The Dance of Bodywork

The Dance of Bodywork

I choose to use the word bodywork or manual therapy as it tends to be a little different than what most people have experienced in the past.

In the realm of bodywork and massage, there is so much variety it will be very unlikely to find 2 practitioners that work in the same way. Folks who come in, tend to have a specific notion of what they think or want when it comes to massage/bodywork. It is important to know what exactly you are looking for whenever you schedule with a practitioner.

For myself, I was initially trained in general Swedish style massage and then ventured to Structural Integration(SI) work of which ”Rolfing” is generally what most people tend to be familiar with.

These days the structural style of my SI work remains but the method in which I perform my treatments has started to shift.

With Functional Range Release, I have started using a style of manual therapy that is simultaneously assessing and treating.

This assessment is usually performed through passive motion. When working on a client I will be moving a particular joint through a variety of ranges to see if there are any palpable findings. With findings, this is immediately taken right into treatment. This dance of assessment and treatment will continue as I work a specific area in shorter sessions (30-60 min) or the whole body or portion of the body in longer SI sessions.

This ongoing assessment/treatment style has become why I use manual therapy over acupuncture for musculoskeletal issues in my practice. It is much harder, I have found, to truly find all the tension in an area with a tissue that isn’t moved.

When choosing manual therapy or massage take note that every practitioner will likely be very different from another. Try finding ones that can help you with your goals.

Looking for more treatment and assessment? Check the link in the bio for RHS bodywork and other options or feel free to contact me today.