Bodywise Therapeutic Massage

Written by Brooke Bailey

Exercise should be a part of all of our lives.

It can increase your energy and lift your mood on top of other

heart healthy benefits.

It can even increase your immune system. However the hardest

part is getting started and keeping it up. Some helpful tricks I have found

especially when getting started is to make your

goals small at first making the first step about just getting

to the gym, park,class or wherever you feel is the best place for you to workout.

Luckily the Ann Arbor area has a lot of great options.

Pick a few days a week, set a time and simply show up. Don’t think about the

workout only try to make yourself develop a habit of having that time blocked out

for a workout. Soon enough you will find this becomes like second nature.

Another thing you could try is making commitments with a friend to meet them on

a specific day for a walk, bike ride or even a class. It’s a lot harder for us

to back out when we have made a commitment with another person. Soon you will

find that you look forward to that time and begin to cherish it.

*Come back for more helpful ideas!

The American Massage  Therapy Association Michigan Chapter held their annual meeting and education expo in Ann Arbor last weekend(April 15-17).  Most of the Bodywise team had the pleasure to attend it.  Brooke was holding down the fort at the clinic, but the rest of us took various classes.  I spent Saturday in a class on Oncology (Cancer treatment), then Ethics.  Over the years the views on cancer and massage have changed greatly.  Look in the next couple of days for a blog on that class.  Sunday was spent in an all day class about social media and marketing.

The annual meeting on Saturday included elections for the Michigan chapter board of directors.  Todd Simmons is the President, Jerry is continuing his role of 2nd Vice President (there are 3), and I have been dusted off to come back as Immediate Past President.  I had been the President from 1994-2000 so it’s not really so immediate, but that is the title!

I will continue more later, and look for information from Barb and Kellie on the Bamboo Fusion class they took.  Looks to be the coolest new massage modality.

Written by Barb Frisk

Have you ever wondered as you passed one of those chain massage places what the difference between them and Bodywise Therapeutic Massage was?  Prior to working at Bodywise I worked at one of those chains and interviewed at another.  I’d like to share my observations with you.

Chains are often found in strip malls.  Not a big deal right?  Wrong.  Next to the one I worked at was a store that refilled computer ink cartridges.  They must have used pretty heavy machinery because when they would go to work the walls would shake on that side of the building and you could hear this boom, boom, boom.  The office I interviewed with shared a wall with a gym.  You could hear heavy weight hitting the floor and the music going.  It doesn’t sound like a relaxing massage to me. Bodywise on the other hand is a free standing house.  There is the white noise of the street but every attempt is made to create a quite soothing environment.

The chain I worked at expected its’ massage therapists to help sell its’ products.  They sold tea pots and tea.  They also had an esthetician who came in and did all kinds of facials and skin treatments.  They had a doctor come in several times a week to give botox injections.  You know I recently saw an ad for one of the other offices in the chain.  They are now offering colonics. (Enemas that go high into the intestines. This is supposed to detoxify you). Our focus is on massage.  You may be asked if you’d like to book another massage or buy a package but there is no selling beyond that.

Speaking of booking another massage, at the chains the turnover is fairly rapid.  You may see the same person for a few months but then they are gone.

The key difference however is in the name Bodywise THERAPEUTIC Massage. Our therapists have a wealth of experience.  Terry has been a therapist for over 20 years, and has taught as well. She serves as a consultant to us all. Todd has 13 years experience, Brooke has 12 years, Jerry 4 years, Kelly 1 ½ years, and I have 2 ½ years.  We have been trained in a variety of therapeutic techniques including Anatomy and Physiology and movement, which helps us to determine what we need to work on to ease the muscle discomfort you are experiencing.  Our education didn’t end when we graduated from school. Continuing education is encouraged and supported, so we can bring you the best techniques for your problem. If we know someone else in the office has more experience or greater skill in treating a problem we have no problem referring you to that person to get you the best care.   In addition we consult with each other, share information and even practice on each other. We work hard to bring you the best in therapeutic massage.  We are invested in you, and your health.

When I began my career, I saw myself training to work with a sports team.  Being a big Pistons fan, I had hoped to work with them in some capacity.  I took sports and  all of the specialty /injury related courses I could find.  During that time, some of my friends were coming in to see me for their problems.  Then they referred some of their friends who had similar muscular issues.  The next thing you know, I was seeing lots of musicians that had overuse injuries like the sports injuries I had trained for.  Sure, some different movements meant different muscles involved, but it was much the same kind of work.  In thinking about it, I had always had lots of friends who were musicians and it was more my world than the professional athlete world was.

From there I learned as much as I could about the body mechanics involved for each instrument, the average practice time for each at every level (kid, high school, college and professional) and of course what time of overuse injures were common. I was mistaken many times as a reviewer of some type as I would sit and take notes at recitals.  I was lucky enough to have a few professors understand the importance of the work I was doing (the most important part being the self care for these folks) and was invited to do trainings in their classes.  Preventive care (taking care of the body before injury or illness can set in) was able to assist many.

In addition to the clients, the therapists that work at Bodywise also get a keen understanding of this important therapy.  If you call and end up seeing another therapist, they consult with me as well.  Coming to an office where this has been a priority for 20+ years gives you the best care possible.  Your work is much like ours.  Overuse injuries are common and yet we have to keep going in order to eat, pay the rent, etc.   I had a case of tendonitis once that caused my doc to tell me to stop doing massage for a few weeks.  I asked if he was going to pay my bills.  The answer for some reason was no, and then he said “you know better what to do at this point than I do”(sounds like it could have been snarky, but it wasn’t.  It was about the friction/ice/stretching stuff).  So I did what I knew, and it did heal, with full range of motion.

If you happen to be one of the musicians I have had the pleasure of working with over the years, I thank you.  You have enriched my career in many ways.

More specific blogs can be written up if you like.  Just let me know.

Terry

by Kellie Gagliardi:

Did you know that prenatal massage not only has pyschological benefits for the expectant mother but also physical benefits as well?  Studies indicate that massage therapy performed during pregnancy can reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and improve labor outcomes and newborn health.  Swedish Massage is the recommended prenatal massage method during pregnancy because it addresses many common discomforts associated with these skeletal and circulatory changes brought on by hormone shifts during pregnancy.

Something I have seen a lot of in my practice, and have experienced myself is that painful and frustrating thing called plantar fasciitis.  The sharp pains on the bottom of the foot, usually on the heel, that hurt more when weight bearing.  The plantar fascia is the connective tissue that is connected at the heel and runs to the toes, supporting your arch.

The common reasons for this occuring are: running on hard surfaces, being on your feet for extended periods of time, having shoes that do not have adequate support or shoes that are worn out.

Treatments vary depending on the severity.  First, resting it if possible (if you have a job where you are on your feet all the time this option is out!), icing several times a day, stretching of the lower legs and feet and getting either new shoes with better support or orthotics of some variety(glad to discuss that some time here if anyone is interested.  Are you??).  If these options don’t work, and even in conjunction if you are in a lot of discomfort, use an OTC anti-inflammatory if ok with your MD (be careful mixing meds.  Always ask just in case. As a doc of mine once said “If I didn’t want to get calls from patients, I shouldn’t have become a doctor!”).  And now for treatment that is in my world and helps do the trick much of the time.  Get a golf ball, roll your foot around on top of it to tolerance and ice.  The golf ball works to massage the area.  Doing both of these things with the occasional ibuprofen healed mine.  Massage too of course.

Watch for things that make it worse.  I found that the thing that kept exacerbating mine was hopping out of bed onto a hard wood floor.  I put a thick area rug right where I get out and the re-injury stopped happening.

If you find no relief with a few weeks of the care listed, or the pain is too much, by all means call your doctor or a podiatrist(foot doctor).  Self care works best if you start when you notice the problem.  Good luck.  As always, if you have questions about these brief snippets of info, send a note. Best wishes!

With so many choices of massage therapists, people often ask me what makes Bodywise so different.  First of all, let me just say that I am biased.  Really biased.  I opened Bodywise in 1991 with the intention of having a place that not only offered the best therapeutic massage for our clients, but a place that treated the therapists really well.  I try to bring in the best and the brightest, not that my instincts have always been correct over the years, but for the most part that is what you find.  Once in awhile there are those diamonds in the rough.  Therapists that I know will be great with more experience, but they have the right kind of respect and caring for others that is needed.  Sometimes I am blessed with a team that works so well together I am honored to be with them.  Such is the case now.  Each person is different, as are the needs you may have.  During a treatment, some people like to chat, others like to have a meditative experience, some inbetween.  We have a therapist for you.  All of them like to laugh, a big plus in my book.

Now I must digress a bit.  The part about laughing reminded me of something that happened to me some years back.  I was taking a class in ethics offered by one of my favorite teachers, Jean Middlesworth.  She asked the class the usual questions about how we could perhaps be unethical with our clients, and vice versa.  All of the usual answers came up, then one came up that had a bit of controversy.  Someone said it was unethical for the client to tell her jokes.  I could not hold back a guffaw.  Why you ask?  Well, I had a client at the time (since moved, sad for my joke repetoire) that came in every week and always had at least two new jokes for me.  Some a bit unsavory for the thin skinned perhaps, but either got a big laugh from me or a shaking of my head.  I looked forward to that time.  Some I would even retell to other clients, although trying to be very sensitive to their outlook on humor.

I explained to the class the reason for my guffaw and the joy I got out of my weekly sessions.  Jean told the class that if anyone had clients that told jokes, to refer them to me!  Ok, so you say to me, Terry, what does this have to do with massage or Bodywise or even for me for goodness sake?  Well, the point is, at Bodywise we do clinical work, which means an ongoing relationship.  Finding the person you connect with is important.  Ask for what you need.  Therapist too chatty?  Ask for certain music or to quietly meditate after your health update is done.  Are they too quiet and you like to chat?  Start up a conversation- exercise, music, movies or just say you would like to converse a bit to help you relax.  If you don’t click, make an appointment with a different therapist for your next visit.  Or call me and tell me what you hope for, I will refer you appropriately.  Remember too, and your therapist will discuss this with you, you are in charge of the pressure used.  That will be another blog altogether.

Keeping mind that always, always, your health and well being are the priority.

Proof v. Evidence
Massage therapists have to walk a fine line these days. We are straddling our generations-old traditions and loyalty to authority with a 21st Century interest in proof of efficacy and effectiveness.
Many of us come from an educational background where we learned the techniques that our teachers learned from their teachers, who learned it from… you get the idea. These were steeped in long tradition, and they were explained on a physiological basis only in the broadest of terms.
In the 1980’s some brave souls had the audacity to question authority about some of our most deeply held conventions about massage. Specifically, they began to challenge the common wisdom that massage was a terrible idea for any person who had cancer. When open-minded people began to ask, “Does massage have any benefits to offer people with cancer?” the evidence they gathered indicated a strong and surprising, “Yes—massage improves sleep, reduces anxiety and depression, and strengthens immune system function—all important benefits for people with cancer.”
Notice here that I didn’t use the word proof.
For something to be proven to be true, it has to be true for all people in all circumstances—this is why, for instance, that smoking hasn’t been proven to cause lung cancer. But we are accumulating a body of evidence that shows some benefits of massage. Interestingly, it’s not always in the contexts that we expected. For instance, the evidence about massage and improved athletic performance is spotty at best. The age-old shibboleth that massage “flushes toxins” may be completely false—no study has been able to demonstrate this fairly straightforward theory. But the ability for massage to affect mood, to create a state of well-being even for people who are profoundly anxious or depressed; to boost immune system function; to improve focus and concentration—all these have a strong body of evidence in their favor, and they are often not what we think massage is for.
Our health care culture and delivery systems are undergoing major changes. As a society we need to invest in modalities that give reliable positive results that are both safe and cost effective. The massage therapy profession has some catching up to do when it comes to accumulating evidence about our work, but studies are ongoing, and massage therapists all over the world are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of evidence to help strengthen their skills and improve their effectiveness.
For more information about massage research and how you can help, please visit the Massage Therapy Foundation at www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.

~Ruth Werner, President
Massage Therapy Foundation

Welcome to the Massage Therapy Foundation

www.massagetherapyfoundation.org

The Massage Therapy Foundation advances the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education and community service.