Intuitive Congruent Bodywork

Can I still get a massage if I am...?

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:11:00 -0800

Massage can be a powerful tool to aid in healing and recovery but the question does come up: “When should a person avoid getting a massage session?”

Below are some of the common sense and more specific reasons to put off a session with your favorite body worker. As with any medical condition, your massage therapist should require you to have a medical professional be aware of your potential bodywork as to avoid contraindications.

1. Do to an infection or fever – During fever, or during an infection, according to Ayurvedic principles, there will be disturbance in Agni (digestive power) and body will not be in a position to take a massage. Your body is healing, rest is indicated as the best healing assistance.

2. During inflammation, swelling or blunt injuries – When the body is swollen due blunt injuries or other medical condition it is best to avoid massage. Massage can be performed if the localized area can be avoided. Lymphatic work may be helpful if cleared with your medical practitioner.

3. During abdominal pain - A pain that is arising due to gastric, liver or other organ dysfunction should be cleared with a medical professional. Some gastric and lymphatic dysfunctions can be treated with massage but always check with medical professional first.

4. Wounds or contagious skin conditions – With any wound or recent surgery, massage is not advised due to pain or risk of re-injury. Many skin conditions are helped by massage but contagious or fungal infections are contraindicated.

5. With a healing bone or fracture – Massage during fracture may cause displaced bone arrangement, leading to complications and disrupt healing process.

6. During 1st trimester of pregnancy – Massage during pregnancy can be very helpful. Since there are several Accupressure points which are contraindicated during the 1st trimester, massage is best avoided during that time. As always consult with your OB/GYN to clear any bodywork for your 2nd & 3rd trimesters.

7. During a feeling of urgency – If your mind is pre-occupied about a pending work, which is very urgent, better to avoid massage at that time. Set your mind free and then go for massage to enjoy maximum benefits.

Be mindful of your body & your mental state before booking a session. Consult your bodyworker if you have any questions, we are here to help.

Massage therapy is a profession where practitioners study new therapies, understand current pathology as well as stay available to the truth that your client may not need a massage today.

And being OK with telling them so.

Tennis Elbow 'homework' between massage sessions

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:45:00 -0700

Commonly referred to as ‘Tennis Elbow’, Lateral Epicondylitis can be a debilitating and painful condition. While playing tennis can cause it, in today’s world a multitude of activities can irritate the tendon or even cause small tears in the bursa.

The muscles which flex the wrist (moving the palm towards the arm) are generally stronger and more developed than the muscles that extend the wrist (moving the palm away from the arm) and even something so simple as hand mixing, riding a bike or anything to requires a grip with a angled wrist can be a cause the condition.

Several modalities of massage therapies can be helpful in the recovery and promote healing but just like in school, homework is the key to both healing and preventing the injury from re-occurring.

The newly designed FlexBar by Thera-Band can be a great tool for treating Tennis Elbow when you are at home between massage therapy sessions. Made of a material that allows the bar to be made in various tensions (measured in pounds of force) it can provide a way to understand the motions that were causing the condition, thereby gaining insight into helping your body heal.

Always consult a medical professional before attempting any method of home therapy and work with a massage professional to provide additional support.

Tennis Elbow can take the joy out of the things you love and even force you to abandon those activities entirely. Speak with your medical professional about your condition, first but remember to mention you will be working with a massage therapist and you’re willing to do homework with a Flexbar.

I’m sure they’ll be impressed.

Source: NPR

icbodywork: Updates coming August 1st to icbodywork.com. Thanks to everyone for their continued support!

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:33:10 -0700

icbodywork: Updates coming August 1st to icbodywork.com. Thanks to everyone for their continued support!:

icbodywork: Updates coming August 1st to icbodywork.com. Thanks to everyone for their continued support!

Our June special is a Fifty/Fifty!

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:33:00 -0700

This month we are asking our clients to think about a friend or family member who is not making time for self-care. Now is the time to get them in for a massage!

ICB will reward your hard work in the from of our Fifty/Fifty Friends & Family promotion and it works like this:

1. Call or book a session online for yourself and for your friend or family member.
2. Make sure both session are scheduled on the same day
3. Each session can be a different length and specialized modality
4. Mention our Fifty/Fifty deal and both sessions will be 50% off normal pricing

It’s just that simple. Save money, relax and share the positive experience of massage therapy with someone close to you.

Massage: Relaxation vs Therapeutic?

Mon, 30 May 2011 09:41:47 -0700

The discussion between the benefits of massage has always been a clash of facts and personal experiences. While either has claimed total victory, these two sides are more than ever battling for the hearts and minds of current and potential clients.

Firmly entrenched, the camps of Relaxation and Therapeutic have battled for supremacy over which is one should be the guiding motivation of both the practitioner and the client.

In this corner is Relaxation Massage:

The bliss of luxurious, pampering smoothing touch that is the cornerstone of the high-end spa experience. Swaddled in super soft, over-sized pure white cotton robes with the gentle ocean breezes swirling around the table, total relaxation awaits to restore and renew you, melting away stress and worry in a peaceful, gentle calming experience unlike any other.

And in this corner is Therapeutic Massage:

Finely tuned with a deep understanding of a multitude of both scientific and meta-physical, this practitioner is ready to assist and guide your body through the healing and de-toxification process. Reverance for current and past understand of how and why the body works the massage table is a place of precise actions and logical paths that can have almost magical results on your physical and spiritual health.

While most clients are unaware of which might be right for them and when in doubt many will opt for the gentle, soothing Relaxation Massage. Why? Very few media depictions of a massage session are anything but relaxation usually on a beach front open tent with a beautiful woman or hunky man in a pristine white uniform.

Not to say Relaxation Massage is bad or incorrect but in terms of chronic muscle contraction, injuries or even structural issues, it simply may not be the best route to take or as we’ll see, the complete plan.

Talk to many active or athletic minded persons and Therapeutic Massage is frequently mentioned as the only massage for them. Deep tissue with trigger points, pin & stretch and other aggressive modalities are what they would prefer and will completely forgo any effort to relax as well as treat.

While there individuals may be accustomed to these modalities, there is frequently ignored purpose of lighter strokes to warm and ready the soft tissue for deeper work. Once again, we see Therapeutic Massage is only part of the picture.

By carefully tailoring the blend of both, a therapist can help the body restore homeostasis or its’ natural balance and at the same time promote healing as well as leave your feeling more centered, lighter and yes, relaxed.

The best way I suggest to approach a massage session is with goals but an open mind to what can happen. Some of the best sessions I’ve ever had were finished with “What was that you did to my back and shoulders?”

Letting your mind take a break from the full time job of monitoring and controlling your body can be the first step in the healing process be the cause a simple strain, stress, chronic issues, injury or recovery after medical procedure.

Those moments after the session or even a day or two later is the time to plan for your next set of goals.

Your time on the table should be as free as possible from expectations and needs since it is 100% of the focus of your massage therapist.

Monthly specials for May are up!

Sat, 21 May 2011 08:08:51 -0700

Monthly specials for May are up!:

Monthly specials for May are up on Yelp http://bit.ly/fwYFON and Google Places http://bit.ly/k3yFZ4. Book your sessions online or call for more info

Massage can help with weight control?

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:36:00 -0700

Not everyone has the same goals when it comes to weight control. Some people have an ideal number while others simply are trying to increase their overall health.

A recent Kaiser Permanente study have shown that both groups may benefit from reducing stress & sleeping better as big steps toward achieve their respective goals. Having a stressful life may undermine and decrease the effectivness of any amount of physical activity.

Since just one session of massage therapy has been proven to have an impact on stress levels and adjusting sleep patterns, it can be seen as a wonderful compliment to any weight control plan.

Add in that, any increase in physical activity can result in sore muscles and the slow progress can be stressful enough, the detoxification of massage with stress reduction should have regular massage sessions on to-do list of anyone working to control their weight.

Source: http://www.kpchr.org

March monthly special is Discount Matching!

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:11:00 -0800

March monthly special is Discount Matching!:

During the month of March ICB is matching all discount coupons, offers and membership rates. That includes, Groupon & Living Social

icbodywork: After some minor technical difficulties ICB is back online. Thanks to those to alerted us via email and calls!

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 01:42:33 -0800

icbodywork: After some minor technical difficulties ICB is back online. Thanks to those to alerted us via email and calls!:

icbodywork: After some minor technical difficulties ICB is back online. Thanks to those to alerted us via email and calls!

Massage Therapy is an investment in your happiness

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:08:00 -0800

With the New Year’s calendar spilling out in front of us, many feel the desire to examine their historical patterns and work towards change for the coming months. This is the time to plan a journey for the sake of ourselves.

From diets, to exercise regimes, to the whirlwind trips, most people have no shortage of changes they would like to make. Better jobs, shorter hours, creative outlets, that elusive language, and on and on.

While the source of motivation can be a vast as points on a map, they all share one common thread: To improve health and happiness.

Health, like happiness, is very personal. Change requires internal strength to first discover what you need to do and then sheer will power to keep on that path towards your goals. The number of people who start the year with the intention of a ‘fresh start’ but somehow fail to meet them are a sobering reality of the difficulty.

If improving health can be so challenging, can improving happiness be easier? Actually based on research, many people overlook their personalities when planning for happiness and that can lead to disappointing results.

Basically: if you are easy going and generally agreeable, no amount of planning will make your experience better. Save yourself the time and stress and enjoy the simple route. If you find that you have more particular needs - carefully planning the details will result in satisfaction and a more pleasant experience. Seems logical enough, but most people don’t factor themselves into their own lives with deep sincerity.

How does massage therapy fit into this? The process of caring for yourself is a choice and must be something you believe in. By including massage therapy as something you find value in, you are in turn valuing yourself.

In addition, a multi-modality massage can allow you to discover greater insight into your needs and what brings you closer to your ideal physical/spiritual health. By not being bound by a single ‘type’ or modality of massage, you can mix & match techniques to discover what works best for you. This will gradually allow you to tailor your session until it serves your needs perfectly.

Intuitively, you will discover more about yourself which will encourage you to ask more questions and create more space for consideration about your future sessions and the treatment paths you choose.

This self-valuation, self-care and self-development can bolster a person who didn’t factor their personality or needs into plans for future happiness into a person with a clear sense of themselves and being very comfortable asking for what they need from the world around them.

Happiness can be knowing what you need, knowing how to get it and know you deserve it. Since happiness and health are so closely interwoven, that desire for self-care can push forward to integrate better choices that support your health goals.

Like any new journey, knowing yourself is as important as knowing your destination and learning about yourself can be a wonderful side-effect of intuitive massage therapy.

Best of luck and we hope to be part of your journey in the new year!

http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2011/01/14/people-neglect-who-they-really-are-when-predicting-their-own-future-happiness

Accupressure Chair Massage: The working person's therapy

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:24:00 -0800

There is little doubt that most people can pin point where their sources of stress come from. Some sources can be avoided or reduced but others, like our jobs, can be much harder to change or eliminate. Dozen of hours of stress can occur each week that can build up into tight shoulders, a stiff back or other physical manifesations.

Thankfully for many workers, there is a movement in the professional massage therapy industry to bridge the gap between relaxing, luxurious sessions and preventive healing touch that serves every profession and income level: Accupressure during a chair massage.

Simply put: Acupressure is applying pressure to specific areas of the client’s body to reduce musco-skeletal and nervous system dysfunction. This pressure, which can be effective even through clothing, can easily be modified to be effective while seated at a desk (with a massage bolster) or in a massage chair. Coupled with other relaxation massage techniques can be very helpful in clients who suffer from job related stress, fatigue and repetitive-motion injuries.

By removing the need to travel before or after work hours to a spa or massage studio, at work chair massages are becoming a popular way to improve company morale, productivity, maintain worker health and lessen the chance of work related injuries. This also increases the acceptance by making it easy to schedule: the therapist comes to you.

Chairs can be setup at the worker’s desk or in a specific location. If the therapist is using the client’s normal chair a bolster is placed on the desk to allow the client to rest comfortably forward. This will allow the therapist to work on the common areas of tension and dysfunction: the neck, shoulders and back.

Legs and arms can be easily massaged while seated using a variety of techniques to help with chronically contracted muscles, blood flow and nerve entrapment. All work can be done with the client fully clothed and doesn’t require the client to leave their office.

While table massage allows for more specific, more relaxing work - the chair massage performed regularly can assist in helping the body heal as well as restore a balance to the work environment.

Healthy, relaxed, happy employees are a great asset to any organization and by taking as little as 20 minutes to integrate healing touch into the workplace, employers are seeing the benefits after the first day of sessions.

As the realization by HMOs that massage therapy is as functional as a preventive measure as it is a supplemental to the natural healing process, we can expect to see more companies realize their bottom line is increased by the health and well-being of their employees.

Stop smoking with the help of Massage Therapy?

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:54:55 -0800

Interesting and hopeful view that Massage Therapy can help smokers overcome their addiction http://bit.ly/exBx2F

Online booking launching Nov 1st

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:47:58 -0700

Just in time for the busy holiday season, we are putting the finishing touches on our new online booking system. You’ll be able to use your computer or SmartPhone to view services, see available times and even pay for your session.

We hope this will make it easier than ever to fit “Self Care” into your busy lifestyle.

Thank you to our testers/clients for their generous input during this exciting time.

How can Neuromuscular Therapy help me?

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:16:00 -0700

Many clients come to IC Bodywork for a specific condition that causes pain or dysfunction. During the intake process, an IC Bodyworker may determine that a NMT session might be helpful but what does NMT bodywork consist of?

NMT is the process of employing a variety of techniques to assist the client’s neurological and musculoskeletal systems back to homeostasis (harmony or center) which in many cases can ease the pain or discomfort felt by the client.

Pain, inflammation or stiffness is the body’s natural way of restricting movement of a damaged or healing joint/muscle. If a specific range of movement or position hurts, you will be less likely to employ those joints & muscles that need to recover.

The framework for NMT bodywork is examining six categories that can contribute to chronic pain as well as use the information gathered to build a treatment plan:

1.Ischemia
2.Trigger Points
3.Nerve Entrapment/Compression
4.Postural Distortions
5.Nutrition
6.Emotional Wellbeing

During the session, the joints and muscle function can be enhanced, which can decompress nerves, release endorphins and restore a level of movement to the client’s body. Allowing the muscle receptors to learn new patterns is the goal which can free up frozen joints and contracted muscles.

By factoring in postural distortions, nutrition and external/emotional wellbeing, an IC Bodyworks treatment plan can be an essential part in the restoration range of motion, function and diminishing of chronic pain.

Like most bodywork, one session will have temporary effects. A regular NMT treatment plan for a period averaging 6-8 session is not uncommon and many factors will determine how quickly recovery progresses. “Yes, there will be homework”

After each session, your IC Bodyworker will encourage you to be mindful of changes you are feeling in your body. You can gently honor those internal calls for change by slowly integrating new patterns that will serve you better than older more comfortable movements.

Moving your bag to your other shoulder, walking with an even stride and rolling your shoulders posterior are all examples of small changes that can have profound effects.

Much like learning a new hobby or task, NMT work will provide you with a framework and allow you to be present as your body moves into homeostasis and pain gradually decreases.

With any IC Bodywork session, several complimentary modalities will be integrated with careful respect to the individual client, their goals and the treatment plan outlined.

In other words: NMT is part of what every client can expect at IC Bodywork and we are always happy to explain the modality and focus our attention on your specific goals or even make NMT a larger portion of any given session.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact IC Bodywork to speak with a bodyworker or schedule a session.

Eldar care and the role of Massage Therapy

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 09:38:00 -0700

During my practicum, I had several choices of assignments. For me, with two aging parents over 70, the choice was easy: Eldar Massage Therapy. What appeared to a simple, personal decision is now appearing to be a much larger role of providing healing touch to a group of Americans who sometimes go days without any human contact.

Beyond the standard precautions and medical history of massage there more than the facts that must be taken into consideration before beginning an Eldar session: respect and honor.

Between our two generations of time, my clients and I had to settle into a ‘time-travel’ experiment. Those dozens of years and huge changes in social norms had to be equalized, slowly, carefully with gentle conversation and deep respect for the Edlar client.

Everything I thought I couldn’t do slower, I could. Everytime I checked in for pressure and asking for permission, it seemed like the right time and was welcome relief. The smaller, less technical aspects of Massage Therapy became the most important things to focus on. Keeping in mind the particular pathologies, medications and current treatments can be a challenge.

Always remember to keep your SOAP notes updated and check in with any medical professionals the client is currently seeing. Expect a level of distrust or skepticism and be ready with your clinical training to reassure the Health Care professional, you are working with them, not against them.

Listening, being conscious of your actions and always keeping the ‘Beginner’s Mind’ at the forefront of your every step should be your focus above any theraputic work you may be able to do.

My personal experience was that 20-30 or minute sessions had a remarkable improvement in ways that are hard to quantify. Clients saw a slow change to more ‘better’ days and less frequent debilitating effects of age.

The work is beyond rewarding and you’ll get to hear some amazing stories. Maybe you see a change too :)

Side effects of medication and Massage Therapy

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:13:42 -0700

With so many pharaceuticals on the market today, many have life prolonging benefits, these same medications may also carry painful side effects. In the case of a few drugs in use by large portions of the population, every massage therapist must keep these side effects in mind when trying to determine the best course of treatment for a client.

Before every session, a through intake and medical history is completed by the client and then reviewed by the therapist. This process allows the therapist to be aware of any changes since the client’s last visit and gives your bodyworker critical information that will be used during the session.

By communicating fully your therapist, you can create an atmosphere of comfort and assist in making sure each session is fully tailored to your specific needs. Our greatest source of real world information comes from you expressing your experiences before and after the session.

Follow ups, careful research and detailed SOAP notes can be benefical to both the client and the therapist in assisting the healing process or dealing with chronic pain that can occur from the crucial medications that allow nearly millions of Americans to lead full lifestyles.

For more information read ‘Chasing the Pain’
http://www.massagetoday.com/mpacms/mt/article.php?id=14304

Men Neglecting Massage Therapy in 2009/2010

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 21:05:58 -0700

Being a massage therapist I can attest to men foregoing massage during the down economy. Clients have been leaning more towards women at 4:1 ratio up from 2.5:1

My questions is it a saving money, no time (due to increased work load) or just simply that the massage therapy industry is shifting from a therapeutic emphasis to a relaxation/luxury emphasis.

Looking at the growth of massage therapy chains and the nationwide effort to remove the prositituion from massage therapy it is easy to see where men would see massage therapy as something ‘women do’ and not the important part of any man’s healthy lifestyle.

Coupled with men feeling substainally more pressure to succeed it is easy to see why one of the first things to go by the wayside is self-care. When you have bills piling up, it is hard for even a single man to look at a $75 massage as a good use of limited funds. Add in a spouse and children the picture gets even more bleak.

My hope for 2011 is a greater industry effort to educate the medical industry and bring a greater understanding to the male population that massage therapy is important part of healthcare and a great value to improve daily life.

http://www.amtamassage.org/articles/2/PressRelease/detail/2219

Massage: The medically verified effects

Sun, 19 Sep 2010 21:00:00 -0700

For a massage therapist the effects of a good bodywork session are obvious: Afterwards, the client can be in a ‘shifted’ space, more often that not, calmer, happier, more aware and not struggling to understand the change - simply enjoying their shifted perspective.

For 53 healthy adults who took part in both Deep-Tissue and Light massage study and afterwards, had their blood tested, the results were very similar.

Deep-Tissue decreased Cortisol and Arginine Vasopressin both which are related to stress as well as increased lymphocytes (part of the immune response).

Lighter massage saw increases in Oxytosin, which can give that ‘shift’, and large decreases in adrenal corticotropin hormone which can trigger the stress cycle.

As bodyworkers, we have undergone thousands of hours on the table ourselves. We remember those deeply moving and profound moments where we felt that ‘shift’ and that is one of the motivations to continue our learning, refine our practice and expand our skills to help the body, the mind and the spirit return to a calmer place where the natural healing process of your body can do great work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/health/research/21regimens.html?ref=science

Our Yelp page is up, Animal Massage coming soon!

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:00:00 -0700

Calling all clients to add their experiences to our Yelp page and get the work out. Referral discounts are still in effect for all existing clients.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/intuitive-congruent-bodywork-and-massage-san-francisco

Another exciting offering is Animal Massage. Currently we are working on Dogs and Cats as relaxation, behavior modification or in recovery. As with all bodywork, an adjustment period is expected and your pet will have to feel comfortable with their bodyworker (just like you) but results have been astounding. Plus being pet lovers makes this type of work an utter joy.

Please feel free to contact us for more information as we are seeing clients on a limited basis.

*woof*

Working with Fully Healed Injuries

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:00:00 -0700

When many clients go through our required pre-session medical history form there are always a few things that get left off and the #1 item is always injuries from days long gone by.

As with any change to the body, an injury that effects the way we use our body (legs, arms, back, ect) can have a lasting effect far beyond the actual healing cycle.

Once you have altered your body’s function, those changes can have a ripple effect on other parts of your body that were not injured or even felt effected by the injury.

Our goal is to help our clients identify those sometime subtle changes and offer ways they can return more function to their body. In many cases we will recommend working with a health care provider to clear the possibility of any contraindicated issues that can be worsened by bodywork.

After you get the all clear, we can spend time explaining what we feel during your session and even do kinesthetic analysis of your walk, reach, stance or other muscle-skeletal interactions (movements). Your time before and after the bodywork will be as important as the time spent on the table: expect homework!

These coupled with a therapeutic plan that meets your goals will move your body down the path to as close to a pre-injury place as possible. As with all session, we will carefully document our work and your feedback will be invaluable. We care for for your body for an hour or so, you need to care for it the other 167 hours of the week :)

If you have any questions feel free to ask us before your session. Be well!