Health Forum Blog
Today is a great day for a massage!
September 2023
Physical TherapyIn my practice I have experienced many clients who have been referred by their doctor to physical therapy.
Some of my clients had been involved in an automobile accident. Some had been injured in a fall or it was a repetitive injury.
What I have done was watch to see if the physical therapy was making a difference. What I have found over the years is that there are a lot of bad physical therapists. Perhaps they are getting better but there was a long time where so many of my clients were feeling worse or the therapy was doing nothing at all.
My most common story from my clients was that the physical therapist didn’t listen. They just had them use a machine that did nothing, gave them some exercises and sent them home.
One of the most frustrating experiences for me was when I would try to convince a client to go to physical therapy when their past experience caused them more pain or did nothing.
This is frustrating for me because I know physical therapy can help and yet there were so many ineffective physical therapists. I couldn’t blame the client for not wanting to go and I didn’t have a good PT referral.
Another observation I experienced with clients was with a client who kept going to PT faithfully but was not getting better. They would tell me that the massage was working better for them than the PT.
I recently underwent knee repair surgery. Due to a misdiagnosis, I was given a referral for PT and had been in PT before I knew that I needed surgery. After surgery, I needed to continue with PT. I have been in PT now for 6 months.
I was very fortunate to find a good physical therapist on my first try. With my experience with my clients PT histories, I wouldn’t have stayed with an ineffective physical therapist. But what if you don’t know a good physical therapist from a bad one?
I have found two very good articles that will give you the information to help you decide if you are getting the help you need (links below).
One last thing, you have to do the exercises! If you don’t find the time in your day to do the work, you won’t get better. Period. It won’t be the physical therapist’s fault if you don’t do the work. You may think the exercises are lame but do them anyway. If you are doing the work like you are suppose to do and you don’t feel better, talk with you PT. If they won’t listen, consider a new PT.
The PT that I have been going to has been Aubree at Therapeutic Associates on NE 40th and Fremont.
I hope to see you soon,
Diane
6 signs that you are working with a good physical therapist
https://www.evolveptnyc.com/blog/blog-post-title-one-8nh7m
7 signs you need to switch physical therapists
https://modernsportspt.com/switch/
May 2023
Other Health Benefits of Massage TherapyIf you have ever gotten a massage, you will already know some of the benefits of massage. In my blog for May I have a link to an article by the Mayo clinic on massage. This is a short read that highlights some of the benefits of massage you might not have thought of. MAYO CLINIC ARTICLE
April 2023
What Your Massage Therapist Knows About You After 1 SessionAs you're lying on the massage table or when you have contemplated getting a massage, do you ever wonder what the massage therapist thinks about your body? Do you ever wonder what they're thinking while they're giving you a massage? If you've ever wondered these things then perhaps you would like to read the article with the link below. I found this to be a wonderful article that came the closest to describing what it's like for me as a massage therapist to do what I do everyday for my clients. This is the behind the curtains look at massage from the therapist point of view and how they look at their clients. This is a quick read and I hope you enjoy it. READ ARTICLE
March 2023
STATINS AND MUSCLE PAINThis week I worked on a regular client that I have been seeing for years. I knew that she had been struggling with pain in her shoulders for over a year. It did not seem as if anything that we tried together helped her for very long. She had brought her pain problems to several of her doctors who had no answers for her.
Several weeks ago, she spoke with a new pain doctor about her pain. This new doctor told her that the Statins that she was on for her cholesterol can cause muscle pain. She took herself off her cholesterol medication and her pain improved by 95%.
This reminded me that this has happened with other clients that I have had over the years with the exception that their pain was in their legs which is more common with Statins.
Over the years I have witnessed chronic pain caused by the side effects of medication. In one instance, a client researched a medication for the obscure side effects and found her symptoms. Sometimes, the most common side effects on the paper accompanying the medication are not ALL of the side effects.
The web address below will connect you with the side effects of Statins.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/statin-muscle-pain
What my client was most disturbed about was that none of her doctors, for over a year, said anything to her about her pain associated with her Statins. Now that she has been off of them for a while, she will have her cholesterol rechecked and will look for another medication or solution for her high cholesterol.
So, if you are having strange pains or unexplained odd symptoms is your body that no medical professional can explain, research all the side effects of the medication that you are using.
January 2023
It’s 2023, a new year and many of us are looking forward to new projects, new adventures and new goals. Rose City Massage, for example, has a new website! Here are my goals for my clients in 2023.
STRETCHWhat I hear most often when I ask a client if they stretch is, “I exercise” or “I strengthen”. Stretching is not strengthening. Strengthening tightens, tones and shortens the muscle. Stretching relaxes, and lengthens the muscle. Two very different things. I recommend Googling the stretch that you need. If I have recommended that you stretch a certain muscle, have me write the name of the muscle down for you. There are several ways to stretch a certain muscle, find the stretch that works for you and that targets the area that you feel is tight or painful. When you Google, be sure to choose a Stretch, not a strengthening exercise.
DRINK WATER OR NON CAFFINE LIQUIDDehydration can cause muscle cramping and muscle knots. When the muscle fibers lack water, they become sticky and the fibers do not glide easily. This causes stress in the muscles and they have to work harder causing cramping and knots. Just a glass of water will instantly rehydrate you.
GET MASSAGE REGULARLYThe clients that I see on a regular schedule have regular maintenance over their stress and muscle knots. You can save money by setting up a standing appointment once time a month or more. You can also buy packages to save money on your regular massage maintenance.
Finally, HAVE FUN AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE! This is what I will be doing in 2023 and I wish the same for you.
Introduction
Hello everyone. I am finally writing the blog I have been wanting to write for years. I will be addressing the most frequently asked questions I have received over the past 37 years as an L.MT. I will also address some of the most common problems that I have seen over the years and share the most common experiences that my clients have shared.
I touch about 1,000 bodies each year. Times that number by 37 years and that means that I have listened to 37,000 stories that follow my question “How's your body today and what can I do for you?”
Over the years I have seen a pattern over what is the most common outcome for knee surgeries or hip surgeries or shoulder surgeries or auto accidents. I have been asked a lot of questions and probably there have been questions that many of my client’s would want to ask but haven’t. I hope to answer some of your questions and share some of the information that I have gathered in an effort to give you understanding and answer questions about your body and massage therapy.
I look forward to this journey with you. Please reach out to me with questions along the way. Sincerely, Diane Rose City Massage Therapy
Frequently Asked Question
How Often Should I get a Massage?
A. It depends on why you are getting a massage. Are you using massage to treat yourself? Are you using massage as part of your monthly maintenance? If so, once a month, minimum, will work for you or more frequently if you feel like it.
If you are trying to rid yourself of chronic pain or to move forward in your effort toward better mobility then you need to know the following. Massage is accumulative and what I mean by that is that a massage therapist can only reach a certain level of relaxation in your muscle tissue in one session. By accumulative I mean that massage sessions will build on each other to where in each session the therapist will be able to go deeper into the tissue because the tissue has been relaxed from the previous session. Here is the catch, each person holds the length of time that their muscles will stay relaxed between sessions differently.
If you want to work on your chronic tight muscles or limited motion, you will need to come frequently enough so that each massage allows the therapist to get deeper and deeper into the tissue. You will need to schedule your sessions so that your body has not gone back to 'square one' before the next session. So, schedule your sessions so that your therapist can make progress into your tissue to get those rock-hard muscles loose. Some people will need to come once a week, every two weeks and every three weeks. In my experience, no one can hold a massage, meaning keep their muscles relaxed, for a whole month.
You will need to experiment with the length of the massage such as going from an hour to an hour and a half and experimenting with how long between sessions will give your muscles the best chance to be worked out. Also know that too often is not good either. If your muscles are sore, the therapist cannot work them properly. So, coming twice a week usually does not work unless I'm doing Carpel Tunnel treatments.
"In the silence of not doing, we begin to know what we feel" - Unknown
Questions About Insurance
I do work with insurance in the unfortunate event of an auto accident. For health insurance, my clients pay for my service and submit their receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement. It is easy to do and I can help you with it. For now, I do not bill directly. Also, the prices that my clients pay up front are discounted cash prices. My regular prices are the billing prices. If you have an amount limit on your insurance, paying up front and being reimbursed will make your massage benefits go further. Below are the current cash prices, soon to be increased cash prices and my billing prices. Look forward to future monthly discounts. Thank you for being a member of my clinic and I wish you a very happy 2020.
Additional Benefit
Full Massage Time
You get your full massage time that you pay for! When I began in 1985, most therapists gave the full massage time you paid for. Only a few therapists would start the massage from the time you entered the practice. Now, the standard has changed. Now, a client receives a 50-minute massage and is charged for 60 minutes. The client's actual massage time is used for undressing and getting on the table. I give each client the full massage time that they pay for. Your massage time will start when you get on the table and I come into the room. That is why most massage sessions last an extra 10-15 minutes.
Additional Benefit
Free 10-Minute Hot Tub
When I moved my practice from the Oregon Athletic Club to it's present location, my office was in the pool area. My client's would hot tub before they would get a massage. Hydrotherapy (hot tub) relaxes the muscle tissue and prepares the body for a deeper massage without causing pain during or after the massage. The time in the hot tub replaces the time it takes during the massage to warm up the tissue before deeper massage can begin.
Additional Benefit
Email or Text Reminders
If you have agreed to emails or text, I will send you a reminder of your appointment two days before. This gives you time to reschedule if you need to, within the 24-hour limit you have to cancel or reschedule. Please know that I do not sell your email. I only use this information to support my communications with each client and to offer sales.
Additional Benefit
At Rose City Massage, It's All About You and Only You!
Every practice has it's good and bad points. In my practice, you will not find the hustle and bustle of a large impersonal spa or massage chain. Here, it is all about you. You will rarely see another client when you arrive or leave. I schedule a half hour between each client so that each client feels as if they are my only client.