Specialized Bodywork Techniques

Do you have a specialized issue?  Have you tried other types of massage, bodywork and physical therapy and still haven't found relief?  Then we have the solution for you with one of our certified and highly skilled therapeutic approaches to bodywork.  Sessions can be designed for many specific issues such as pregnancy, migraine relief, TMJ, chronic pain and competitive injuries.  If you need advice about which therapy would best suit your specific need, please don't hesitate to contact us.  

Myofascial Release Therapy: The Barnes' Technique
* Migraine Headaches
* TMJ & Scar Tissue Treatment
* Chronic Pain
* Sciatica & Nerve Pain

This technique is designed to begin a chain reaction in the body so the body will self-correct any postural distortion or muscular tension. In chronic muscle problems, the level of tension in the muscle when at rest is too high. This is generally a problem of the fascia or connective tissue that surrounds the muscle and passes through the muscle forming the attaching tendons. If the envelope is too tight, the muscle uses greater force (and therefore higher inner tension) to contract against the envelope, but will actually produce only a small amount of movement, most often with pain.

Many of the problems in our bodies occur because of these restrictions of fascia. Fascia binds various structures together within the human body and after a strain or injury, the fascia reorganizes itself and tightens to protect injured areas.  This can trap circulatory, nerve and lymphatic pathways, the effects of which can be devastating over time creating changes in balance and posture that create pain, weakness and muscle fatigue.  

Myofascial Therapy combines heat applications with stretching of these deeper fascial tissues that often are in crisis as a response to an accident or physical trauma. We work with the body three-dimensionally from the head to the feet, using pressure, joint movement, visceral manipulation and deep stretches to elongate the connective tissue. Combining aspects utilized in physical therapy with this revolutionary approach to body structure, Myofascial Therapy can enhance flexibility, breathing and motion of even professional athletes, dancers and gymnasts.

Read more about Myofascial Release Therapy

Manual Lymphatic Drainage: The Vodder Technique
* Swollen Ankles
* Water Weight Gain
* Lymphedema
* Severe Muscle & Body Fatigue

Lymph is the miraculous mixture of fluids which cleanse the tissue of toxic debris, remove excess fluid accumulation and move our immune system from our organs to our cells. This system relies on muscular movement, deep breathing and rhythmic movements such as walking, jumping and running to pump the lymph to every cell in our body. Since many of us lead more sedentary lifestyles and have jobs that require us to remain in one position for lengthy periods of time, our lymph system becomes stagnant, congested and restricted. The French naturopath and therapist, Dr. Emil Vodder created a gentle, rhythmic method of reproducing the natural pumping action of the lymphatic system, a technique known as MLD (Manual Lymphatic Drainage) and practiced throughout the world since 1932. 

We recommend this treatment as an adjunct to any detoxifying therapy or internal body cleanse. It is especially recommended for edema, bronchial conditions, chronic immune problems and chronic pain issues. This technique must be repeated at frequent intervals for deep and lasting effects. We also recommend continuing the effects of Manual Lymphatic Drainage with daily skin brushing at home. Skin brushing is a technique of decongesting the superficial lymphatics with gentle brushing of the skin towards the lymphatic ducts to help drain blocked material and reduce lymphatic swelling.

Read more about the Vodder Technique.

Certified Prenatal Massage For the Expectant Mother
* Swollen Ankles
* Body Aches & Pains
* Tired Feet
* Sore Shoulders

These comprehensive massage techniques have been written up in numerous journals and magazines for the safe and effective treatment of the structure of pregnant women. Let our therapists relieve the strain and pain of the lower back, the abdomen, the legs, the feet and the neck. This very soothing type of massage therapy if done during pregnancy, has maintained collagen shape and reduced the development of stretch marks.

In this way hundreds of women have regained their body shape and strength more quickly after delivery and relieved debilitating structural problems associated with the pregnancy cycle. Massage also seems to decrease the potential for post-natal depression by increasing the flow of brain neurotransmitter chemicals that stabilize mood and maintain energy. Massage is the baby shower gift that will be more appreciated than even the most innovative stroller!

Massage for Sports and Sporting Injuries
* Treat & Prevent Injury
* Speed Muscle Recovery
* Optimize Performance

Athletes require a perfectly balanced alignment of joints and muscles for the equal distribution of stress from competition. If the body is stressed or out of balance, then specific joints will bear the brunt of shock absorption, thus eroding the natural strength and endurance of the joint capsule. This type of massage therapy prepares the body for events and reduces the buildup of metabolic wastes from muscular exertion, so the athlete can compete at an optimum level and recover faster. This approach is essential during injury recovery, for each day out of training is a day further from the goal of victory. Sports Massage has been used for many years by professional teams, event coordinators and even horse trainers to improve muscle tone, definition and athletic performance.

Sessions at ISIS combine heat application, joint icing, Myofascial stretching and Neuromuscular compression to elongate muscle tissue, remove toxic debris and enhance athletic ability. By treating the muscle tissue well, an athlete can extend endurance and limit injury. And don't forget our natural supplements and herbs which can increase tissue oxygenation, muscle recovery, hydration and muscle definition and strength.

Massage During the Stress of Cancer...
Massage Therapy can always be safely administered to cancer patients, regardless of the severity of their condition. It will not, as many people have falsely believed, spread cancer cells from a primary tumor to a distant uninfected area. In fact research has shown that a variety of massage techniques have positively affected symptoms related to cancer or side effects from treatment, such as nausea, fatigue, insomnia, edema and pain. Studies have also shown it to improve mood and relaxation while decreasing anxiety and the sense of isolation common with cancer patients. Even focusing on the most problematic areas of tension, such as the shoulders, neck, back and feet can provide more soothing pain-free relaxation than any amount of drug therapy.

We specialize in providing comprehensive treatment programs for cancer patients to balance the traditional medical treatments that they are receiving. Massage therapy is an important part of these programs by providing the following wonderful effects:

• to reduce pain - massage can relax nerves and reduce the pain signals that the brain receives, relaxing the body and providing a reflex body-wide relaxation response.
• to reduce lymphedema - when proteins are not removed from the connective tissue by the lymph system, they tend to become organized and fibrotic, making removal much more difficult. Also, proteins exert a colloid osmotic pressure, attracting water through cell membranes into the connective tissue and causing edema. The longer they sit there, the more difficult they become to remove. For this reason, a full approach to lymphatic drainage is called Combined Decongestie Therapy. Due to the removal of lymph nodes as a standard part of treatment, many patients with lumpectomies, mastectomies or prostatectomies will most likely have this for a time, or permanently. Edema can also be caused by the hormonal changes related to chemotherapy.
• for lack of circulation - massage therapy can increase venous circulation by as much as 400% immediately upon cessation of the massage session and it will continue for some time after.
• to reduce fibrosis and adhesions - these can restrict range of motion and fascial mobility. It is essential to increase movement once healing has taken place to ensure flexibility and continued adequate blood flow.
• to reduce the fear of body pain and discomfort - it is important that the patient understands that pain and discomfort are normal processes of healing and adjusting. Many patients have intense fears about each twinge, each ache. By applying massage we can reduce that fear.
• for personal contact - most often it is the friends and family who are unaware that the way in which they physically interact with their loved one has changed. They are no longer comfortable touching them or hugging them and believe that the person's body is off limits. Therefore they usually believe as well that the patient will not want to be massaged. In fact, the patient needs touch now more than ever. They need to reconnect body and mind.

Trigger Point Therapy

* Frozen shoulder, Carpal Tunnel and all arm pain
* TMJ and all head and neck pain
* Sciatic pain, pelvic pain and all back pain
* Plantar fascitis and all leg and foot pain

One of the most famous physicians that wrote about this type of treatment was Dr. Janet Travell, one of the physicians that treated President John F. Kennedy's back problems throughout his life.  Her research into the formation, experience and treatment of trigger points has become the foundation of our modern views and treatment of muscle and connective tissue pain and dysfunction.  When stressed, overstretched, torn or injured, muscles may form tight knots of fibers which are known as trigger points.  These not only create localized pain and tenderness when touched, but can create extensive pain, restriction, dysfunction and distortion in other areas of the body through referred neural activity, which can increase over time. 

After they are formed, trigger points have two phases, active and latent. The active phase is where there seems to be unrelenting, debilitating pain symptoms.  This is often when people use muscle relaxants or seek physical therapy.  But without trigger point therapy as a specific treatment, the trigger points will remain and the condition will not be resolved.  Active trigger points hurt when pressed with a finger and cause pain not just around the knotted area, but in other seemingly unrelated areas as well.  Flexibility and muscle strength will be less and many surrounding areas may experience a dull aching, numbness, tingling or burning. The overlapping pain areas and the gradually increasing number of areas involved can often lead to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. 

Over time, many trigger points can also lie quietly in muscles, sometimes for years. These are called latent points and they are even more common.  Oten people don't even know they are there until they are pressed.  Latent trigger points may persist for years after apparent recovery from injury and can cause restricted movement, distorted muscle movement patterns, stiffness and weakness of affected muscles and long-term changes in posture and physical ability.  Many things can cause a latent trigger point to become active. An old injury that periodically re-surfaces (that "trick knee" or low back "going out") may very likely be due to latent trigger points "waking up" and becoming active when aggravated by muscle overload, a cold draft, fatigue, infection, illness, or stress.

Treatment involves gradually evaluating and desensitizing trigger point areas and their related pain patterns, often restoring normal muscle activity, strength and posture after just one session.  Results can be dramatic and life changing, even after years of weakness, pain and limitation. 

The Specialized Treatment of Scar Tissue
People often develop restrictions, muscle problems and structural pain shortly after surgery and trauma from the formation of excessive amounts of scar tissue. Even normal scar tissue can develop into adhesions which, if ignored can bring on later symptoms such as infertility, chronic visceral pain and even organic obstructions. There is evidence to suggest that 67% to 93% of patients will develop adhesions following abdominal surgery and 55% to 100% of patients will develop adhesions following gynecologic surgery.

It is normal for the body to form some scar tissue following any trauma or surgery as a result of the inflammatory response. But, should the area not be able to work up to normalized movement or there be an alteration in posture as a result of the trauma, then scar tissue becomes an integral part of the new structure, causing restricted movement and various tensions on tendons, ligaments and even organs themselves. Our own compensation for trauma, such as shifting our weight to an undamaged leg when walking, or sitting differently, can perpetuate incorrect postures and put pressure on our organs in ways that our bodies have never experienced. These organs can react in ways that we would never realize are caused by scar tissue.

One example would be Cesarean births. Shortly after the birth, there may appear lower back pain which never seems to go away. The body doesn't seem to feel the same as it did before. Even movements may be severely restricted months or even years after the birth process. It can even affect the menstrual cycle causing pain that was never the case before. One patient at ISIS found that after three sessions of manual scar tissue treatment, she was pain free for the first time in three years. Within two months, her period symptoms had abated completely. All of this was due to the extensive amount of scar tissue that had developed as a result of her C-Section which had extended through her abdominal cavity to adhere to the spine pulling her spine forward towards the front of her body.

When adhesions form around the stomach, intestines or digestive tract, dysfunction such as constipation or abdominal pain may result. When it occurs around the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, infertility may result. Even chronic inflammatory conditions can cause adhesions to form which disrupt normal function throughout the body. We have even seen scar tissue in the shoulder from a rotator cuff injury be a contributing factor to gall bladder issues. Even the removal of an unwanted tattoo can create problems for nearby structures.

This type of bodywork is a combination of manual therapies designed to increase mobility and decrease pain. Gentle stretching which gives the area a feeling of an "indian sunburn" can loosen stubborn scar tissue for a permanent shift in the posture of an area. It can free up muscles, tendons, ligaments, organs and nerves so that normalized function can be restored. Generally, three treatments will provide a noticeable improvement, allowing for follow-up treatments to be further apart and the changes become longer-lasting with each session. It should also be said that the longer the scar tissue has been present and the more scar tissue that exists, the more treatments are necessary for change to take place. This is unlike other styles of massage therapy, as this focuses on very particular areas, instead of a more body-wide approach. We also do not recommend this therapy within six weeks of surgery nor for conditions that might worsen with treatment such as keloids, endometriosis, active infections or hemophilia.

Visceral Manipulation
* Period Pain
* Hiatal Hernia
* Constipation
* Gall Bladder Issues

Visceral Manipulation was developed by French Osteopath, Jean-Pierre Barral. When we are healthy the relationship between the organs (viscera) and other structures of the body such as muscles and bones, remains stable despite the body's endless varieties of motion. But when an organ moves from its original location due to injury, surgery or poor muscle tone, it will work against all the body's organs and structures. This disharmony creates fixed, abnormal points of tension that the body is forced to move around. That chronic irritation, in turn, paves the way for disease and dysfunction, not to mention pain, chronic fatigue and stress.

Visceral Manipulation is a gentle hands-on therapy that works through the body's visceral system (the heart, liver, intestines and other internal organs) to locate and alleviate these abnormal points of tension throughout the body. It employs specifically placed manual forces that work to encourage the normal mobility, tone and motion of the viscera and their connective tissues. Our trained practitioners use the rhythmic motions of the visceral system to evaluate how abnormal forces interplay, overlap and affect the normal body forces at work. These gentle manipulations can potentially improve the functioning of individual organs, the systems the organs function within, and the structural integrity of the entire body.

Read more about Visceral Manipulation.