Guest blogger: Erica Girardeau, LMT
Why would you want to get a massage at our clinic as opposed to a massage chain, where you possibly already pay for a monthly membership? Many people I serve at the office are coming to me looking for relief for a specific problem. Problems need special time and attention and that is what I’m focused on here as I work on you. A common complaint I’ll hear about massage chains is the inconsistency in the skills of the therapists. Because of the high turnover rates at these businesses, many times people won’t end up getting massaged by the same person. This leaves a gap in the therapist’s ability to really understand what your body needs.
Having a regular therapist builds a foundation for your relationship and specialized treatment, which you have access to here at HealthWorks. Most massage sessions run 50-60 minutes, and when your task as a therapist is to massage the whole body, time doesn’t permit in-depth attention in the areas that bother you most. Although I believe the whole body is important, our focus here is to resolve the issues that are causing pain and preventing you from feeling your best, as opposed to going to a place to take a nap. All massage is beneficial in one way or another, but here we are striving for optimal feeling and function. A session like this will serve you longer than the 50 minutes you paid for.
So what does “therapeutic” mean if all massage is beneficial? Therapeutic means:
- The needs of every individual client are met
- A therapeutic relationship forms between client and therapist, limiting the instances where you get a different therapist every time
- Issues are resolved instead of being brushed over
- Serving you in the long run rather than the short run
The term therapeutic is relative to the client. Every client and their needs are unique to one another and should be approached that way. When a massage is consistent with the needs of each individual person, it doesn’t get more therapeutic than that.
Another thing to be understood is the relationship between pain and fixing the issue. There is often discomfort when getting a therapeutic massage, but it’s important to understand the pain exists even before someone touches them. The therapist is only the one to bring that discomfort to light and to help your body release it. There never has to be more pain than you can tolerate, and your body also has the ability to interpret what feels like pain as a good thing. Pain and discomfort are relative experiences, and those boundaries are respected in a therapeutic massage. I love witnessing the increasing tolerance of a client because of the time and consistency they’ve committed to their treatment.
So what’s your next step in beginning your therapeutic massage journey? The only way to know is to try it for yourself, not by taking someone else’s experience and making that your deciding factor. We know that the needs of everyone are different and so is their tolerance. Commit to one therapist for a length of time that will give your body the time it needs to heal. Book a session online at https://healthworkstx.intakeq.com/booking, call or text our office at 972-612-1800 to schedule a time that works for you.
HealthWorks: A Family Wellness Center is a chiropractic and wellness center located in Plano, Texas. Our chiropractors, Dr. Christy Flick and Dr. Jennifer Taylor, have been helping patients function better since starting private practice in 2005. For information about this article or other chiropractic questions, please contact our office at 972-612-1800.