them decompress before we begin their massage. I follow my intuition, knowing on what areas I need to focus to give my clients the best therapeutic massage they’ve ever had (even if they’re regulars!).

I end each session by saying, “Thank you.” It’s an honor to serve my clients.

I’d love to serve you, too. Contact me and let’s get you scheduled!

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Sometimes You Shouldn’t Get a Massage

We always talk about the benefits of getting a massage and why it is so important to have a regular massage, BUT there are times when one should opt out.

Avoid massage therapy in this situations:

  • Vigorous massage should be avoided by people with bleeding disorders, low blood platelet counts, and by people taking blood-thinning medications such as Warfarin.
  • Massage should not be done in any area of the body with blood clots, fractures, open or healing wounds, skin infections, weakened bones (such as from osteoporosis or cancer), or where there has been a recent surgery.
  • Although massage therapy appears to be generally safe for cancer patients, clients should consult their oncologists before having a massage that involves deep or intense pressure. Any direct pressure over a tumor is usually discouraged. Cancer patients should discuss any concerns about massage therapy with their oncologist.
  • Pregnant women should consult their healthcare provider before using massage therapy. However, after the first trimester, massage can be very beneficial to an expecting mother.  This topic will come up in another blog. 😊

General Contraindications

For certain medical conditions, massage therapy is generally contraindicated or should be avoided at the time. These include:

  • Systemic contagious or infectious diseases, including the common cold;
  • Acute conditions requiring first aid or medical attention;
  • Severe unstable hypertension; or
  • Significant fever

Local Contraindications

For the following conditions, massage therapy is locally contraindicated, or the affected areas are to be avoided:

  • An acute flare-up of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis
  • Deep vein thrombosis
  • An aneurysm
  • Frostbite
  • Local contagious or irritable skin conditions
  • Open sores or wounds
  • Recent surgery
  • Recent burn
  • Varicosities
  • Malignancy

Please avoid eating anything at least an hour prior to your massage.  Even though massage is extremely relaxing and feeling good, eating a meal just before your massage can cause the client to feel nauseated. It’s possible that there could be an onset of vomiting or the immediate need to move bowels—both of which you probably will not want to do at your massage therapists office 😊

If you have any questions about whether or not you ought to avoid getting a massage, contact me and ask!

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Why regular massage is best

Do you have those annoying knots in your neck?  A frequent pain in your lower back?  Tightness in your shoulders or hamstrings or wrists? Over time, this causes our muscles and/or fascia to be out of place, stretched out, pulled, or shortened.  This causes our muscles and/or fascia to get stuck or bunch up, causing what we call knots.

That’s because your muscles are bunched and scrunched up. In these modern times, we tend to sit for hours in front of our computers. Our necks are crooked as we stare into our cell phones.  We hold postures that are not ideal for our skeletal, muscular, or soft tissue structure.

How We Get Tied Into Knots

Over time, this causes our muscles and/or fascia to be out of place, stretched out, pulled, or shortened.  This causes our muscles and/or fascia to get stuck or bunch up, causing what we call knots.

Massage is not only a feel-good experience—although it really is amazing, right?—massage will also CORRECT our posture and over time diminish that everyday pain we endure

Reversing Poor Habits

If you get a massage once a year, it will be relaxing, but it can’t undo a lifetime of muscle tension. Typically, once every week or two is ideal for keeping your muscle tissue pliable and in good shape. If you are in chronic pain or have a special issue to address, you might benefit from a weekly massage (or even twice a week) until you feel better.

Once you’re feeling better, once a month is the recommended minimum for maintaining the health of your tissue. If you start stretching the massages out too far apart, then your muscles can revert to their old patterns, especially when you come under stress. If you wait too long, you’ll have to start all over again to restore their suppleness and pliancy.

Scheduling Regular Massages

MiraclePass is our monthly self-care routine which offers you a discounted price per session.  Every month, you’ll be delighted with a blissful massage, and at the same time, you will decrease stress, muscle tension, the everyday lower back pain you live with, and lower your blood pressure. Monthly massage will increase your feelings of well-being, promote relaxation, improve your posture, and increase your immunity.

Read more and grab your MiraclePass today.